Wildlife Conservation Trust[1] (WCT) is an Indian not-for-profit organisation based in Mumbai which was registered in 2002. WCT currently works in and around 160 protected areas across 23 states in India and works closely with government bodies,[2] corporates, communities and local NGOs through funding and technical support, knowledge partnering and consultancy.
| Formation | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Hemendra Kothari |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Purpose | Wildlife Conservation |
| Headquarters | Mumbai |
| Location | |
| Leader | Dr. Anish Andheria |
| Website | https://www.wildlifeconservationtrust.org/ |
WCT's core areas of work focus on application of conservation methodologies on the ground; conservation research; understanding behaviour of people who live in and around forests to understand the inter-relation between them and the natural ecosystems; human-wildlife interface management;[3] building capacity of the forest department in wildlife law enforcement and forensics; conservation education; livelihoods; health of frontline forest staff[4] and road ecology.[5]
History
editWCT was registered in the year 2002. For the first seven years it operated as a family trust, making donations to various tiger reserves to strengthen protection of those parks. In September 2009, an office was set up and subject matter experts were hired to run on-ground projects.
Members
editHemendra Kothari[6] is the Founder, Chairman and Trustee of the Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Hemendra Kothari Foundation. He is the former President of the Bombay Stock Exchange and founded DSP Financial Consultants Limited which later became DSP Merrill Lynch Ltd. He is currently the Chairman of DSP Investment Managers Private Limited. Dr. Anish Andheria,[7] a Carl Zeiss Conservation Awardee is the President of the Wildlife Conservation Trust. He is a large carnivore biologist and a wildlife photographer of repute. Hemendra Kothari, Bittu Sahgal,[8][circular reference] Aditi Kothari Desai and Shuchi Kothari are the trustees of WCT. The advisory board of WCT comprises Mr. Subramaniam Ramodarai, Naina Lal Kidwai, Amit Chandra, Prashant Trivedi, Dereck Joubert, Thomas Kaplan, Alok Kshirsagar and Anshu Jain.
WCT's Work
editConservation Research
editWCT’s Conservation Research division executes on-ground activities mainly in the Central Indian Landscape[9] to collect scientific data. WCT’s wildlife biologists are engaged in monitoring tigers outside Protected Areas and undertake camera trapping to assist the Forest Department to estimate the number of tigers and lesser known species both within and outside Protected Areas. WCT’s intensive studies on genetics and landscape ecology have provided substantial evidence for the need to safeguard corridors and forest patches outside the Protected Areas for the long-term survival of tigers and their prey. Apart from monitoring tigers, the division is also engaged in Eurasian otter ecology,[10] hydrology, Indian pangolin ecology,[11] and large carnivore distribution and occupancy studies[12] in central India and the Western Ghats.
Conservation Behaviour
editWCT’s Conservation Behaviour division undertakes in-depth studies that help chart evidence-driven interventions for community engagement in conservation. Using a multi-disciplinary framework, including economics,[13] psychology,[14] and sociology, the team evaluates and compares existing policies and practices, assesses their impact, and drafts white papers that suggest optimal measures grounded in contemporary public policy design models. WCT has partnered with Google Research India[15] on its AI for Social Good research programme for predicting human-wildlife conflict in the state of Maharashtra using AI.
Road Ecology
editWCT’s Road Ecology division studies linear infrastructure projects and undertakes policy-level interventions[16] for the creation of mitigation measures needed to minimise damage to wildlife and natural habitats from such projects.
Conservation Dogs Unit
editThe Conservation Dogs Unit (CDU) comprises, at the moment, four specially trained working dogs[17] to carry out varied tasks related to detection of target species or indirect evidences left behind by wildlife or wildlife poachers, and a well-trained staff which works in tandem with these dogs. The olfactory capabilities of dogs aid in ongoing conservation efforts and investigations. The CDU assists other verticals of WCT in human-wildlife interface management, conservation research, road ecology surveys, disease surveillance, and wildlife law enforcement. The CDU also assists Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh Forest Departments on request.
Health
editLack of access to affordable quality healthcare for frontline forest staff, coupled with the remoteness of their work place, is an area of grave concern. WCT’s Health division has designed the ‘Caring for Conservators’ programme and Trauma Management Training[18] to extend expert clinical healthcare[19] to frontline forest staff. WCT works with state health departments to develop strategies aimed to improve access to primary health care facilities for forest staff working in Protected Areas.
Freshwater Ecosystems
editWCT, through its Riverine Ecosystems And Livelihoods (REAL) Programme[20] and Programme Makara, is conducting a long-term study on the ecology of the endangered Ganges river dolphin[21] and the critically endangered gharial, and the impact of capture fisheries and other human activities on the riverine ecosystems in the Gangetic Plains and central India. WCT is working closely with several communities, state Forest Departments and other government agencies, NGOs, organisations, and individuals on the ground.
