An Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Orissa. A number of RAPs have been implemented by NGOs APOWA and GLRA in sporadic nesting sites of Olive Ridley turtles in Orissa to protect the nesting turtles and their habitat..

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A six-fold increase in mustard yield was reported from six villages near Kaziranga National Park, Assam, where electric fence was installed to prevent crop damage by wild elephants.

With a country of over a billion people living in an area of 3287263 sq km, challenges and threats to wildlife and environment are common in India. Be it human-induced or natural, these threats if not addressed in time can have disastrous effects on the country’s natural heritage.   

Among other reasons, the response to these situations is often slowed down by bureaucratic processes that block swift and decisive action on the ground. As a result many of these issues go unheeded, worsening the problem, eventually necessitating greater investments in terms of logistics and funds to correct the situation. Even if there are interested individuals or committed grassroots agencies that can locally alleviate the problem, they are usually unable to respond due to lack of funds, expertise, and support.

A slow loris rescued during floods in Kaziranga National Park, Assam in 2008, through a RAP sanctioned to facilitate emergency relief for flood-afflicted animals. The RAP was implemented by Nature's Bonyapran.

The earliest initiative of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), Rapid Action Projects (RAP) were activated to enable quick response to wildlife emergencies across the country. Through the RAPs, WTI extends support to individuals or grassroots organisations with proven credibility, and works closely with the government to implement short and medium-term interventions to address urgent or critical conservation needs across the country.

Rehabilitation of openbill stork chicks displaced from their nests in Chakrasila Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam. The RAP was implemented by the Forest Department.

This division addresses a wide range of conservation issues and facilitates the implementation of innovative projects including species and habitat protection, conflict mitigation and management, wildlife rehabilitation, poaching, trade control, awareness, among others. Working through collaborations, this division helps overcome the spatial and temporal limitations to reach help where and when it is needed the most. Support is provided in the form of funds, expertise, equipment, etc, as required by the implementing agencies or individuals. Through these conservation-oriented collaborations, it also attempts to set up a countrywide network of reliable individuals and agencies involved in wildlife conservation for mobilisation during emergencies.

It is non-bureaucratic, rapid in implementation, and can react to requests, if required, within 24 hours.

Over the past 11 years, this division has sanctioned and conducted 187 diverse kinds of species-specific or general projects across 25 states and two Union territories in India. These include surveys, habitat protection and management measures, human-animal conflict mitigation, training and equipping frontline forest staff and local communities involved in wildlife protection, litigation, disaster impact assessment, displaced wildlife rehabilitation, disease investigation, cattle vaccination near protected areas, provision of alternatives to wildlife products, awareness generation.

Signage placed to minimise wild animal casualties in Mysore-Ooty Highway passing through Bandipur National Park, Karnataka. The RAP was implemented by Wildlife Conservation Foundation.

A panel of expert advisors including scientists, conservationists, veterinarians, field biologists, lawyers, and communication specialists from within WTI as well as external institutions like the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), have approved and facilitated the effective implementation of these projects.

RAP proponents are required to submit a proposal in the format available on the WTI website (download form). Once this proposal reaches WTI, it is verified and evaluated for urgency, and then approved if the particulars are satisfactory. However, procedural exceptions are permitted in extremely urgent cases.

RAP proposals are evaluated based on the following elements:
--Urgency
--Rapid implementation: The project must be carried out with the speed as required to thwart the conservation threat timely and effectively.
--Conservation worth: The project must be of significance to conservation.
--Duration: The project must be short or medium-term not exceeding a year.
--Cost: Budgets should be flexible and should not include a huge financial outlay. Generally, RAPs do not exceed Rs 1,00,000.

Ganga - the hand-raised smooth coated otter rehabilitated in Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, Bihar. The rehabilitation was implemented by researchers belonging to Vikramshila Biodiversity Research & Education Centre and TM Bhagalpur University.

Most RAPs implemented have a high success rate, some wins are mentioned below:

Electric fence in Lukhrakhonia village

Electric fencing villages near Kaziranga National Park, Assam, to prevent human-elephant conflicts: Implemented in collaboration with the Assam Forest Department and local Eco-Development Committees, with funds provided by Asian Adventures and IFAW, the project involved electric fencing along a 15 km stretch covering six villages -Lukhrakhonia, Mohpara, Doomjan, Sildubi, Kohora 1 and Kohora 2- adjacent to Kaziranga, in December 2008. The villages reported a six-fold increase in crop yield in 2009, and a steep decrease in conflicts with elephants benefiting both people and elephants.

