{"id":69181,"date":"2020-11-10T17:46:58","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T12:16:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=69181"},"modified":"2021-04-07T11:49:14","modified_gmt":"2021-04-07T06:19:14","slug":"wildlife-protection-act-1972-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wildlife-protection-act-1972-2\/","title":{"rendered":"WILDLIFE (PROTECTION) ACT, 1972"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wildlife Act, a landmark in the history, was enacted for providing protection to wild animals and birds.<\/p>\n

From State to Concurrent subject:<\/strong> Wildlife was transferred from State list to concurrent list in 1976, thus giving powers to the Central government to enact legislation.<\/p>\n

Salient features of WPA-1972.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Clear definitions<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

It clearly defines the wild-life related terminology.<\/p>\n

Appointments:<\/strong><\/p>\n

It provides for the appointment of wildlife advisory Board, Wildlife warden, their powers, duties etc.<\/p>\n

Exhaustive list of Indian wildlife<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

The endangered wild life species was done for the first time and prohibition of hunting of the endangered species was mentioned.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \n
      \n
    • some endangered plants like Beddome cycad, Blue Vanda, Ladies Slipper Orchid, Pitcher plant etc<\/li>\n
    • some animals are \u2013 Tiger, Sangai deer, Dugong, great Indian bustard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Institutions <\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      • The Act provides for setting up of National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries etc.<\/li>\n
      • The constitution of Central Zoo Authority.<\/li>\n
      • The Act also provides the constitution of Indian Board of Wildlife (IBWL)<\/li>\n
      • It also sets up the National Tiger Conservation Authority.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

         <\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Wildlife trade and protection<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
            \n
          • There are few provisions for trade and commerce in some wildlife species with license for sale, possession, transfer etc.<\/li>\n
          • The Act imposes a ban on the trade or commerce in scheduled animals.<\/li>\n
          • It provides for legal powers to officers and punishment to offenders.<\/li>\n
          • It provides for captive breeding programme for endangered species.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            Why was this act passed?<\/strong><\/p>\n
              \n
            • The rapid decline of India\u2019s wildlife population needs legal protection from activities such as poaching, smuggling, etc which is cause of grave concern.<\/li>\n
            • The Wild Birds and Animals Protection Act, 1935 had become completely outdated.<\/li>\n
            • The existing laws not only had become outdated but also provide punishments, which were not commensurate with the offence and financial benefits that occurred from poaching and trade in wildlife produce.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

              Type of protected areas in Wildlife Protection Act.<\/h3>\n

              Five kinds of protected areas<\/strong>\u00a0can be notified in the Act. These are:<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

              Sanctuaries:<\/strong><\/p>\n

                \n
              • The State or Central Government may by notification declare its intention to constitute any area as a sanctuary for protecting wildlife and the environment.<\/li>\n
              • The government determines the nature and extent of rights of persons in or over the land within the sanctuary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                National Parks:<\/strong><\/p>\n

