By Shenaya B
Asiatic cheetahs have been extinct for 70 years now, this is because of the mass hunting & loss of habit they faced. The government led plan “project cheetah” has cultivated a plan to reintroduce them into the ecosystem, South Africa signed an agreement to relocate a batch of 12 Cheetahs in February 2023. How sustainable is this idea? Yes the cheetahs are part of Indian culture, it even got its name from the Hindi word “chita” which means spots. However the country has modernized gravely since that time period, hence is the environment of the country ready to take on the task of conserving cheetahs? And protecting its people & already existing biodiversity from probable threats in the areas where the animal will be introduced?
The current issue faced by The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has been protecting its dense forests, and Cheetah habitats are the opposite; they are drier spaces (grasslands & thorn forests). These habitats have been burnt/cleared out for industrialization purposes, hence the ideal living conditions for Cheetahs is not met. Re-constructing these habitats, and introducing a grassland policy is necessary before reintroducing them, which means destroying certain pre-existing landscapes in the country. Ensuring peaceful co-existence between the countries lifeforms with Cheetahs is also a integral part of the plan, the relatively small population at first wont pose direct threat to the people - although if the re-introduction is successful in 2-3 decades the population might be large enough to do so - they can eat livestock, or create conflict with existing species such as the Indian wolf since the ideal habitat spaces (eg - Nauradehi sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh or the Shahgarh landscape near Jaisalmer) for Cheetahs are also shared by these species.
Yes cheetahs are a part of Indian culture, however in India's current socio-economic state introducing such a species should not be considered in the near future, India needs to focus on the endangered species it does have, along with its people and ensure economic stability for them instead of introducing aspects that could harm their livelihoods. Once these problems are taken care of then diversifying the country's ecosystem can be taken into consideration.
By Shenaya B
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