Wildlife Institute of India
In 1982, the Government of India established the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) at Dehra Dun in the foothills of the Himalayas to "build up a cadre of personnel fully trained in all aspects of wildlife sanctuary management; and provide proper orientation to all officials concerned with wildlife." Born out of the recognition that wildlife and forestry managers must receive comprehensive, up-to-date training if they are to be successful in preserving India's increasingly threatened wild animals and natural habitats, WII has rapidly acquired an Asia-wide and even world-wide reputation as a leading center for the training of wildlife managers, as well as scholarship and research.Even before WII's formal inception, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) worked with the Government of India to help develop plans to meet these objectives. A variety of planning initiatives were undertaken, culminating in a 5-year collaborative project that officially started October 1, 1988.
The WII/FWS project focused on developing both the technical skills and research capabilities of WII's faculty. U.S. scientists traveled to WII for short work sessions. WII's faculty also visited the U.S. During these work sessions and study tours, the faculty met with other U.S. scientists working in their subject areas, exchanged ideas, and visited field research sites.
U.S. scientists have worked closely with WII faculty to develop skills in such fields as high altitude ecology, wildlife health, geographical information systems, systems analysis, wildlife interpretation and education, field research methods, and wildlife in managed forests. In turn, U.S. scientists have sharpened their own skills and have had an opportunity to work in the unique wildlife laboratory that is India.
The shared successes of the initial WII/FWS program fostered a second 5-year program initiated in 1995. This new program includes development of an Indian wildlife health cooperative; an advanced capacity for forensic identification of animal parts; planning interpretive facilities for several of India's protected areas; and in-depth studies on several threatened Indian habitats (including the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats, two biogeographic zones of the Indian Himalayas, and Panna, Rajaji and Corbett national parks.
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