NEW DELHI: Over the past five years, the Union government has significantly cut major wildlife conservation funds, raising concerns about the state of wildlife conservation. The Wildlife Habitat Development Fund has been reduced by two-thirds, and Project Tiger funds have seen a 50% reduction.
Curiously, the decrease in tiger conservation funds coincides with a surge in tiger deaths in the country.
TNIE first reported in September this year that tiger deaths have reached an all-time high, with 142 recorded by September 20, compared to 121 in the entire previous year and 127 in 2021, with over half occurring outside tiger reserves.
Wildlife habitat development is a crucial step for the conservation of wildlife.
The centrally sponsored habitat development fund supports the revival of species in protected areas, wildlife protection outside these areas, recovery programs for critically endangered species, and habitat preservation. The lack of suitable habitat has led to wild animals straying outside designated forests for food and movement, resulting in human-wildlife conflicts.
Data reveals that around 50% of tiger deaths occurred outside protected areas due to incompatible habitat for tiger sustenance. The government's data also revealed that as many as 357 elephant deaths in India had occurred due to electrocution.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ashwini Choubey, presented yearly expenditure data in parliament which revealed that the habitat development fund, which was Rs 165 crore for 2018-19, has been decreased to Rs 56 crore for 2022-23.
Similarly, funds for the flagship 'Project Tiger' has also been reduced in the last five years by 50%.
The fund released under 'Project Tiger' was Rs 322.9 crore for 2018-19, consistently decreasing to Rs 150.6 crore for 2022-23.
Major shares of the fund go to Madhya Pradesh, Assam, and Karnataka, leading experts to express concerns about its potential impact on tiger conservation.