From State Stewardship to Collaborative Governance: A Qualitative Study of Emerging Models of Private-Led Wildlife Conservation in India
This paper studies the changing landscape of wildlife conservation governance in India, which is defined by a change from centralized government-led models to collaborative and private-led approaches. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, in India has been following what may be called as a “fortress” model for wildlife conservation which is characterized by government control and limited stakeholder participation. Due to challenges such as habitat fragmentation, rising human–wildlife conflict, and problems related to institutional capacity there is a need to find alternative governance frameworks.Using a qualitative case study methodology, this paper analyses four different conservation models India which are : Vantara (Reliance Foundation), Aravalli Biodiversity Park, The Corbett Foundation, and the Godrej Mangroves, to understand what role of private and non-government stakeholders can play in conservation. This study draws on Elinor Ostrom’s theory of polycentric governance, and looks at the selected cases across legal, ecological, socio-economic, and managerial dimensions. The findings show that private-led and collaborative models improve conservation results by bringing in technological innovation, financial flexibility, and community engagement. The private sector initiatives contribute to advanced infrastructure and long-term governance, while the private-led and hybrid partnerships improve local participation and conflict mitigation. In spite of this, issues related to accountability, regulatory oversight, and potential greenwashing act as challenges to these efforts. This study concludes that private-led conservation is not a substitute for state/government interventions but an important complement within a polycentric governance framework, and requires formal institutional mechanisms for its success.