On 20 December 2013, the Sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly decided to proclaim 3rd March as World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora.
The date is the day of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973, which plays an important role in ensuring that international trade does not threaten the species’ survival.
The theme for World Wildlife Day 2024 is "Connecting People and Planet: Exploring Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his last address to the nation through his radio programme, Mann Ki Baat, said that digital innovation has been kept paramount in the theme of World Wildlife Day this year.
According to Modi, technology is now being extensively used for the conservation of wildlife in different parts of India.
The number of tigers in the country has increased. The number of tigers in the Tiger Reserve of Chandrapur, Maharashtra has risen to more than 250.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Playing Crucial Role
The help of Artificial Intelligence is being taken to reduce conflict between humans and tigers in Chandrapur district.
Here cameras have been installed on the border of the villages and the forest. Whenever a tiger comes near a village, with the help of AI, local people get an alert on their mobile. Today, this system has provided a lot of convenience to the people in the 13 villages around this Tiger Reserve and the tigers have also got protection.
Role Of Young Entrepreneurs
Young entrepreneurs are also working in new innovations for wildlife conservation and eco-tourism. In Roorkee, Uttarakhand, Rotor Precision Group in collaboration with Wildlife Institute of India has developed a drone which is helping to keep an eye on the crocodiles in the Ken River.
A Bengaluru company has prepared an app named ‘Bagheera’ and ‘Garuda’.
With the Bagheera App, the speed of the vehicle and other activities can be monitored during a jungle safari. It is being used in many Tiger Reserves of the country.
The Garuda App, based on Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things, starts providing real time alerts on connecting it to any CCTV.