Important positions held by WCT
edit- The advisory board, Global Tiger Forum[22]
- Member, National Tiger Conservation Authority[23]
- State Boards of Wildlife for the following states - Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir[24]
- Executive Committee of the Gujarat State Lion Conservation Society (GLCS)
- Executive Committee of the Madhya Pradesh Tiger Foundation Society
- Organising Committee of the Indian Climate Collaborative
- Member of Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority
- Member of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Awards
editWCT won the UNDP Mahatma Award for Biodiversity 2023[25] for its flagship ‘Heater of Hope’ project which involves the development and distribution of energy-efficient, biomass-fueled water heater in thousands of households situated within the tiger corridor in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district to reduce people's dependency on firewood, thereby arresting forest degradation; reduce human-wildlife conflict; ease women's workload and decrease their exposure to harmful smoke from the traditional wood-fired stove; and reduce CO2 emissions.
References
edit- ^ "This Organisation Doesn't Just Protect Wildlife, It Conserves Forests and Empowers Villagers Too!". www.thebetterindia.com.
- ^ "Many from Vid on state wildlife board". www.timesofindia.com.
- ^ "WILDLIFE WEEK 2019: INDIA'S TIGER CENSUS POINTS TO AN URGENT NEED FOR PEACEFUL ECOSYSTEMS WHERE HUMANS, TIGERS COEXIST". www.firstpost.com.
- ^ "Focus on quality of life, mental health of Forest Guards: Study". www.dnaindia.com.
- ^ "About 400 proposed infrastructure projects will destroy tiger corridors: report; Wildlife Conservation Trust recommends measures to achieve a win-win solution for development and wildlife". www.downtoearth.org.in.
- ^ "Hemendra Kothari: Beyond Profits". www.forbesindia.com.
- ^ "An Interview With India's Leading Wildlife Conservationist Dr. Anish Andheria". www.worldatlas.com.
- ^ "Bittu Sahgal". en.wikipedia.org.
- ^ "Landscape scale initiatives in South and Central India".
- ^ "Here it is, first proof of Eurasian Otters' presence in India".
- ^ "World Pangolin Day: Madhya Pradesh radio-tags first-ever Indian Pangolin".
- ^ "In Sahyadri-Konkan corridor, tigers largely found in forested regions closer to Karnataka, Goa: Survey".
- ^ Dewoolkar, Pooja; Belhekar, Vivek; Bhatkhande, Aniket; Hatekar, Neeraj; Chavan, Rushikesh (2020). "Improving adoption of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for better health and conservation outcomes". Biodiversity. 21 (2): 90–96. doi:10.1080/14888386.2020.1803132. S2CID 222231973.
- ^ Belhekar, Vivek; Paranjpye, Prachi; Bhatkhande, Aniket; Chavan, Rushikesh (2020). "Guarding the guardians: understanding the psychological well-being of forest guards in Indian tiger reserves". Biodiversity. 21 (2): 83–89. doi:10.1080/14888386.2020.1809521. S2CID 222232615.
- ^ "Progress from a year of AI for Social Good at Google Research India".
- ^ "How India's First Dedicated Underpass for Wildlife Was Built on India's NH-7/44". thebetterindia.com.
- ^ "International Dog Day: Here's How Dogs are Being Trained to Help in Wildlife Conservation". weather.com. The Weather Channel.
- ^ "The eyes of the jungle: A new study sheds light on the harsh and unsafe conditions forest guards in India have to work under". mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com. Mumbai Mirror.
- ^ Gadre, Vishal; Trivedy, Chetan (20 August 2020). "The feasibility of non-communicable disease (NCD) risk-factor estimation among forest staff at Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Central India". Biodiversity. 21 (2: One Health and Conservation): 97-104. doi:10.1080/14888386.2020.1793814. S2CID 222232843.
- ^ "Ganges river dolphins and other biodiversity in the Mahananda River in Bihar and West Bengal: A report on the first complete survey, November 2021. Report for the Department of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, Government of Bihar. Wildlife Conservation Trust, Mumbai, India, 35 pp". ResearchGate.
- ^ "Mahananda river survey records 190 dolphins, warns of fishing threats to Red List species". MongabayIndia. 17 February 2022.
- ^ "National NGO's from India". globaltigerforum.org.
- ^ "Reinforce rules in tiger corridors, buffer zones: NTCA". timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
- ^ "Wildlife Board constituted for J&K". www.greaterkashmir.com.
- ^ "Water heater that helps cut man-animal conflict in Chandrapur wins UN Award". The Times of India. Nov 27, 2023.