Protected Area Network in Orissa - Vasundhara

HISTORY OF CONSERVATIONEarly efforts of ConservationThe first wildlife conservation probably occurred among prehistoric peoples. Thesepeoples may have limited their hunting to preserve the supply of wild animals theyneeded for food. Rulers of ancient civilizations set up the first game reserves--as theirpersonal hunting grounds--and medieval European kings continued this practice.These kings also forbade hunting by anyone other than a member of the ruling class.But such action resulted from a ruler's love of hunting as a sport, rather than anyawareness of the need for conservation. Certain forests were protected for religiousreasons, and others were preserved for their value in providing timber to build ships.During the 1600's and 1700's, the British colonies in America passed laws to protectwildlife. But most colonists ignored these laws. Effective wildlife conservation in theUnited States began in the late 1800's. Congress established Yellowstone NationalPark, the world's first national park, in 1872. In Italy, for example, what is now GranParadiso National Park has been a wildlife sanctuary since 1856. Australia set up itsfirst national park in 1879. Canada created its first national park, Hot SpringsReservation (now called Banff National Park), in 1885. In 1898, the Sabi Game Reserve(now Kruger National Park) was established in what is now South Africa. This reservewas the beginning of the extensive network of national parks and game reserves inAfrica. The first Asian and South American national parks were created during theearly 1900's.International cooperation in wildlife conservation began on a worldwide scale afterthe birth of the United Nations (UN) in 1945. The Food and Agriculture Organizationof the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization (UNESCO) set up wildlife conservation programs. In 1948,UNESCO helped establish the International Union for the Protection of Nature. In1956, the name of this organization was changed to the International Union for theConservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The IUCN then started togather information on the world's endangered species. It publishes this data in its Red5