Indra Priyadarshini Gandhi, the second Prime Minister of India, is associated with some of nation’s most turbulent phases. From declaring the 1975 Emergency to conducting Operation Blue Star in 1983, Indira Gandhi was at the forefront of several controversies. However, she also has been accredited with some of India’s finest achievements. This includes the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971 and India’s first nuclear test in 1974 . However, one of her more significant, yet lesser known, legacies include the revolutionization of wildlife conservation in India. Some of India’s most successful wildlife revival projects, such as “Project Tiger ”, commenced under the leadership of Indra Gandhi.
Indira Gandhi fought valiantly to protect India’s wildlife from recreational hunting, particularly by redundant Indian Monarchs. The sport was evidently a product of colonial hangover, as the British Colonials notoriously decimated populations of India’s wildlife for their leisurely ventures.
Wildlife Protection Act (1972)
The enactment of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 is probably the most significant contribution of Gandhi. The reform established the necessity to protect both plant and animal species across the country. The hunting and trade of wildlife native to India was debarred. As a part of the act, six schedules (categories) of wildlife were established based on species rarity. Punishment for crimes against wildlife varied based on which schedule the animal was classified under.
The act provided provisions for the establishment of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, National Board of Wildlife and Central Zoo Authority. Water Pollution Act 1974, Forest Conservation Act 1980 and the Air Protection Act 1981 are few other policies enacted by Gandhi.
The Wildlife Protection Act has been a wonderful success story. At the time of legislation, India only had 5 designated national parks. Nearly half a century later, India has over 100 national parks, covering the entire breadth of her geography. Numerous highly endangered species have since staged remarkable comebacks from the cusps of extinction. This includes the Gir Lion, Asiatic Elephant and Indian Rhino. However, despite its success, the Act remains imperfect and has been subject to significant modifications. In fact, the act has had seven amendments, predominantly in recent decades. Unfortunately, the Act also failed to account for India’s Dying Grasslands.
Project Tiger
Gandhi is also credited with reviving the Bengal Tiger population from the brink of extinction through “Project Tiger”, which was launched by her government in April 1973, at Jim Corbett National Park. It has been a prominent conservation project which has yielded unprecedented results. The program commenced at a time when the future of the Bengal Tiger population was dwindling. At the advent of the 20th Century, the tiger population was approximately 50,000. But, by 1972, the population had plummeted to around 1,200 tigers.
The program aimed to address two aspects of tiger conservation. The first was to establish a viable tiger population for ecological, economic and cultural values. The second objective was to safeguard the range of the Bengal tiger. This was through the protection of intact habitat and the revival of degraded ecosystems. Project Tiger certainly reaped significant benefits, with the population staging a wonderful comeback.
According to the 2019 census, tiger populations in the country just fell short of the 3,000 mark, approximately doubling in the preceding decade. The number of tiger reserves in the country has also increased substantially from 9 In 1973, covering a mere 18,000km2 to 51 in present day covering over 70,000 km2. Despite its success, Project Tiger has suffered from numerous setbacks such as human wildlife conflict, tribal rights and poaching. Nonetheless, the project continues to evolve and forms the benchmark for its contemporary counterparts.
Indian Crocodile Conservation Project
On similar grounds, the Indian Crocodile Conservation Project was established in 1975 with a focus on habitat improvement, community involvement, captive breeding and the subsequent reintroduction, the project is amongst the most remarkable conservational stories of the last century. The Saltwater crocodile witnessed a 15 fold increase in population from under a hundred in 1976 to over 1,600 in 2012 and Marsh crocodile populations have nearly tripled since 1989. The project has recently also provided a ray of hope for the critically endangered Indian Gharial Population, with its population doubling between 2012 and 2019.
Indira Gandhi’s Shortcomings
However, Gandhi’s contributions to the environment were not perfect. Her environmental policies, especially those linked with the Wildlife Protection Act and Project Tiger, encouraged the dissociation of humanity from nature. Despite centuries of successful coexistence of indigenous communities with nature, the rights of tribal communities suffered. Fortunately, in recent years, community based conservation has garnered significant interest and has yielded positive results.
Another shortcoming of Gandhi’s environmental policies was her support of infrastructure projects that were disastrous for the environment. For example, she commissioned Indian Oil’s Mathura Refinery. According to a panel hired by the Indian Government, the factory emissions and automobile exhausts are likely to have augmented the pollution of the nearby Taj Mahal. Furthermore, her indifference to the environmental impacts of the Kudremukh Iron Ore Mining Project has proven to be one of the nation’ largest ecological catastrophes. The most relevant criticism of Gandhi’s environment outlook, is her execution of India’s Green Revolution. The usage of insecticides and pesticides have skyrocketed and caused immense ecological damage.
Nonetheless, Indira Gandhi’s overall contribution to India’s environment, particularly wildlife, was unprecedented, as she laid the foundation of India’s ever evolving conservation success in a period of immense geopolitical and economic fragility. Currently India has launched numerous ambitious conservation projects. This includes the reintroduction of cheetahs. Without India’s most controversial Prime Minister, this day would never have been.
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