"Grassland Restoration Central to India's Rhino Conservation Push"
Schedule I species
highest legal protection category under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, same tier as the tiger.
National CAMPA Authority
body managing compensatory afforestation funds used here for rhino habitat programmes.
The Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) once ranged widely along the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra river systems of the northern subcontinent. Hunting and habitat loss through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries collapsed this range, and by the early 1900s wild numbers had fallen to a few hundred animals concentrated in Assam. Today the species survives in the wild mainly in Assam, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
The species is rated Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, a category less severe than Critically Endangered. Yet it is placed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the same protection tier as the tiger. This shows that Schedule I status in Indian law reflects the level of legal protection a species needs, not simply its current global extinction risk; a Vulnerable species can still receive the country's strictest legal cover if past pressures were severe or recovery remains fragile.
Recognising that past gains needed a long-term framework, the government launched the National Conservation Strategy for the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros in 2019. It set out goals beyond merely protecting existing rhino concentrations: strengthening genetic security, restoring habitat connectivity, planning scientific translocations, and building climate resilience into rhino management across the species' historical range.
Rhinos depend on alluvial floodplain and Terai grasslands along with associated wetlands. These are not static habitats; they are dynamic systems that need continuous, science-based management to prevent unwanted succession into woodland, degradation, and invasion by non-native plant species. The same grasslands sustain swamp deer, wild buffalo, elephants, tigers, and numerous grassland-dependent birds, so managing them well delivers conservation gains far beyond the rhino alone.
Two linked programmes now anchor this effort. The Rhino Conservation Action Plan Phase I (2026–2031), proposed for funding through the National CAMPA Authority with a budget of Rs 77.39 crore, spans Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. …
In India, if a species of tortoise is declared protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, what does it imply?
Consider the following fauna of India:
1.Gharial
2.Leatherback turtle
3.Swamp deer
Which of the above is/are endangered?
Consider the following statements about the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis):
1.It is listed as 'Critically Endangered' on the IUCN Red List.
2.It is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
3.Its wild population in India is found only in Assam.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to India's rhino and grassland conservation initiatives, consider the following pairs:
1.Rhino Conservation Action Plan Phase I — Funded through the National CAMPA Authority
2.Comprehensive Assessment of Indian Grasslands — Implemented by the Wildlife Institute of India, ICFRE and Forest Survey of India
3.New Delhi Declaration — Cooperation agreement among Asian rhino range states
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Which of the following statements best explains why the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros is placed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, despite being rated only 'Vulnerable' by the IUCN?
The 'New Delhi Declaration' on Asian rhino conservation, adopted in 2019, involves India along with which of the following countries?
1.Bhutan
2.Indonesia
3.Malaysia
4.Nepal
5.Sri Lanka
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
The alluvial and Terai grasslands central to Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros conservation also serve as critical habitat for which of the following species?
1.Swamp deer
2.Wild buffalo
3.Snow leopard
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
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