Parliamentary Panel submits report on ‘Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021’

Parliamentary standing committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and climate change has submitted its report on the proposed Wildlife (Protection) Amendment bill, 2021.

• The geographic location and latitudinal position of India has gifted India with a diverse wildlife species.
• India with 6 biodiversity hotspot possesses several numbers of species of plants and animals. In order to conserve and protect these species of biodiversity India needs a speculative and strong legislative backing.
• Despite several sequential amendments wildlife species are still facing survival threat in India.
  • Wildlife (Protect) Act, 1972 provides a legal backing for protection of the wildlife species and to the commitments made by India to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora (CITES).
  • Rationalization of scheduled species of plants and animals were long overdue.
  • The new bill proposes for 50 Amendments to the existing act of 1972.

What does the existing Act says?

• The existing law Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 was enacted to protect and conserve the diversified wildlife culture of India. This act provides the scope of various issues such as
  • Protection of wildlife species.
  • Management of their habitats
  • Regulation and control of trade
• The main objective of the act of 1972 to provide ecological security to the wildlife species and to compliance with the commitments made by India to the CITES.

• Several animal species which are under the concerned list have their significance in mythological story line.
• Hundreds and thousands years ago the equation between animal and people were very much correlative.
• Post industrialization era is experiencing an inequation between human and wildlife.

• Rationalization of schedule planes and animals: reducing the list from six schedules to 4 schedules.
• Removal of vermin species
• Obligations created under CITES:
  • Management Authority
  • Scientific Authority
• Widen the scope of legislation.

• Habitat loss by destruction, fragmentation and degradation: Human induced habitat loss and fragmentation of ecological resources give a potential survival threat to the wildlife.
• Illegal trading, poaching and hunting: Illegal trading of animals plants are fourth largest transactional crime of the world. India exhibits the data of billions of dollar of turnover every year.
  • The new socio-economic gap in the post covid era has increased of such activities to sustain livelihood of the people.
• Climate change: Climate change a major concern of the geopolitical scenario has a significant impact on the survival of wildlife species.
• Over exploitation of resources: Overuse of natural resources in an unsustainable manner increases the risk of life threat to these species.
• Forest fire: In the recent past due to climate change impacts world has experienced a several cases of forest fires which destroys the wildlife species.
• Unchecked clearance: Environmental clearance for green field project and new developmental projects like, dams and highways.

Despite of legal backing and sequential amendments why India is failing to achieve the target to protect its wildlife?

• Ignored ‘actual’ status of forests: Domestic laws and international conventions are focusing on the preservation of wildlife species but lacks in recognizing the overexploited forest status.
• Inefficiently trained forest officials.
• Scio religious beliefs: to protect the wildlife forest officials has to confront many socio religious beliefs and norms which become difficult to create a balance between protection of wildlife and religious expression of the people.

• Government of India has enacted Wildlife Protection Act in 1972 which has been amendment several times to create a balance in the changing scenario.
• Declaration of biosphere reserves and national parks and their proper management are also entrusted by the government to protect the ecological survival of the species.
• Several species specific projects like, Project Tiger and Operation Kurma has been implemented for the purpose.
• Corridors for animals: Several corridors for animals has been created to provide a safe passage to the animals from one ecosystem to another with minimal human animal confrontation

• Public awareness: Religious customs and beliefs in forest and tribal areas hinder the protection measures. A wide stage campaign to promote the importance of such bio diversity needs to be spread.
• Recognizing and involving NGOs
• In situ and ex situ conservation
• Increasing resilience of natural reserves
• Creation and management of biosphere reserves.
• Stringent law regarding environmental clearance for green field developmental projects.
• Neutrality of Environmental Impact Assessment.

Ecological sustenance of wildlife species is very much important to preserve the ecological balance in the ecosystem. Disruption in such balance can create unimaginative impact in future which becomes very difficult to predict via any statistical methods. Along with wildlife protection developmental projects and socio religious customs are two major concerns that needs to be taken care of, government policies must try to create a balance between these variables of the equation and prepare an equation between people and wildlife.