Author: Matiur Rahaman & Dr. Shankar Nath Sen
DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.70798/Bijmrd/04040006
Abstract: In terms of worldwide conservation, India is in a paradoxical position because it is both one of the most biodiverse countries in the world and one of the most densely populated, leading to severe conflicts between the survival of wildlife and human needs. India is a conservation area of planetary significance, supporting over 8% of global biodiversity within just 2.4% of the Earth’s land surface and housing four of the 36 recognised biodiversity hotspots worldwide. However, compared to its true ecological impact, hunting— which includes subsistence poaching, commercial wildlife trafficking, ritualistic killing, and crop-protection culling—remains a seriously understudied concern. While habitat loss and the preservation of charismatic megafauna like tigers, elephants, and rhinoceroses have received a lot of scientific and policy attention, the wider range of hunting pressure across taxonomic groups, geographical regions, and socioeconomic contexts has not gotten enough attention. The legislative framework under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 is reviewed, the unique challenges of northeast India and other biodiversity-critical regions are examined, the social aspects of indigenous and subsistence hunting are explored, and a comprehensive research and policy agenda is proposed. This paper summarises current knowledge on hunting as a conservation threat in India. It contends that India’s biodiversity will continue to quietly decline in the absence of a more methodical, multidisciplinary, and geographically encompassing understanding of hunting dynamics, especially among the less researched taxa that support ecosystem function.
Keywords: Northeast India, Western Ghats, Illegal Wildlife Trade, Hunting, Poaching, Bushmeat, India, Biodiversity Conservation, Wildlife Protection Act, And Subsistence Hunting.
Page No: 38-48