Project Tiger and Project Elephant Merger

Context: Project Tiger and Project Elephant have been merged into a new division called the ‘Project Tiger and Elephant Division’ under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Reason for Merger:

• Rationalizing of Funding: The unification of Project Tiger and Project Elephant has been done to rationalize funding.
• Amalgamation to Strengthen Conservation: The amalgamation will bolster the conservation of both the animals, as they often share the same landscapes in the country.

Project Tiger:

• Project Tiger was launched by the then PM Indira Gandhi on April 1, 1973 from Jim Corbett National Park, Uttrakhand.
• It not only focused on the conservation of the tiger but also ensured the preservation of their natural habitat as tigers are at the top of the food chain.
• Protection Status of Tiger:
  • Schedule I: Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
  • Endangered: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List
  • Appendix I: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Project Elephant:

• Project Elephant was launched by the Government of India in the year 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with following objectives:
  • To protect elephants, their habitat & corridors
  • To address issues of man-animal conflict
  • Welfare of captive elephants
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change provides financial and technical support to major elephant range states in the country through the project.

Elephant Range States: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.

 News Source: The Indian Express