Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH)
Why it Matters?
The 21st Steering Committee meeting of Project Elephant reviewed elephant conservation efforts, including population estimation, railway collision mitigation, and inclusion of sloth bear and gharial in the Species Recovery Programme.
What You Should Know?
Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH) was launched in 2008–09 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
The scheme aims to support the conservation of wildlife and their habitats, both inside and outside Protected Areas (PAs), excluding areas supported under Project Tiger.
IDWH has three major components:
Support to Protected Areas
Protection of Wildlife outside Protected Areas
Species Recovery Programme
Under Support to Protected Areas, assistance is provided to National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves, and Community Reserves, excluding Tiger Reserves.
Protection of Wildlife outside Protected Areas covers areas based on Biodiversity Plans prepared by the respective state’s Chief Wildlife Warden, with priority to regions adjacent to PAs.
The Species Recovery Programme focuses on critically endangered species and habitats, supported with 100% central assistance for both recurring and non-recurring activities.
22 wildlife species under the recovery programme are Snow Leopard, Bustard (including Floricans), Dolphin, Hangul, Nilgiri Tahr, Marine Turtles, Dugongs, Edible Nest Swiftlet, Asian Wild Buffalo, Nicobar Megapode, Manipur Brow-antlered Deer, Vultures, Malabar Civet, Indian Rhinoceros, Asiatic Lion, Swamp Deer, Jerdon’s Courser, Northern River Terrapin, Clouded Leopard, Arabian Sea Humpback Whale, Red Panda and Caracal.