Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan released the National Bear Conservation and Welfare Action Plan at the launch of the 21st International Conference on Bear Research and Management here.
The plan summarises the threats faced by bears in India, and outlines management actions to be undertaken by states for the conservation and welfare of the animal.
It is an outcome of a joint work by the Environment Ministry, the Wildlife Institute of India, the state forest departments and NGOs including Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), World Society for the Protection of Animals and International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Natarajan said the attention that bears have received is not adequate in the country. She promised her Ministry's necessary guidance and support to the states to implement the action plan.
India is home to four of the eight species of bears found worldwide -