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Gharial and Sloth Bear recommended for inclusion under Species Recovery Programme of Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-IDWH) | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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Gharial and Sloth Bear recommended for inclusion under Species Recovery Programme of Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-IDWH)

Posted 12 Jul 2025

2 min read

Species were recommended by Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL), which has been constituted by NBWL under the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WPA) 1972 to make recommendations for conservation and protection of wildlife and forests.

About Gharial 

  • Habitat: Freshwater rivers with major population occurring in tributaries of Ganga River – Chambal and Girwa Rivers in India and Rapti-Naryani River in Nepal.
  • Conservation status:
    • IUCN:   Critically Endangered.
    • WPA, 1972:  Schedule I.
    • CITES:   Appendix I.
  •  Characteristics:
    • Their snout is uniquely the thinnest and most elongated among all the crocodilians. 
    • Adult males sport a large bulb at the tip of their snout, called the 'ghara'.
    • Most aquatic of all crocodilians.

About Sloth Bear

  • Habitat: Native to India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. 
    • Five Biogeographic zones in India viz. Peninsular India, Western Ghats, Deccan Plateau, Gangetic Plain and North East. 
  • Conservation status:
    • IUCN: Vulnerable.
    • WPA, 1972:  Schedule I.
    • CITES:   Appendix I.
  •  Characteristics:
    • Sloth bear is small bear with a shaggy coat.
    • Sloth bears feed predominantly on termites and ants.
    • Solitary creatures and generally nocturnal. 

About CSS-IDWH

  • Objective: It provides financial and technical assistance to the State/UT Governments for activities aimed at wildlife conservation.
  • Components of IDWH:
    • Support to protected areas (national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, conservation reserves, and community reserves).
    • Protection of wildlife outside protected areas and mitigation of Human Wildlife Conflict. 
    • Recovery programmes for saving critically endangered species and habitats.
      • So far, 22 species including Snow Leopard, Asiatic Lion, Great Indian Bustard etc. have been identified under the Species recovery programme.
  • Tags :
  • Gharial
  • Endangered Species
  • National Board for Wildlife
  • Sloth Bear
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