WHATS IN NEWS:
The standing committee on Science, Technology Environment and Climate Change headed by Jairam Ramesh has a suggested that the environment ministry must constitutes an advisory body on export to tackle growing instances of human-animal conflict.
WILDLIFE(PROTECTION) ACT 1972:
- It is an act of Parliament exacted for protection of plant and animal species.
- Provides regulation for control of trade in wild animals, plants and products made from them.
- The act established schedules of protected plant and animal species that are afforded various degrees of protection and monitoring by the government.
- It currently has 6 schedules:
Schedules Protection
1,2 absolute protections with highest punishment
3,4 protected with lower punishment
5 Animals legally vermin and can be hunted freely e.g. Common fruit bats, mice, cats, etc.
6 Endemic plants prohibited for cultivation and planting
The act has been amended several times already but the latest amendment are aimed at providing legislative backing to commitment made by India to the convention made by India to the convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
THE WILDLIFE (PROTECTION) AMENDMENT BILL, 2021
Major Features:-
- CITES: The bill seeks to implement provisions of CITES that focus on regulation trade of all listed specimen through permits and regulation possession of live animal specimens.
- Rationalizing Schedules: The bill streamlines scheduling of species from 6 to just 3 schedule 1 for species with highest protection schedule 2 for species with lesser protection and schedule 3 that covers plants. The schedule for vermin species has been removed.
- Invative alien species: The bill empowers central government to regulate or prohibit the import, trade, possession of invative species.
- Control of sanctuaries: The bells specifies that action of chief wildlife Warden must be in accordance with the management for of the sanctuary that will be prepared by Central Government when the chief Warden is appointed by State Government.
- Conservative Reserves: The bill empowers central government to also declare conservation reserve which was earlier only available to state government.
- Surrender of captive animals: The bill provides for any person to voluntarily surrender any captive animals or animal products to chief wildlife warden. The surrender item becomes the property of state government.
FINDINGS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE REPORT:
- The bill proposed the standing committee of State Board of wildlife (SBWC) to be ____ functioning of the body ‘more purposive’. But the expert points out that such committee would be packed with official members exercise, all powers of SBWC, will take independent decisions and up becoming a ‘______ stamp’ for faster clearance of projects.
- The committee while agrees to the _______ of schedules but finds that many species have failed to appear in all these 3 schedules.
It also points out that the species have been wrongfully arranged among the 3 schedules along with their scientific name in Latin which makes it difficult to manage for the concerned authorities.
- T report vividly talks about absence of ‘Human-Animal Conflict’ in proposed amendment saying it is serious issue just as hunting and needs backing.
- The report recommends an advisory committee to be headed by chief wildlife Warden with few members and in depth technical knowledge for evolving effective site specific plans including changing copying patterns and taking critical decisions on short notice.
