Overview
- India will expand its cheetah reintroduction program to Gandhisagar Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh and the Banni Grasslands in Gujarat, following earlier successes at Kuno National Park.
- The country's first riverine dolphin census reports 6,327 dolphins across 28 rivers, with the highest numbers recorded in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam.
- The 16th Asiatic lion population estimation will take place in May 2025, with conservation efforts targeting habitat improvement and prey augmentation in Barda Wildlife Sanctuary.
- New initiatives include a National Great Indian Bustard Conservation Action Plan, a gharial conservation project, and a Centre of Excellence for human-wildlife conflict management in Coimbatore.
- Prime Minister Modi emphasized the role of local communities in conservation and announced increased use of technology like AI, geospatial mapping, and remote sensing for wildlife management.