Conservation in wildlife means the practice of protecting Plant and animal species and their habitats. As a part of ecosystems, wildlife provides balance and stability to nature’s processes . The goal is not only to ensure the survival of species but to educate people on living sustainably with them. The human population has been growing exponentially over the past several decades and that directly means that the natural resources are being consumed faster than ever. This growth and development also endanger the habitat and existence of various types of wildlife around us, particularly animals and plants that may be displaced for land development. They are being used for food and various other human purposes. This happened with sarus cranes in the nearby periphery of Bhopal. The main threat to them was habitat loss and degradation due to the draining of the Wetland and conversion of land for agriculture. Further, the increase in agricultural land left sarus cranes with no choice but to forage in these fields and as a result ingest pesticides which lead to poisoning. Our cover story narrates how community participation and education helped in the multi-fold increase in the number of cranes.

The Narmada river which has been a boon to Madhya Pradesh in all ways, has many medium dam reservoirs which can be promoted as tourism sites. They can help the local community engage in tourism activities and earn their livelihoods. The Miyawaki technique of plantation is very famous nowadays as it is less time-taking than the regular forest. It is pretty famous majorly in the urban landscape due to less land use and comparatively less time in development. Hence they have been growing effective in saving both space as well as time. Mumbai, the economic capital of India, has also its wild side with Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) located in the north of the city acting as carbon sink of the over polluted city.The national park allows its residents to breathe better quality air and 40 + wild leopards have been sharing the space with the city residents. There is plenty of coastal marine life to explore as well, and Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary is one of the best places to watch, and take a boat ride into the sea to watch migratory birds in winter, which are magnificent.

The model of urban farming in the city slums strengthen the local community economically. They are able to fulfil their daily vegetable needs,which could not be afforded earlier. As a result, they have been in good health, especially post COVID lockdown when lot of them became unemployed. Orchha is famous for two things – the Orchha Wildlife Sanctuary and the palaces and temples that were built around 3 to 4 centuries ago. Apart from these tourism sites, there is a gem that most people are unaware of-the Chaturbhuj temple and the Royal Chattris, which are home to the critically endangered “Indian vulture”

“Bees are good for trees and trees are good for bees”. Good colonies of honey bees present in the forests are positively correlated with improving the genetic diversity and forest health by pollination, which leads to an increase in seed production followed by regeneration of associated herbs, shrubs and trees. Elephants play a crucial role in our environment. They provide numerous ecosystem services such as providing food, shelter and water, helping to create pathways in forests and identifying salt licks. These not only benefit elephants but other species as well.

I would like to conclude by saying that we should motivate our youth to emulate our ancient ancestors. The historical and archaeological evidences clearly show that ancient people lived as integral elements of Nature. Hence today’s youth should realise that they are not isolated entities separated from Nature and that they belong to Nature.