Construction of Zoo inside Keoladeo National Park

Why in News?

Recently, the Rajasthan Government has proposed to construct a Zoo inside the Keoladeo National Park (a World Heritage Site) which is popularly known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary.

 

About the Keoladeo National Park

1. Keoladeo National Park is a wetland and bird sanctuary located in Bharatpur, Rajasthan.

2. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important bird-watching areas of the world.

3. Chilika Lake (Orissa) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) were recognized as the first Ramsar Sites of India in 1981.

4. It is known for its rich avian diversity and abundance of waterbirds. The park is home to over 365 species of birds, including several rare and threatened species, such as the Siberian crane. 

5. Different species from far-flung areas of the northern hemisphere visit the sanctuary for breeding.

6. Fauna: Animals such as Jackals, Sambar, Nilgai, wild cats, hyenas, wild boar, porcupine and mongoose can be found in the region.

7. Flora:  The principal vegetation found here are of tropical dry deciduous forest mixed with dry grassland.

8. River: Gambhir and Banganga are the two rivers that flow through this National Park.

 

So, What is the Purpose of Constructing Zoo?

1. The purpose of this zoo, called Wetland ex-situ Conservation Establishment (WESCE), is to display a range of wetland species, including rhinos, water buffaloes, crocodiles, dolphins and other species. 

2. The WESCE aims to rejuvenate the biodiversity of Keoladeo National Park.

3. The WESCE plan is the part of the ambitious Rajasthan Forestry and Biodiversity Development Project (RFBDP) for which ‘Agence Française de Développement’ (AFD), the overseas development arm of the French government, has agreed to fund up to Rs 12 crore over the period of eight years.

4. Several facilities are planned inside Keoladeo National Park, including:

A) A breeding and reintroduction centre for locally extinct and endangered species like otters, fishing cats, blackbucks, hog deer, etc.

B) An aquarium for indigenous species like Gangetic Dolphin, Crocodiles, enclosures for the display of large wetland species like Indian Rhino, Water Buffalo, Barasingha (swamp deer) etc.

 

Some Other Protected Areas of Rajasthan are:

1. Tiger Reserves:

A) Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) in Sawai Madhopur

B) Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) in Alwar

C) Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) in Kota

2. National Park:

A) Desert National Park, Jaisalmer

3. Wildlife Sanctuary:

A) Sajjangarh wildlife sanctuary, Udaipur

B) National Chambal Sanctuary (on tri-junction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh).

 

Additional Information

About UNESCO

1. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN).

2. It aims to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and the Culture.

3. It is also a member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG), a coalition of UN agencies and organizations aimed at fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

4. UNESCO’s Headquarter is located in Paris and the Organization has more than 50 field offices around the world.

5. It has a total of 193 Members and 11 Associate Members and is governed by the General Conference and the Executive Board.

6. 3 UNESCO member states are not UN members: Cook Islands, Niue, and Palestine.

7. While 3 UN member states (Israel, Liechtenstein and the United States) are not the members of UNESCO.

 

What are UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites?

1. A World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by UNESCO for its special cultural or physical significance.

2. List of World Heritage Sites are maintained by the international 'World Heritage Programme', administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

3. Presently, there are almost 1,100 UNESCO listed sites across its 167 member countries.

4. In 2021, ‘Liverpool — Maritime Mercantile City’ in the UK was deleted from the World Heritage List due to “the irreversible loss in the site”.

 

UNESCO Sites in India:

1. India is home to a total of 3691 monuments and sites. Of these 40 are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites including places like the Taj Mahal, Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves.

2. World Heritage Sites also include natural sites like the Kaziranga National Park in Assam.

3. Recently, Harappan city of Dholavira in Gujarat was designated as  India’s 40^th world heritage site.

4. Ramappa Temple (Telangana) was India's 39^th World Heritage Site.

5. Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim has been inscribed as India's 1^st   and the only “Mixed World Heritage Site”.

6. In 2022, the Union Ministry of Culture nominated ‘Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas temples’ for consideration as a World Heritage site for the year 2022-2023.

 

What are Wetlands?

As per the definition of Ramsar Convention, “Wetlands are “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water, the depth of which at low tide does not exceed 6 metres.”

What is Ramsar Convention?

1. It’s a convention on wetlands that was signed in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar.

2. The negotiations for the convention started in the 1960s by the different countries and NGOs for the protection of wetlands and their resources.

3. It came into force in 1975. There are 75 Ramsar Sites in India listed under Ramsar Convention.

4. Sundarbans in West Bengal is the largest Ramsar site in India.

5. India’s Ramsar wetlands are spread over 11,000 sq km — around 10% of the total wetland area in the country — across 18 States.

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