Vulture Conservation Centres to be established in 5 states of India.

27 October 2020.

Introduction:

The National Board for Wildlife recently approved an action plan for vulture conservation, 2020-20-25. Under the new National Action Plan for Vulture Conservation, five new conservation centres are to be established in five different states.

National Action Plan for Vulture Conservation

The plan was approved by the National Board for Wildlife on October 5, 2020. Earlier to this conservation plan for vultures was formulated in 2006 and was implemented for 3 years.

The plan mainly focuses on conservation of 3 vulture species. They are as follows

• Oriental white backed vulture
• Slender billed vulture
• Long billed vulture.
• The new vulture conservation centres are to be established in the states of Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Vulture spp.in India

There are 9 species of vultures in India. Most of them are facing the danger of extinction currently. These 9 species and their IUCN status are as follows

• Oriental white backed vulture-critically endangered
• Slender billed vulture-critically endangered
• Long billed vulture-critically endangered
• Egyptian vulture-endangered
• Red headed vulture-critically endangered
• Indian Griffon vulture-least concerned
• Himalayan group of-near threatened
• Cinereous vulture-near threatened
• Bearded vulture -near threatened

Major reasons for death of vultures:

• The main reason the vultures are getting wiped out in India is due to the drug diclofenac.
•  Even 1 percentage of diclofenac in the carcasses is fatal for vulture.
• It leads to kidney failure in vultures and subsequently to death.
• The veterinary use of diclofenac was banned in 2008 in India.

Conservation efforts of vulture in India

• The vulture care centre was set up in 2001 to study the causes of deaths of vultures in India.
•  In 2004, it was upgraded as vulture conservation and breeding centre in India. Currently there are 9 vulture conservation and breeding centres in India.
• These centres are directly administered by the Bombay Natural History Society.