Wildlife Trust of India

Wildlife Trust of India

#GS-03 Biodiversity Conservation

For Prelims:

Wildlife Trust of India:

  • The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) is a non-profit conservation organisation dedicated to safeguarding India’s natural heritage.
  • WTI is a registered charity in India (under Section 12A of the Income Tax Act, 1961).
  • WTI was founded in November 1998 in New Delhi, India, in response to the rapidly deteriorating state of wildlife in India.
  • A team of 3 members set out on a mission to save the environment which has now increased to 150 full time professionals.
  • They work on a variety of projects ranging from species rehabilitation to the prevention of illegal wildlife trade.
  • WTI uses more than 80% of the funds raised directly for Conservation Action.

WTI programmes are supported, among others, by:

  • Ministry of Environment & Forest, Government of India
  • Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India.
  • State Forest & Wildlife Departments.

Mission of WTI:

Its mission is to:
  • conserve wildlife and its habitat and
  • work for the welfare of individual wild animals, in partnership with communities and governments.

Work of WTI:

WTI has been working:
  • to help endangered species recover;
  • addressing wildlife emergencies and wild animal rescue and rehabilitation;
  • empowering and assisting law enforcement in the fight against wildlife crime;
  • preserving natural habitats;
  • raising conservation awareness;
  • promoting green livelihoods;
  • assisting with grassroots conservation initiatives.

Some Examples:

  • WTI currently runs 40 conservation projects across 23 states from the Pir Panjal mountains in Kashmir to the mangrove forests of Kannur, Kerala; from Himalayan black bear forests in Arunachal to whale shark pupping areas off the Gujarat coast.
Gandak Gharial Recovery Project:
  • Wildlife Trust of India’s Gandak Gharial Recovery Project aims to recover population and increase occupancy of critically endangered Gharial in its distribution range.

Kashmir Markhor Recovery Project:

  • Wildlife Trust of India’s Kashmir Markhor Recovery Project aims at improving the population status of the once thought to be-extinct species, the Pirpanjal Markhor (Capra falconeri) in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC):

  • The Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC), established under the Pakke Conservation Project, is the first specialised rehabilitation centre for Asiatic black bears in India.
  • Supported by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), the centre was established jointly by the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in 2002.

Source “Kerala’s man-animal conflict mitigation team selected for Wildlife Trust of India award