Ashok Kumar, Vice-chairman, WTI hands over compensation cheques

Relocation of Bhagani village from Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, to pave way for the reintroduction of the tiger: Implemented with funds provided by samaritan Himraj Dang and DSWF, the project facilitated successful voluntary relocation of all of the 21 households of Bhagani village from within Core Area 1 of Sariska to an alternative site in Bardorh Rundh, being carried out by the Rajasthan Forest Department. Since the relocation, two tigers –a male and a female- have been reintroduced by the government and WII. Researchers carrying out the post-release monitoring of these tigers have confirmed the use of the vacated Bhagani area by wild animals including the reintroduced tigers.

Securing sarus crane breeding grounds

Securing sarus breeding grounds in Etawah and Mainpuri districts, Uttar Pradesh: Alerted by a WII researcher, WTI filed a public interest petition in the High Court to stop the World Bank-funded drainage of wetlands in Etawah and Mainpuri districts in Uttar Pradesh – comprising breeding grounds of approximately 50% of the global sarus crane population - to make them arable. The court halted the drainage and directed the state government to take concrete steps to protect the bird and its habitat.

Alternatives to preserve traditions and conserve hornbills

Changing tribal traditions to conserve hornbills in Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh: Nyishi tribesmen wear traditional caps adorned with hornbill beaks as a sign of the tribe identity. With increasing demands for the beak, hornbill population of Arunachal Pradesh among other states was severely threatened.
The Rapid Action Project - implemented in association with the Forest Department, Arunachal Wildlife & Nature Foundation (AWNF), National Museum of Natural History, and Nyishi Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society with funds provided by David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) - established and popularised fibreglass faux-hornbill beaks as the alternative. Several local people were also trained to fabricate the synthetic beaks locally to cater to the demand.

Preventing elephant deaths due to train hits in Rajaji National Park

Prevention of elephant deaths due to train hits in Rajaji National Park, Uttarakhand: Conducted by WTI in mid-2001, the RAP funded by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) thoroughly surveyed the reasons for the large number of elephant deaths due to train hits in Rajaji National Park in the northern state of Uttarakhand. The simple recommendations of this study including increasing visibility, reducing train speed, joint patrolling and removal of embankments that trapped elephants along the track were enthusiastically implemented by the Forest Department and Northern Railways, facilitated by WTI, ensuring zero elephant deaths due to train hits in Rajaji since 2002.
The phenomenal success of the project has now resulted in attempts to replicate it in other Indian states under WTI’s National Train Hits Mitigation Project.

A total of 187 projects – some species-specific covering 40 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and fish, and others general - have been conducted across 25 Indian states and two union territories, over the past 11 years.

Few of the recent/current RAPs:

Assessment of the impact on Olive Ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) and other marine species due to the oil spill caused by the sunken Mongolian vessel Black Rose off Paradip Port in Orissa. The two RAPs covering the Orissa coast from Pentha beach (situated immediate south of Gahirmatha WLS) to Devi rookery, are being implemented by local NGOs Action for Protection of Wild Animals (APOWA) and Green Life Rural Association (GLRA). The projects are funded by samaritan Vivek Ganguly.

Study to understand the human-grizzled giant squirrel conflict near Grizzled Giant Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajapalayam, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, and facilitate effective conservation of this endangered species. The proponent - R Arumugham - has been interviewing local farmers, organising awareness programmes for the farmers, studying habitat and behaviour of the squirrels, facilitating protection of nests and even handraising a young pup that had fallen off its nest. The project is supported by Mohit Aggarwal of Asian Adventures.

Equipping frontline forest staff of Orang National Park, Assam

Support is being provided to Dr Patrick Aust, Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, to carry out a detailed survey to identify sites and formulate strategies for repopulation of gharials in River Gandak, Bihar.

Following an urgent request for assistance by Sushil Kumar Daila, IFS, DFO-Mangaldai Wildlife Division, to facilitate effective anti-poaching operations in Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park in Assam, a RAP was sanctioned to equip the frontline forest staff. In all, 60 torchlights, 10 solar lanterns, 10 solar panels and 22 first aid kits were provided. The project was supported by Alka Hingorani, Sriram Srinivasan and Priyamvada Balaji.