Recently International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified the Himalayan wolf ((Canis lupus chanco), lupine predator, as ‘vulnerable’ in its Red List of Threatened Species in 2023; only 2,275 to 3,792 individuals of the Himalayan wolf are left in the wild. THEIR HABITAT They are found in the Himalayan region encompassing India, Nepal and the Tibetan Plateau of Western China. In India specifically, an estimated 227 to 378 Himalayan wolves are found, distributed in the upper Himalayan region. LEARNING FROM HOME/ WITHOUT CLASSES/ BASICS Established in 1964, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species(IUCN) has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk status of animal, fungus, and plant species. The IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity. Far more than a list of species and their status, it is a powerful tool to inform and catalyse action for biodiversity conservation and policy change, critical to protecting the natural resources we need to survive. India became a State Member of IUCN in 1969, through the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). Four of 34 globally identified biodiversity hotspots: The Himalayas, the Western Ghats, the North-East, and the Nicobar Islands, can be found in India.

Some of these important legislations are the Indian Forest Act, of 1927, the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972, the Biological Diversity Act of 2002, and the Biological Diversity Rules of 2004, the Fisheries Act of 1897, The Patents Act of 1970, the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPVFR) Act of 2001, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960, the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act of 1992, the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986, the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980, the scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act of 2006, the Destructive Insects and Pests Act of 1914, the Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation and Control) Rules of 2000.