Abstract

This article interrogates the historical trajectory of wildlife conservation in India, tracing its evolution from colonial-era hunting practices to postcolonial conservation policies. While modern conservationists look at the scientific and ecological necessity in response to environmental degradation and the extinction of wild animals, this study argues that environment and wildlife conservation in India have been deeply intertwined and shaped by socio-political and cultural practices of the indigenous or tribal community. Drawing upon the need to separate wildlife from human presence emerged as a mainstream narrative that informed global conservation paradigms, particularly through the U.S. national park model. This model has influenced postcolonial India’s conservation policies, including the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, which introduced a strict classification of protected areas such as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and tiger reserves. These measures aimed to preserve biodiversity, wildlife and the environment; however, this model often excludes or marginalises indigenous and tribal communities who have historically coexisted with or lived in the environment. It highlights how the dominant conservationists’ narrative frames these communities as threats to biodiversity, overlooking their ecological knowledge systems and sustainable practices of the tribal community. This article argues for a more inclusive conservation paradigm that recognises the rights and roles of local communities in managing and protecting ecosystems while also interrogating the colonial and ideological assumptions that continue to shape conservation discourse in contemporary India.