(a) whether Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is being used to facilitate the goals of forest departments in the protection and management of forests and wildlife;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the required resources and training for application of ICT for the said purpose would be provided or has been provided;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the details of the other steps being taken by the Government in this regard?
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)
(a) & (b) Forest Survey of India and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) are using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to facilitate the goals of forest departments. Forest Survey of India has developed various applications viz, near real time forest fire alert system, Decision Support System to support forest conservation decisions, e-Green Watch to monitor forest plantations carried out in Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). All these applications have been developed using Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Remote Sensing Technology and Geographic Information System (GIS).
National Tiger Conservation Authority uses the Information and Communication Technology like: setting up of 24X7 ‘e-surveillance’ using intelligent thermal and infrared cameras in Corbett (Uttarakhand), Kaziranga (Assam) Tiger Reserves and fringes of Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh), besides use of radio telemetry in tiger monitoring in several reserves, smart patrolling (M-STrIPES), use of camera traps for tiger monitoring and facilitating online platform for dissemination of data relating to wildlife crime in tiger reserves, and online reporting of tiger deaths.
(c), (d) & (e) Under the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger, funding assistance is provided to tiger range States for conservation of tigers and other wild animals, which, interalia includes assistance for use of Information and Communication Technology. The details of the State-wise central assistance for the XII Plan period, are at Annexure.