Why
Wildlife Institute of India
In the last 50 years, India's once wealthy biodiversity has become
significantly consumed. Mercurial human and livestock population increase
and a rather lopsided distributive development pattern have marginalised or
unfairly exploited the country's abundant wilderness areas such that the
species richness and the diversity of habitat types that the country used to
be proud of are today highly disintegrated and fragmented. How can this
decline be controlled is now a question being thrown over at most forums.
Amidst such a situation, the need was felt for an organisation to help and
strengthen endeavours for quick recovery. It was important to have an agency
which, while looking at forests holistically, combined their management with
conserving their biosphere and protecting the interests of the people in
their locality in a way that would be practical and scientifically driven.
Such a thought process led to the setting up of Wildlife Institute of India
(WII) at Dehra Dun in 1982 with a mandate to train government and
non-government personnel, carry out research, and advise on matters of
conservation and management of wildlife resources.
Foundation
Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun (WII) was set up in 1982. In 1986 it
was given autonomy, for effective development of academic excellence. It
functions as an autonomous institution of the Ministry of Environment &
Forests. With many countries in south and south-east Asia region regularly
sending their personnel to its training programmes, WII is already regarded
as an important regional centre for training and education in wildlife
management and conservation.
The Prime Concern of WII
The prime concern of the Institute is to build capacity and develop
expertise for providing solutions to problems of wildlife conservation in
general and protected area management in particular. The dissemination of
the skills to ground level for use by wildlife managers should be the
ultimate goal of the institute. The tools to achieve these goals are -
developing excellence in research; undertaking consultancies in specific
fields; sharing experience with other institutes and organisations working
in the field of wildlife conservation particularly the state wildlife
wings/state forest departments; using of experience of officers/ staff
engaged in the field of wildlife management and developing proficiency in
imparting knowledge to the trainees and students.
The Objectives
Training managers and biologists for protected area management and wildlife
research;
Training education and extension specialists for protected area to get
public support for wildlife conservation;
Providing orientation courses for those involved in landuse management;
Conducting
and coordinating applied wildlife research and evolving relevant techniques
suited to Indian conditions;
Creating a database for building up a wildlife information system employing
modern analytical techniques and computer equipment; and
Providing advisory and consultancy services to central and state
governments universities, research institutions and other official and
non-official agencies.
Major Activities Undertaken
» Masters Programme in Wildlife Biology (M.Sc.)
» Training Course in Management Planning for Protected Areas.
» Training Course in Ecodevelopment Planning for Protected Areas.
» Training Course in Zoo Management and Captive Breeding.
» Training Course in Conservation Education and Interpretation.
» Short term courses for inservice Forest Officers, IAS and the Army.
» Integrated forest management (research, training and advisory
aspects).
» Enlargement in the scope and quantum of wildlife research.
» International scientific collaborative programmes.
» EIA studies for developmental and industrial projects.
» Planning of a biogeographically representative national network of
protected areas for biodiversity conservation and its updating with fresh
flows of information.
» Establishment of a computerized National Wildlife Database.
» Application of advanced computer based Digital Image Processing
(DIP) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies in wildlife
research and management.
» Wildlife health programmes (research, training and advisory
aspects).