                  \n
                • The State or Central Government may declare an area, whether inside a sanctuary or not, as a national park for the purpose of protecting and developing wildlife and its environment.<\/li>\n
                • The State Government can not\u00a0alter the boundaries of a national park except on the recommendation of the National Board for Wildlife.<\/li>\n
                • No grazing or any other human activities <\/strong>is allowed inside a national park.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                  National parks in India<\/strong>:<\/p>\n
                    \n
                  • Protected under category II of IUCN.<\/li>\n
                  • India’s first\u00a0national park\u00a0was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park(Jim Corbett National Park),\u00a0Uttarakhand.<\/li>\n
                  • In 1970, there are only five national parks.<\/li>\n
                  • After 1972, India enacted the\u00a0Wildlife Protection Act\u00a0and\u00a0Project Tiger\u00a0to safeguard the habitats of\u00a0conservation reliant species<\/li>\n
                  • At present, there are 104 NPs in India<\/li>\n
                  • Kuno NP is the newest one<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
                    Project Tiger and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)<\/strong><\/p>\n
                      \n
                    • Project Tiger was launched in 1973<\/strong>\u00a0with 9 tiger reserves for conserving our national animal, the tiger. Currently, the\u00a0Project Tiger coverage has increased to 50,<\/strong>\u00a0spread out in 18 tiger range states.<\/li>\n
                    • Environment Minister is the Chairman of the\u00a0NTCA.<\/li>\n
                    • Jim Corbett National Park\u00a0is the oldest\u00a0national park in India\u00a0and was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park to protect the\u00a0endangered\u00a0Bengal tiger. It became the tiger in 1973.<\/li>\n
                    • The TRs in India are Orang (Assam) and Kamlang(Arunachal Pradesh).<\/li>\n
                    • The tiger reserves are constituted on a\u00a0core\/buffer strategy<\/strong>. The\u00a0core areas have the <\/strong>legal status of a national park or a sanctuary, whereas the buffer or peripheral areas are a mix of forest and non-forest land, managed as a multiple use area.<\/li>\n
                    • It is an ongoing\u00a0Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change providing central assistance to the tiger States\u00a0for tiger conservation in designated tiger reserves.<\/li>\n
                    • The\u00a0<\/strong>National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body\u00a0<\/strong>of the <\/strong>Ministry, with an overarching supervisory\/coordination role, performing functions as provided in the\u00a0<\/strong>Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.<\/strong><\/li>\n
                    • The NTCA was launched in 2005, following the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force. It was given statutory status by 2006 amendment of\u00a0Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                    M-STrIPES<\/strong>\u00a0(Monitoring System for Tigers – Intensive Protection and Ecological Status)\u00a0is an app-based monitoring system. The system would enable field officers to assist intensity and spatial coverage of patrols in a geographic information system (GIS) domain.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
                      \n
                    • All provisions applicable to a sanctuary are also applicable to a national park.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                      Tiger reserves<\/strong><\/p>\n

                        \n
                      • These areas were reserved for protection tiger in the country.<\/li>\n
                      • TheState Government<\/strong>\u00a0on the recommendation of the Tiger Conservation Authority may notify an area as a tiger reserve, for which it has to prepare a Tiger Conservation Plan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                        Conservation reserves<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>and community reserves <\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

                          \n
                        • These protected areas act as buffer zones and migration corridors between established national\u00a0parks,\u00a0 wildlife sanctuaries\u00a0and\u00a0reserved and protected forests\u00a0of India.<\/li>\n
                        • These protected area categories were first introduced in the wildlife\u00a0(Protection) Amendment Act of 2003.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                           <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
                          Conservation reserves<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\nCommunity Reserves<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                          \n
                            \n
                          • \u00a0The State Government after consultations with local communities can declare any area owned by the Government, especially areas adjacent to national parks or sanctuaries, as conservation reserves.<\/li>\n
                          • \u00a0The government can constitute conservation reserve Management Committee to manage and conserve the conservation reserve.<\/li>\n
                          • \u00a0Such areas are designated as conservation areas if they are uninhabited and completely owned by the Government of India\u00a0but used for subsistence by communities, and community areas if part of the lands are privately owned.<\/li>\n
                          • Such reserves administered through local people and local agencies like the gram<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>panchayat<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
                          		\n
                            \n
                          • The State Government after having a consultation with the community or an individual who has volunteered to conserve wildlife declares any private or community land as a community reserve.<\/li>\n
                          • \u00a0A Community Reserve Management Committee shall be constituted by State Government for conserving and managing the reserve.<\/li>\n
                          • Community reserves are the first instances of private land being accorded protection under the Indian legislature.<\/li>\n
                          • It opens up the possibility of communally owned for-profit wildlife resorts, and also causes privately held areas under non-profit organizations\u00a0like\u00a0land trusts\u00a0to be given protection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

                            Schedules in WPA-1972<\/strong><\/h2>\n

                            Schedule I and II<\/strong> – these are the most vital sections of the act.<\/p>\n