India has a rich and varied wild life too. Forests form the natural habitat for wild animals and birds, hence their importance in the ecology of the country. Indian Board of Wildlife (IBWL) was constituted in 1985 for an all-round development of wild animals and birds in the country. The Wildlife Institute at Dehradun and the Directorate of Wildlife Conservation provide the framework of strategy and programme for conservation of wild- life in the county.
Wildlife Management in India has the following objectives : (1) safe- guarding the national habitat of the wild animals, (2) maintenance of animals in their protected areas, (3) protecting wildlife through legislation and Acts, and (4) establishing biosphere reserves for plants and animals. Wildlife can also be preserved by : (1) improving the existing protected areas as sanctuaries and national parks, etc. (2) imposing restrictions on export of rare plants and animal species and their products, and (3) educating public for environmental protection at all levels of education. There are a number of Wildlife Acts made by states as well as UInios Government for wildlife conservation. India became a party to CITES (Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species) in 1976. National Wildlife Action Plan (1982) was endorsed by Indian Board for Wild Life (IBWL). In addition to the above there are a number of non-government. voluntary, national and international organisations actively dedicated to wild life conservation. The principal organisations are : (1) Bombay Natural History Society, (2) Wild Life Preservation Society of India (Dehradun). (3) World Wild Life Fund for Nature, India. The wild life is great national asset for India : They are of great help in maintaining the ecological balance. They are also of great attraction for tourists especially from abroad. We can see some of the wild animals in a zoo and learn something about their nature and their habits : In a zoo the animals are kept in captivity either in cages or in fenced areas. Therefore, the zoo sometimes does not reflect the true nature of wild animals. National parks have been set up to preserve the wild life in its natural environment. A national park is a reserved area meant for preserving its natural vegetation, natural beauty and its wild life. There are 20 national parks in India. In addition there are wild sanctuaries and bird sanctuaries also. Large scale clearing of forests and reckless, hunting of animals by man has led to large scale reduction in the number of wild animals. The rhinoceros, the hunting cheeta, lion, musk deer and the great Indian bustard are found only in limited numbers. Some species of animals and birds have already become extinct. Others are on the verge of extinction. Efforts have been made by some government and private agencies to preserve the wild life in India. Wild life week is observed in the first week of October every year for preserving the wild life.