Syllabus
GS paper 3 – Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.
Context
Excessive number of species have been included in the new schedules of the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2022, with no consultation or process.
About Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2022:
- Expanding CITES Coverage:
- Aims to increase species protection and enforce the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
- CITES mandates countries to regulate trade in listed specimens through permits.
- Streamlining Schedules:
- Seeks to reduce the number of schedules from VI to IV, eliminating Schedule V for animals considered vermin or crop destroyers.
- CITES Compliance Obligations:
- Grants Central government authority to designate a Management Authority for issuing export and import permits.
- Establishes a Scientific Authority for providing advice on trade’s impact on specimen survival.
- Regulating Invasive Alien Species:
- Empowers the Central government to control, prohibit, or regulate the import, trade, possession, or proliferation of invasive alien species.
- Sanctuary Management:
- Appoints the Chief Wild Life Warden by the respective State government to manage, control, and maintain sanctuaries.
- Captive Animal Surrender:
- Allows individuals to voluntarily surrender captive animals or animal products to the Chief Wild Life Warden.
- No compensation is provided; surrendered items become state property.
- Special Area Management:
- Requires the management plan for sanctuaries in special areas, which include Scheduled Areas or those governed by the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, to be developed in consultation with the concerned Gram Sabha.
- Conservation Reserves:
- Permits State governments to declare areas adjacent to national parks and sanctuaries as conservation reserves to safeguard flora, fauna, and their habitats.
- Empowers the Central government to notify conservation reserves.
Issues and Concerns related to Act:
- Complex Categorization:
- Schedule 1: Provides the highest level of protection and encompasses roughly 600 vertebrate species and hundreds of invertebrates.
- Schedule 2: Contains approximately 2,000 species, including a notable 1,134 bird species.
- Ambiguity:
- The new Act aligns itself with CITES and includes CITES appendices, but it lacks clarity in connecting endangerment with conservation.
- Resource Allocation Challenges:
- The Act offers the same level of protection to diverse species, such as tigers and jackals, great Indian bustards and common barn owls.
- This uniformity raises questions about how resources should be allocated based on this list.
- Listing of Species:
- Schedule 1 lists species like spotted deer, which are widespread in India but invasive in the Andaman Islands.
- The presence of spotted deer in Schedule 1 restricts their legal culling or removal due to the Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA).
Impacts of the Act:
- Promotion of Coexistence:
- The Act aims to encourage coexistence, but some Schedule 1 species pose significant physical, mental, and economic threats to people.
- For example, crocodiles in the Andamans, leopards in specific areas, and elephants across regions can cause harm, disrupt livelihoods, and have long-lasting psychological effects.
- Prohibition of Limited Culling:
- The new Act elevates wild pigs and Nilgai to Schedule 1, preventing States from culling these problematic animals, which can negatively impact cultivators.
- Restrictions on Hunting and Use:
- The Act imposes strict limitations on hunting and the utilization of animals, primarily because some species have experienced population declines.
- However, it doesn’t adequately consider the input of science or society, potentially affecting the livelihoods of local communities.
- Research Constraints:
- The Act imposes challenges on conducting ecological and genetic research due to restrictions on specimen collection for a considerable number of species.
- Time-Consuming Research Permit Process:
- The extensive listing of numerous species in the Act results in a lengthy permit application process for research.
- This can have adverse effects on environmental NGOs and scientific research by citizens.
- Challenges in Bird Observation Data Sharing:
- The Act does not inhibit casual observation of Schedule 1 species during activities like birdwatching.
- However, sharing data on international platforms such as e-bird can become complicated due to the Act’s provisions.
Way forward:
- The effective management of species and habitats necessitates customized approaches that align with the ecological dynamics, the biology of species, and the specific context.
- This underscores the importance of conducting research and consistent monitoring carried out by impartial organizations, a process that can be hindered by the rigid scheduling of species.
- Both citizens and ecologists have a legitimate right to engage in nature observation and data collection, provided it doesn’t unduly harm populations and adheres to the fundamental principles of ethical treatment of animals.
Source: The Hindu
Practice Question
Critically analyse the features of the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act 2022. (Answer in 250 words)