Over the past five decades, India has built one of the developing world’s most representative protected-area (PA) networks. This achievement has provided a robust scientific foundation for conserving many of the country’s most important species, habitats and ecological processes. However, the ecological realities of the 21st century demand changes in conservation paradigms. Wildlife moves across landscapes rather than administrative boundaries. Rivers connect forests, wetlands and farmlands. Climate change is altering habitats, while rapid infrastructure expansion is fragmenting them. Conserving biodiversity can therefore no longer rely solely on protecting isolated sites — it must also secure the landscapes that connect them.

The challenge is to complement national parks and wildlife........

© Indian Express