Lok Sabha Question No. 2794 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-08-03
Subject: Conservation of Bio-diversity
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: SHIVKUMAR CHANABASAPPA UDASI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO. 2794

TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.08.2018

## Conservation of Bio-diversity

## 2794.  SHRI SHIVKUMAR UDASI:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) the  areas  identified  for  conservation/development  of bio-diversity  in  the  Himalayan region in the country;
- (b) the number  of  institutes engaged  to  carry out research work  with  regard  to conservation of bio-diversity in the country; and
- (c) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  meet  the  international  target  of  identifying wildlife and marine protected areas by 2020?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

- (a) Conservation  and  development  of  biodiversity  in  the  country,  including  Himalayan region is undertaken inter alia through establishment of National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries,  notified  Reserved  Forest  areas,  designation  of  Biosphere  Reserves, identification of ecologically fragile areas such as wetlands, biodiversity heritage sites and  notification  of  eco-sensitive  zones.  So  far,  37  National  Parks,  122  Wildlife Sanctuaries,  and 7 Biosphere Reserves have been designated by the Government in the Himalayan region. State-wise distribution of these areas in the Himalayan region is at Annexure.
- (b) Some of the prominent institutes engaged in research work relating to conservation of biodiversity  at  present  in  the  country  inter  alia  include  Botanical  Survey  of  India, Zoological Survey of India, Wildlife Institute of India, G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History,  Indian  Institute of Science (Centre for  Ecological Sciences),  Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education and Indian Institute of Forest Management. Besides, a large number of Central Government Institutes, State Government  organizations,  Universities  and  Non-Government  Organisations  are engaged in research work relating to biodiversity in the country.
- (c) There  are  769  protected  areas  notified  under  the  Wildlife  (Protection)  Act,  which include  25  Marine  Protected  Areas  in  peninsular  India  and  106  Island  Marine Protected  Areas  in  islands.    The  National  Wildlife  Action  Plan  (2017-2031)  has  a

dedicated chapter on 'Strengthening and Improving the Protected Area Network'. The global  Aichi  Biodiversity  Target  11  and  the  corresponding  National  Biodiversity Target 6 relate to conservation through protected areas and other effective area based conservation  measures.  With  well  over  20  percent  of  its  geographical  area  under biodiversity  conservation,  India  has  exceeded  the  terrestrial  component  of  17%  of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 and 20% of National Biodiversity Target 6.

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Annexure State wise distribution of protected areas in Indian Himalayan Region

| States in Indian Himalayan Region   |   Number of National Parks |   Number of Wildlife Sanctuary | Number of Biosphere Reserve   |
|-------------------------------------|----------------------------|--------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| Arunachal Pradesh                   |                          2 |                             11 | 2                             |
| Assam                               |                          5 |                             18 | 1                             |
| Himachal Pradesh                    |                          5 |                             28 | 1                             |
| Jammu &Kashmir                      |                          4 |                             15 | -                             |
| Manipur                             |                          1 |                              2 | -                             |
| Meghalaya                           |                          2 |                              4 | 1                             |
| Mizoram                             |                          2 |                              8 | -                             |
| Nagaland                            |                          1 |                              3 | -                             |
| Sikkim                              |                          1 |                              7 | 1                             |
| Tripura                             |                          2 |                              4 | -                             |
| Uttarakhand                         |                          6 |                              7 | 1                             |
| West Bengal                         |                          6 |                             15 | -                             |
| Total                               |                         37 |                            122 | 7                             |