Wildlife Week 2025 marked a significant step in India’s evolving conservation landscape, as the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change unveiled five national projects and four major monitoring initiatives in Dehradun. Celebrated annually from October 2 to 8, the week carried the theme “Human-Wildlife Coexistence,” highlighting a strategic shift from traditional protection models to community-driven and technology-enabled conservation.

Organized jointly by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), and Forest Research Institute (FRI), the event brought together scientists, policymakers, and conservationists to discuss the challenges and opportunities in biodiversity management across India’s diverse ecosystems.

Five National Projects for Conservation

Wildlife Week 2025 saw the launch of five ambitious projects aimed at strengthening species conservation and addressing the growing challenge of human-wildlife conflict across ecological zones.

Project Dolphin (Phase-II) focuses on the protection of riverine and marine cetaceans across India. This phase expands conservation to address emerging threats such as water pollution, fishing net entanglement, and infrastructure development that fragment dolphin habitats.

Project Sloth Bear addresses the conservation of India’s sloth bear population—home to 90% of the global species. Recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN, the species faces increasing habitat loss, leading to frequent human-bear encounters.

Project Gharial introduced a National Implementation Action Plan targeting the critically endangered Gharial across seven states and multiple river systems, including the Chambal, Ramganga, Gandak, and Mahanadi. The initiative seeks to restore riverine habitats and strengthen breeding programs.

Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves (TOTR) is a novel initiative acknowledging that nearly 35–40% of India’s wild tigers live outside protected areas. The project adopts a landscape-based approach to mitigate conflicts through technology, community engagement, and training for local authorities.

The establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Human-Wildlife Conflict Management at the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) further strengthens India’s response to human-wildlife interface issues. The center will provide policy support, field-based research, and conflict mitigation strategies at a national scale.

Monitoring and Research Initiatives

In addition to species-focused projects, the government launched four major monitoring programs to reinforce evidence-based wildlife management.

The All India Tiger Estimation (Cycle-6), the world’s largest single-species survey, will utilize advanced technologies like Program ExtractCompare to identify tigers by their unique stripe patterns. Field manuals have been translated into eight regional languages to enhance participation across states.

The Snow Leopard Population Estimation (Cycle-2) introduces photographic capture-mark-recapture methods, infrared camera traps, and mobile applications to improve accuracy in the remote Trans-Himalayan terrain.

The Cetacean Assessment aligns with Project Dolphin Phase-II, creating a nationwide database to evaluate population health of dolphins and whales. Progress assessments for the Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican were also released, supporting ongoing efforts for habitat restoration and captive breeding.

Addressing Human-Wildlife Conflict

Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) has emerged as one of India’s most pressing conservation challenges. Conflicts often arise due to habitat fragmentation, agricultural expansion, and human settlements in wildlife corridors. According to government data, 606 deaths were caused by elephant encounters and 82 by tiger attacks in 2023–24.

India’s National Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Strategy (2021–26) promotes coexistence through measures such as physical barriers, community-based rapid response teams, and mapping of conflict hotspots. These efforts aim to reduce human casualties while ensuring the survival of threatened species.

Technology and Innovation in Conservation

Technology forms the backbone of India’s modern conservation strategy. Systems like M-STrIPES enable landscape-level tiger monitoring, while drones and AI-based tools assist in ecological data collection. Early Warning Systems (EWS) are being deployed to prevent animal incursions into human settlements, reducing risks to both people and wildlife.

Financial Commitment and Community Involvement

The Centre’s 2025–26 budget allocates ₹450 crore for the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats, with ₹290 crore specifically for Project Tiger and Project Elephant—an 18% increase from the previous year. The government is also expanding funding to underrepresented species through new initiatives such as Project Gharial and Project Sloth Bear.

Community engagement remains a cornerstone of this renewed strategy. From fishermen’s networks preventing dolphin entanglement to Bagh Mitra groups fostering tiger tolerance, local communities are now positioned as active conservation partners rather than passive stakeholders.

Institutional Coordination and Future Pathways

The collaborative efforts of MoEFCC, WII, ICFRE, IGNFA, and FRI during Wildlife Week 2025 underscored the importance of inter-institutional coordination. By linking research, capacity building, and policy implementation, the event highlighted an integrated model for managing wildlife across India’s vast and diverse landscapes.

Wildlife Week 2025 symbolizes India’s transition from protectionism to coexistence in conservation. Through science-backed action plans, community engagement, and technological innovation, the country is charting a path that aligns biodiversity protection with human welfare. By focusing on coexistence rather than conflict, India’s conservation strategy now reflects a more holistic and forward-looking vision for the future of both people and wildlife.