Wildlife Trust of India

Wildlife Trust of India
Name	Wildlife Trust of India
Formation	1998
Founder	Billy Arjan Singh; Belinda Wright; Romulus Whitaker
Type	Non-profit organization
Headquarters	New Delhi, India
Region served	India; South Asia
Focus	Wildlife conservation; species recovery; habitat restoration

Wildlife Trust of India is an Indian conservation organization founded in 1998 that works on species recovery, habitat restoration, and mitigation of human–wildlife conflict across India and South Asia. The organization undertakes field projects, policy advocacy, and emergency response for species such as Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, Great Indian bustard, and Himalayan musk deer. It collaborates with multiple research institutes, protected areas, and international bodies to implement landscape-scale conservation and community-based interventions.

History and Founding

The Trust emerged in the late 1990s amid rising attention to flagship species like the Bengal tiger and landscapes such as the Sundarbans and Western Ghats, influenced by conservationists including Billy Arjan Singh, Belinda Wright, and Romulus Whitaker. Early work intersected with initiatives from institutions such as the Wildlife Institute of India, WWF-India, and Sanctuary Asia, and responded to events like severe human–elephant conflict episodes and high-profile wildlife trafficking cases investigated by Wildlife Crime Control Bureau. The founding phase aligned with policy shifts from landmark instruments including the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and international frameworks like the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora to scale up field-based rescue, translocation, and enforcement support.

Mission, Vision, and Objectives

The Trust's mission foregrounds species recovery and landscape conservation, with a vision linking survival of taxa such as the Indian rhinoceros, Snow leopard, Blackbuck, and Nilgiri tahr to resilient ecosystems like the Terai Arc Landscape and Deccan Plateau. Objectives include species-focused recovery plans modeled on successes such as the Project Tiger framework, mitigation of threats exemplified by poaching cases linked to trafficking networks shut down through cooperation with agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation and Interpol, and capacity building for stakeholders from Forest Department cadres to local village councils such as Gram Panchayats.

Programs and Conservation Initiatives

Programmatic work spans species recovery programs for the Great Indian bustard, ecological restoration in the Corbett Tiger Reserve-adjacent landscapes, riverine and wetland conservation in basins like the Ganges and Brahmaputra, and mitigation of collision and electrocution threats on migratory pathways used by Sarus crane and Bar-headed goose. Initiatives include rescue and translocation modeled after procedures used in Kaziranga National Park and collaborative anti-poaching patrols informed by systems in Bandipur National Park and Ranthambore National Park. The Trust has led habitat restoration in scrublands important for Chinkara and Desert fox, and implemented species action plans comparable to international efforts like the IUCN Species Survival Commission guidelines.

Research, Monitoring, and Wildlife Rehabilitation

The Trust conducts population monitoring using methods applied in studies of tiger densities (camera trapping), elephant telemetry, and avian surveys drawing from protocols used at sites such as the Keoladeo National Park and Chilka Lake. Their rehabilitation work includes emergency response for oil spills affecting species known from the Sunderbans and veterinary interventions paralleling approaches at the National Zoological Park, New Delhi and the Bombay Natural History Society's field clinics. Research outputs inform conservation planning consistent with recommendations from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and contribute data to national databases stewarded by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and academic partners including Indian Institute of Science and Wildlife Institute of India.

Partnerships, Community Outreach, and Education

Collaborations extend to governmental bodies such as the State Forest Departments of Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Assam, international NGOs like WWF, Conservation International, and donor agencies including the Global Environment Facility. Community outreach leverages models from participatory programs in the Nilgiris and incentive-based schemes akin to those used around Corbett National Park to work with local stakeholders such as Adivasi communities and Gram Panchayat institutions. Educational efforts include capacity-building workshops for rangers trained along lines used by the National Academy of Ranges and Whip Officers and public awareness campaigns tied to observances like World Wildlife Day.

Organizational Structure and Funding

The organization is governed by a board comprising conservationists and professionals with ties to institutions like the National Biodiversity Authority and universities such as Jawaharlal Nehru University and University of Delhi. Field operations are managed through regional teams based in states with priority landscapes such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, and Karnataka, collaborating with protected areas like Sariska National Park and Periyar National Park. Funding sources include philanthropic foundations, corporate social responsibility commitments under Companies Act, 2013 mandates, international grants from entities such as the MacArthur Foundation and bilateral development agencies, and project-specific support from organizations like UNDP and BirdLife International. Financial oversight aligns with regulatory frameworks enforced by the Central Board of Direct Taxes and compliance instruments relevant to Indian non-profit governance.

Category:Conservation in India Category:Environmental organizations based in India