Three States rank high in dhole conservation

Three States rank high in dhole conservation

A study has pointed out that Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh rank high in the conservation of the endangered dhole, in India.

What does the study say?

• Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, and Goa will need to increase financial investments in the forest and wildlife sectors, and reduce the ease of granting forest clearances for infrastructure projects.
• It is important to improve habitat conditions and prey densities in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Odisha.
• Doing so would strengthen the link between dhole populations in the Western Ghats and central India.
• It highlights the need for a targeted management plan for scientific monitoring of the species.
• The Western Ghats perhaps supports the largest dhole population in the world and is, therefore, a critical conservation landscape for the species.

Dhole:

Also known as Asiatic wild dog, Dhole (Cuon alpinus) is native to Central, South, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.

• Dholes play an important role as apex predators in forest ecosystems.
• Dholes hunt in packs and tend to venture into forested landscapes adjoining protected areas.
• Besides the tiger, the dhole is the only large carnivore in India to be classified in the ‘endangered’ category by the IUCN.
• It is protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Source: The Hindu