Wildlife conservation in India: Issues and challenges

Abstract

Wildlife refers to those plants and animal species which live and grow in areas uninhabited by human. It includes all non-domesticated animals & plants including many other organisms & fungi. Wildlife is found in all ecosystems such as forests, plains, grasslands, deserts and all other areas and have a specific and different form of wildlife. But as the human civilizations developed, the domestication of wild animals and plants began for the benefit of human beings and this had a considerable impact on the environment. Due to human activities, many wild animals adapted to the changes in the environment and started to live in a domestic environment along with humans. Examples of such animals are dogs, cats, cows, buffaloes, goats, rodents and a few species of birds etc. As the human activities increased and development took place on a large scale, the wildlife and the ecosystems were seen being affected by it. It was noticed that the exploitation of the wild animals for the benefit of human beings and recreation purposes increased.