Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India (GoI) and Mrs.Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Deputy Prime Minister (PM) of Namibia and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Government of the Republic of Namibia, have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wildlife Conservation and Sustainable Biodiversity Utilization.
- The MoU will allow Cheetahs to be transported to India for historic reintroduction, and this unique intercontinental translocation would be the first of its kind in the world.
- It was signed on the sidelines of 17th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India- Africa Growth Partnership 2022, New Delhi. Delhi.
Features of the MoU:
i. The MoU promotes Cheetah conservation in both nations by exchanging knowledge, sharing best practices for protecting wildlife, using technology, and managing a sustainable
ii.The MoU focuses on the conservation of biodiversity, with a particular emphasis on the conservation and restoration of Cheetahs, which were listed as extinct in India in 1952.
- Additionally, it aims to develop methods for local communities residing in wildlife habitats to generate a living and for the sustainable management of biodiversity.
iii. Furthermore, it will foster cooperation in the fields of pollution and waste management, environmental governance, environmental impact assessments, and other areas of shared interest.
- As part of the MoU, personnel will also be trained in wildlife management, including sharing of technical knowledge in relevant areas.
Cheetah Restoration Project
i. Cheetahs will be reintroduced into the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh (MP), with the first batch of cheetahs expected to arrive before August 15, 2022.
- Cheetahs will return to a wild enclosure in India 69 years after the last reported cheetah was hunted down in Chhattisgarh in 1952. It is the only large carnivore in India that has gone extinct in India after independence.
- The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) belongs to carnivoura, is a large cat and native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at 80 to 128 km/h (50 to 80 mph) with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being 93 and 98 km/h (58 and 61 mph).
ii.The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is in charge of the translocation project, as part of the Cheetah Translocation Project (CTP) under the MoEF&CC.It will be directed by a committee of experts designated by the Supreme Court of India.
iii. The objective of “Project Cheetah” is to reintroduce and establish the Cheetah population in India. It entails identifying and restoring the environment where cheetahs once inhabited.
Note:
- Meanwhile, a draft agreement has already been signed for India to receive 12 Cheetahs from South Africa.
- In addition, 50 Cheetahs would be introduced in different National Parks in India over the course of 5 years. The GoI has also issued an action plan for the introduction of Cheetahs in India.
Significance of Kuno National Park, MP
i. The Cheetah’s climate niche from southern Africa exists in India, with Kuno National Park, MP, having a high likelihood of Cheetah habitat compatibility.
- The current carrying capacity of Kuno National Park is a maximum of 21 cheetahs, once restored the larger landscape can hold about 36 cheetahs.
ii.According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reintroduction guidelines, the park was deemed suitable to accommodate cheetahs with the least management interventions.
iii. Public awareness initiatives for local populations in Madhya Pradesh are in the pipeline, featuring a local mascot named “Chintu Cheetah.”
About Namibia:
Prime Minister – Dr. Saara Kuungongelwa-Amadhila
Capital – Windhoek
Currency – Namibian Dollar (NAD)