Gujarat is a small State in the western region of our country with a geographical area of 1, 96,024 sq. km., of which roughly 10% or 19,658 sq. km. is under forest cover. But, unfortunately, out of this also half of it is devoid of vegetation, unproductive and in a high state of degradation.

Nonetheless, the State of Gujarat is very fortunate in harbouring a rich variety of wildlife consisting of about 40 species of mammals and over 425 species of birds. The birds found in the State are resident, local migratory and migratory coming from as far off places as Europe and Siberia. It is a matter of pride that some of the species found in Gujarat are so rare and unique that they are not found elsewhere in the country or even in the world. The famous Asiatic Lion of which only 304 are available in the wild, finds its stronghold in the Gir forests of Gujarat and what could be described as the Indian Zebra - the Wild Ass moves freely only in the Little Runn of Kutch. Many types of ducks also regularly fly from Europe and other countries during the winter and find a safe haven in this land of ours. It is also worth noting that such is the pious and gentle nature of our people in Gujarat that some birds find a safe abode in the middle of towns and cities like Porbandar, Bhuj, Jamangar, etc. where thousands of cranes, ducks, teals and pelicans, etc. come to spend their winters, in the middle of hustle and bustle of the big cities.

Wildlife Conservation in Gujarat

In Gujarat, the Forest Department has all along been responsible for the conservation and protection of wildlife. In the past due to inadequate resources and the scant attention paid to this very important field, wildlife conservation was almost a forgotten subject. However, after the State separated from the Greater bi-lingual State of Bombay in the year 1960, Government became alive to the problem of conservation and propagation of wildlife in the State and allocated increasingly more and more funds for carrying out various developmental activities. To begin with, the areas rich in wildlife including avifauna, both local and migratory, were identified. These were then constituted into sanctuaries and national parks. Originally, six sanctuaries and two national parks were formed. Then, as more and more attention was paid to the preservation of wildlife, in 1983/84, the number was increased to 11 sanctuaries and 4 national parks. Today, Gujarat has 20 sanctuaries and 4 national parks together covering an area of 16902.38 sq.km., out of which national parks cover 479.67 sq.km.

Gujarat has also the distinction of creating the country's first Marine National Park and Sanctuary over an area of 457.92 sq.km. in the Gulf of Kutch near Jamnagar. Today, this Sanctuary has become a marine -life - watchers' paradise and thousands of students and other visitors come to this place every year to acquaint themselves with the marvels of marine life. A museum has also been started at Jamnagar so that people can acquaint themselves with the marine life better and thus help the department in better conservation and propagation of wildlife whether it be marine, avian or mammalian.

The staff of the Forest Department has done an excellent job of educating the common man in the field of wildlife conservation and environmental awareness. With this end in view, the GEER Foundation has been established (An outcome of the Seminar on "Approaches to Conservation Strategy in Gujarat” held in Satan in the year 1981 which had proud distinction of being inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of India, Smt. Indira Gandhi. This Foundation, the first of its kind, established for environmental research and education, is located at Indroda in Gandhinagar. It conducts studies, seminars, research and organises camps for school and college going children to give them the basic grounding and knowledge in the field of environment conservation and wildlife. To date, 2900 camps have been held all over the State under the auspices of GEER Foundation and other territorial and local Conservators of Forests wherein 1.85 lakh students and 3500 teachers have been trained. The students are imparted 2 to 4 days training and thereafter given certificate. The staff also takes a very active interest and organises various clubs and nature-lovers bodies to voluntarily help in the conservation of environment and Wildlife. It is a matter of great pride that in Junagadh district alone (as on 1/7/1991) there ware 200 such clubs working and in Jamanagar over 25.

Involvement of people

In any field it has been noticed that desired results are not obtained unless and until the people are associated with the project. With this end in view, the State has established a good Publicity Division working under the Conservator of Forest Rescares & W. P. Vadodara which is mainly concerned with bringing the knowledge about wildlife and ecological conservation, tree planting, etc. within easy reach of the common man to enlist his support for this noble cause. This unit arranges film, slides, audio and video shows all over the State, all the year round and arranges exhibitions on important occasions depicting the importance of wildlife and the measures taken by the State for its propagation and conservation. Wildlife photography is also given adequate importance and competitions are held so that wildlife enthusiasts and naturalists and the educational institutes come forward and respond to these competitions, in a big way.

The Forest Department of the State has taken a bold step in the direction of initiating the younger generation of the State into wildlife conservation, environmental education and protection by constituting the Hingolgadh Nature Education Sanctuary (in the year 1980 in Rajkot District), over an area of 654 sq.km. which acts as the base for the development of wildlife education activities. The Sanctuary is now fully equipped for training about 10,000 to 15,000 children every year and show them varied wildlife including deer, black bucks, Nilgais, wolves etc. in their natural surroundings in open forest areas. In addition to Hingolgadh, areas of wildlife training have been identified at Pirotan Islands, Balaram, Namkot (Gandhinagar), Kedreshwar, Sambalpani, Maneknath, Bedvan, Pimpri, Satvirda, Bordevi, Ratanmahal, Panam dam, Kewdi, Jambughoda, etc. The children who volunteer to undergo this training are kept on the roll and invited when slot and time are available, after which their transport to these various camps and the cost of staying lodging and boarding during the tour of 2-4 days of the training is borne by the Forest Department. Various senior officers and wildlife experts are invited to impart this training in wildlife conservation, environmental conservation and forest protection. In the beginning, (during the year 1983/84, 12984 participants took advantge of this programme, at a cost of Rs. 3 lakh.) However, during 1988 this outlay was increased to Rs. 4.3 lakh and during the year 1994-95, 33500 participants ware to trained at a cost of Rs. 7.3 lakhs.