Ungulate conservation in India — problems and prospects

Abstract

India has 31 species of ungulates. Of these, 25 species or races are on the completely protected schedule of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The most highly endangered are 4 species with only single populations: the Kashmir stag or hangul ( Cervus elaphus hanglu), the Manipur brow-antlered deer or sangai ( Cervus eldi eldi), the Central Indian race of the swamp deer or barasingha ( Cervus duvauceli branderi) and the Indian wild ass or khur ( Equus hemionus khur). These require urgent attention for conservation. For these ungulates, as for other wildlife species, India's huge, expanding human population is the crux of the conservation problem. The three principal manifestations are loss of land to human use or to degradation through over use, decreasing water availability owing to lack of planning coupled with lowering water tables, and increasing energy demand which strips away forest cover for firewood.