Ex-situ conservation

How can we conserve the wildlife outside their natural habitat?

What is Ex-situ Conservation?

Conserving wildlife outside the natural habitat is known as ex situ conservation. This type of conservation takes place under the supervision of man. The population of species may even decrease in in-situ conservation due to factors like diseases, inbreeding, habitat loss, and over-exploitation.

The living organisms get enough amount of food, water, space for living, etc. under ex situ conservation as all the necessary conditions are provided to them. The species for ex situ conservation are identified and different methods are adopted like long-term captive breeding for the species which have lost their habitat, short-term propagation and releasing animals in their natural habitat, and using advanced technologies for the endangered species.

So, what do you think about the advantages of ex situ conservation? Ex situ conservation provides longer life to the animals. Various genetic techniques can be utilized in the process of conservation.

Wildlife Conservation Projects

Various projects have been introduced in India to conserve and prevent the extinction of endangered species. Let�s discuss some of them.

Project Tiger: It was launched in April 1973 by the Central Government. It was established to save tigers from extinction and also contributed to conserving the entire ecosystem. This project has been a significant success in the recovery of the habitat and increase in their population. About 50 tiger reserves are situated in more than 17 regions including Corbett National park and Ranthambore National Park.

Gir Lion Project: This project was launched to save lions. It is being carried out at Gir forest in Gujarat. A lot of Asian lions were shot up from around 50 in the early 1900s to more than 400 today. The Gir Forest was the last refuge of a species that once ranged from Punjab in the north to Jharkhand in the east, to the Narmada river in the south and also in the west. The Gir Lion Project relocated residents and stopped cattle grazing at Gir.

Crocodile Project: It was launched to conserve Indian crocodiles whose species were on the verge of extinction. This was done through rearing and incubation of eggs. The main aim of the project is to protect the remaining population of crocodiles and their habitat by captive breeding, establishing sanctuaries, etc. It is being conducted at sanctuaries in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.

Project Elephant: This project was initiated in 1992 with an aim to preserve elephants. Various elephant reserves were identified to conserve them. The welfare of the domestic elephants is also considered under the project and issues like mitigation of human-elephant conflict are taken care of. The project attempts to strengthen the measures for the protection of elephants against poachers and unnatural deaths.

Ex Situ Conservation Multiple-choice questions

1. Where is the Gir Lion Project launched?
a) Tamil Nadu
b) Assam
c) Madhya Pradesh
d) Gujarat

2. In which of the following states the Crocodile project is not launched?
a) Uttar Pradesh
b) Madhya Pradesh
c) Andhra Pradesh
d) Assam

3. Which of the following method is not adopted for ex situ conservation?
a) Long-term captive breeding
b) Short-term propagation
c) Using advanced technologies
d) Keeping animals in national parks

4. Which of the following is not an artificial habitat?
a) Zoo
b) Aquarium
c) Park
d) National park

5. Project Elephant aims at:
a) decrease the number of elephants
b) removing elephants from India
c) killing elephants
d) preserving elephants

Read More: What is In Situ Conservation? Definition and Examples - Wildlife Conservation