From the brink to a comeback: Species recovery in India

Why in news?

Wildlife Week (October 2–8) has brought attention to India’s species recovery efforts, from vultures and lions to dugongs and the bustard.

UPSC Relevance – Prelims: IUCN categories, species in news, protected areas, conservation schemes.

Mains, GS3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.

What is species recovery?

Species recovery means bringing a threatened species back to a point where its population can survive on its own in the wild. It goes beyond simply stopping a decline. It involves fixing the cause of the decline, rebuilding numbers, and making sure the habitat can hold them in the long run.

• It usually combines in-situ methods (protecting habitat, anti-poaching, removing threats) with ex-situ methods (conservation breeding, gene banks) followed by reintroduction.
• Success is judged by numbers, by spread over a wider area, and by whether the species can persist without constant human support.

India’s biodiversity at a glance

• India has only 2.4% of the world’s land area but supports nearly 8% of its flora and 7.5% of its fauna.
• It is one of the 17 megadiverse countries and contains parts of 4 of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots: Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats–Sri Lanka and Sundaland (Nicobar Islands).
• Around 28% of plants and over 30% of animals found in India are endemic.
• Of 7,516 Indian animal species assessed on the IUCN Red List, 1,012 are threatened (Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered). But these assessments cover only 7.2% of documented animal species, so the real picture is likely worse.

Legal and institutional framework

• Constitution: Article 48A (DPSP) directs the State to protect forests and wildlife; Article 51A(g) makes it a fundamental duty of citizens. Forests and protection of wild animals moved to the Concurrent List through the 42nd Amendment, 1976.
• Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I species get the highest protection. The 2022 amendment cut the schedules from six to four and aligned the Act with CITES.
• Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH): Centrally sponsored scheme of MoEFCC. Its ‘Recovery Programme for Critically Endangered Species’ now covers 24 species, including the GIB, Sangai, dugong and hangul. States must carry out research, habitat improvement, protection and community participation.
• Species-specific projects: Project Tiger and Elephant, Project Lion (2020), Project Dolphin, Vulture Action Plan 2020–25, and state initiatives like Project Nilgiri Tahr (Tamil Nadu).
• National Red List Roadmap: Launched at the IUCN World Conservation Congress (Abu Dhabi, 2025) to prepare National Red Data Books for plants and animals by 2030. It will show where recovery efforts are needed most.
• International commitments: CITES, Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), and Target 4 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which calls for halting human-induced extinction of known threatened species.

Recovery stories from India

What has worked: lessons from the ground

• Removing the root cause: The 2006 ban on veterinary diclofenac was the turning point for vultures. Residues in cattle carcasses caused kidney failure in Gyps vultures, wiping out over 95% of some populations. Aceclofenac and ketoprofen were also banned for animal use in 2023.
• Conservation breeding: The Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre at Pinjore (Haryana Forest Department and BNHS) was India’s first vulture breeding centre. For the GIB, breeding centres in Jaisalmer have even used artificial insemination.
• Habitat-centred action: Grassland management and invasive plant control helped rhinos in Assam. Seagrass protection is the base of dugong conservation.
• Communities as partners: Women from Kibber (Himachal) set camera traps for snow leopards. In Palk Bay, fishers who release dugongs from nets get compensation for damaged gear.
• Science and monitoring: Regular, synchronised surveys (like the tri-state vulture count across TN, Kerala and Karnataka) give a baseline to measure change.
• Dedicated funds: Tamil Nadu’s Endangered Species Conservation Fund focuses on lesser-known species like the mahseer, striped hyena, Madras hedgehog, lion-tailed macaque and hornbill.

Challenges

• Data gap: Only a small share of species has been assessed. Many plants, insects and freshwater species are simply not on the radar.
• Charismatic species bias: Tigers and elephants attract most funds and attention, while frogs, freshwater fish and small mammals get little.
• Development pressures: Overhead power lines are a leading cause of GIB deaths. In M.K. Ranjitsinh vs Union of India, the Supreme Court first ordered undergrounding of lines (2021) and later modified it (2024), also recognising a right against the adverse effects of climate change.
• Single-site populations: Asiatic lions remain concentrated in one landscape, raising disease risk. The 2013 Supreme Court order to translocate some lions to Kuno has not been implemented.
• Habitat loss and degradation: Grasslands are often treated as ‘wastelands’ and diverted for other uses. Invasives like Prosopis juliflora and Lantana camara degrade habitats.
• Human-wildlife conflict and livelihoods: Dugongs die as bycatch; snow leopards prey on livestock. Without compensation and benefit-sharing, local support fades.
• Short-term approach: Recovery takes decades, but funding moves with budget cycles and political priorities. Field staff shortages and weak scientific capacity at the state level make it harder.

Way forward

• Complete the National Red List assessment and use it to set recovery priorities based on threat, not popularity.
• Give species plans clear goals, mapped habitats, timelines and measurable outcomes, with assured funding across budget cycles.
• Recognise grasslands, wetlands and seagrass meadows as ecosystems that need protection, not land waiting for ‘use’.
• Build scientific capacity close to the field: train forest staff in surveys, habitat assessment, conservation breeding and genetic analysis.
• Involve communities meaningfully through compensation, livelihood support and roles in monitoring. Their local knowledge improves plans.
• Pool resources from government, CSR, philanthropy and research institutions through state-level conservation funds.
• Plan for insurance populations (second homes) for species confined to a single site.

Species recover in different ways, as the bustard, vulture, tahr and dugong show. What they have in common is sustained effort. Conservation success is not a one-time win but a long commitment to science, habitat and people.

Practice MCQ 

Q1. Consider the following pairs:

Species : Associated area/status

1. Sangai : Keibul Lamjao National Park
2. Hangul : Dachigam National Park
3. Nilgiri tahr : State animal of Kerala
4. Great Indian Bustard : State bird of Rajasthan

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Answer: (c)

Explanation: Pair 3 is incorrect. The Nilgiri tahr is the state animal of Tamil Nadu. Kerala’s state animal is the Indian elephant.

Q2. Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: India has banned the veterinary use of diclofenac to protect vulture populations.

Statement-II: Vultures feeding on carcasses of cattle treated with diclofenac suffer kidney failure.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I

(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I

(c) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect

(d) Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Answer: (a)

Explanation: Diclofenac residues in carcasses cause visceral gout and kidney failure in Gyps vultures. This led to the 2006 ban on its veterinary use.

Mains Practice Question 

Q. “India’s species recovery stories show that laws can prevent extinction, but only sustained science, funding and community participation can ensure recovery.” Discuss with suitable examples. (15 marks, 250 words)