AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday released the country’s first-ever riverine dolphin estimation report, which revealed a population of 6,327 dolphins in 28 states, during his visit to Gir National Park in Gujarat.
He was chairing the 7th meeting of the National Board for Wildlife and unveiled a series of key initiatives. Strengthening conservation efforts, he also laid the foundation stone for the National Referral Centre for Wildlife at Junagadh.
Further amplifying wildlife preservation, the PM announced the 16th Asiatic Lion Population Estimation, set for 2025, besides the establishment of a Centre of Excellence at SACON, Coimbatore, to address human-wildlife conflicts.
Expanding India’s ambitious cheetah reintroduction program, the PM revealed plans to introduce the big cats to Gandhisagar Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh and the Banni Grasslands in Gujarat.
In a comprehensive review, the National Board for Wildlife spotlighted key government initiatives in wildlife conservation, celebrating milestones in protected area expansion and flagship species programs like Project Tiger, Project Elephant, and Project Snow Leopard.
The extensive survey, covering over 8,500 kilometers, saw Uttar Pradesh recording the highest numbers, followed by Bihar, Bengal, and Assam.
Stressing community involvement, the PM underscored the role of local populations in dolphin conservation and proposed exposure visits for school children to dolphin habitats.
He laid the foundation stone for the National Referral Centre for Wildlife at Junagadh, envisioned as the nerve center for coordinating wildlife disease management.
On the lion conservation front, he announced the commencement of the 16th Asiatic lion population estimation cycle in 2025, following the last survey conducted in 2020.
Notably, with Asiatic lions naturally dispersing into Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, conservation efforts in the region will be strengthened through prey augmentation and habitat enhancement. Emphasising the balance between conservation and eco-tourism, the PM called for improved travel infrastructure to boost wildlife tourism.
Harnessing modern tech, the PM pushed for the integration of remote sensing, geospatial mapping, AI, and machine learning in tackling forest fires and human-animal conflicts.