India occupies only 2.4% of the world's land area. But it is home to a whopping 7-8% of all recorded species, including over 45,000 species of plants and 91,000 species of animals. Unfortunately, we are losing our precious fauna and flora due to the expansion of agriculture, habitat destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, epidemics, and extreme weather events, among others.
Over the last 50 years, we at WWF India are on a mission to protect critical species of national and global importance in collaboration with the Government, local communities, state forest departments, and various conservation partners. Our concerted efforts have resulted in a significant increase in the protection of many priority species and their critical habitats.
Our on-ground conservation action focuses on safeguarding priority species, such as the Royal Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, greater one-horned rhino, Ganges river dolphin, Snow leopard, and Red panda. Apart from these, we are protecting other threatened species too. These include Sarus crane, Common leopard, Great Indian bustard, Himalayan quail, House sparrow, Nilgiri tahr, Gharial, Asiatic lion, Black-necked crane, Smooth-coated otter, Golden mahseer, Indian pangolin, and Brow-antlered deer.
WWF India began tiger conservation in the early 1970s by providing support to Project Tiger - the first-ever tiger conservation programme of the Govt. of India. In 1990s, WWF India initiated a focused Tiger Conservation Programme & currently works in six tiger landscapes: Terai Arc, Sundarbans, Central India, Brahmaputra, Western Ghats - Nilgiris and Western India Tiger Landscapes.
Freshwater environments include rivers, lakes, wetlands, streams and underground aquifers. Freshwater is crucial for sustenance of life on the planet. WWF India’s River for Life, Life for River programme is aimed at ensuring ecological integrity of rivers and their associated ecosystems, and sustainable water management. This is helping improve the population and habitats of endemic and endangered aquatic species like Gangetic dolphins, gharial, otters, golden mahseer fish and turtles.
Climate change is the biggest environmental crisis of our time. Many species will face extinction due to global warming. WWF India is working to generate awareness about clean and efficient energy solutions, climate innovations and mobilizing communities to come together and take collective action reversing climate change.
India’s has rich dazzling marine biodiversity. Marine life is threatened by plastic pollution, industrial waste, unsustainable fishing, unregulated tourism and unplanned coastal development. WWF India is working to protect and conserve critical marine habitats by addressing the issues of ghost fishing, agricultural run-off, marine debris and plastic pollution.