1.

Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

To govern wildlife conservation and protection of endangered species, the Wildlife (Protection) Act,
1972 was adopted by all states excluding Jammu and Kashmir (which has its own Act). The Act
prohibits trade in rare and endangered species.

Government at central level provides financial assistance to states for

(i) strengthening management and protection of infrastructure of national parks and

sanctuaries;

(ii) (ii) protection of wildlife and control of poaching and illegal trade in wildlife products;

(iii) (iii) captive breeding programmes for endangered species of wildlife

(iv) ; (iv) wildlife education and interpretation;

(v) (v) development of zoos;

(vi) (vi) conservation of rhinos in Assam;

(vii) (vii) protection of tiger, elephant, etc.

The 1972 Act has been amended to make the provisions more effective.

Under a new amendment to the Act in 2002, penalties are sought to be enhanced for violations of the
provisions of the Act.
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2.Central Zoo Authority (CZA)

A Central Zoo Authority (CZA) was established in 1992 under the Act to oversee the management of
zoological parks in the country.

The CZA was reconstituted for the sixth time in September 2007 with Minister of State, Environment
and Forests as its chairman. There is a total 15 member contingents in CZA for discharge of its
mandated functions.
The main functions of the CZA are:
(i) Specification of minimum standards for housing, upkeep and veterinary care of the animals in the
zoos.

(ii) Recognition of zoos on the basis of evaluation of their functioning.

(iii) Identification of endangered species of wild animals for the purpose of captive breeding and
assignment of responsibility in this regard to zoos.

(iv) Coordination of the acquisition, exchange and loaning of animals for breeding.

(v) Provision of technical and other assistance to zoos for management and development on scientific
lines.

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3,. National Referral Centre (NRC)

A National Referral Centre (NRC) was established at Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly for
providing super specialty services and diagnostic facilities for better health care of wild animals in
Indian zoos.

Recognition of zoos is now based on notified standards for upkeep, maintenance and veterinary care of
animals.

4. National Wildlife Action Plan

In 1983, the Government of India adopted an National Wildlife Action Plan to provide the framework
of strategy as well as a programme for wildlife conservation. The 1983 action plan was revised, and a
new plan (2002-2016) has now been adopted. A monitoring committee will oversee the implementation
of the plan.

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5.National Board for wildlife

The important decisions taken during the third meeting of the National Board for wildlife in June 2006
included an alternate home for lions, survey for assessing the current status of peacocks in India,
preparation of an action plan for conservation of the red jungle fowl, and identification of wetlands
outside the protected area system for conservation.
The standing committee of the Board was reconstituted in July 2007 and the fourth meeting of the
Board was held in November 2007. The important decisions taken included setting up of a sub-
committee for recovery programme of endangered terrestrial species and for conservation of marine
species.

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A Wildlife Institute was set up at Dehradun and a Wildlife Advisory Committee was constituted (in
1996) to advise on various aspects of wildlife conservation and related matters.

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The Indian Board of Wildlife, headed by the prime minister, is the apex advisory body overseeing and
guiding the implementation of various schemes for wildlife conservation. It was reconstituted on
December 7, 2001.

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The protected area network in India includes 99 national parks and 513 wildlife sanctuaries, 41
conservation reserves and 4 community reserves.

The Animal Welfare Division became a part of Ministry of Environment and Forests in July 2002.
Earlier, the division was under Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The mandate of
Animal Welfare Division is to prevent the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering on animals. The
main task of the division is to implement effectively the various provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960.

The division provides assistance for construction of shelter houses, dispensaries, etc., for stray, infirm
and abandoned animals. It also gives grants for ambulances and vehicles in connection with treatment
and transportation of sick, injured and rescued animals. Another major developmental programme is
immunisation and sterilisation of stray dogs.

A National Institute of Animal Welfare (NIAW) at Faridabad has also been established to impart
training and education in animal welfare and veterinary science. The institute aims at creating an
enabling environment for the fulfillment of statutory requirements under the PCA Act, 1960.
The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) is a statutory body under the PCA Act, 1960. With
headquarters at Chennai, its basic mandate is to advise the government on animal welfare issues, and
create awareness in animal welfare. The AWBI gives financial assistance to eligible animal welfare
organisations for shelter houses, model gaushalas for setting up of bio-gas plants, famine/drought relief,
earthquake relief, etc., in various states.

The Committee for Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) is
also a statutory body under the PCA Act, I960 with headquarters at Chennai. The mandate of this
committee is to register and monitor the animal breeders and institutions conducting experiments on
animals.

International Conventions Related to Wildlife:

India is a party to five major international conventions related to wildlife conservation, viz., Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking
(CAWT), International Whaling Commission (IWC), United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural OrganisationWorld Heritage Committee (UNESCO- WHC), and the Convention on
Migratory Species (CMS). The Ministry of Environment and Forests is the nodal agency for these
conventions.

i. CITES:
The Government of India signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild
flora and fauna on July 20, 1976. Under this convention, export or import of endangered species and
their products is subject to strict- controls. Commercial exploitation of such species is also prohibited.

The 14th conference of parties to the CITES was held at The Hague, Netherlands, in June 2007. The
Indian delegation actively participated and intervened in various agenda, particularly those which were
of national interest or indirectly affected our conservation efforts. Indias initiatives in conservation of
Asian Big Cats and Tibetan Antelope were much appreciated. The CoP also acknowledged the
establishment of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau by India.

ii. CAWT:
The Coalition against Wildlife Trafficking is a global coalition of governments and international
business and conservation organisations, working together to support each others efforts to end the
illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products. It is not a legal entity but a partnership of like-minded
governments and organisations who are willing to make a political commitment to end wildlife
trafficking.
India has joined hands with the US and other partners against the illegal wildlife crime/trafficking. The
first meeting of the ministerial partners was held in Nairobi in February 2007.

iii. IWC:
India, a member of -the International Whaling Commission since 1981, has played a pro-active and
prominent role in bringing about a moratorium on commercial whaling and supporting the commission
in its efforts in conservation of migratory species of wild animals.

iv. UNESCO-WHO:
The UNESCOs World Heritage Convention is responsible for lifting of world heritage sites, which
include both cultural and natural sites. The wildlife department of the Ministry of Environment and
Forests of India is associated with Conservation of the natural world heritage sites. An externally-aided
project has also been undertaken by we ministry for the conservation of wildlife.

The total period of the project is 10 years with two phases. The project will be undertaken in four world
heritage sites of India, viz., Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Nanda Devi National Park,
and Keoladeo National Park.

v. CMS:
India is a signatory to the convention on Conservation of Migratory Species, also known as Bonn
convention, since 1983. It signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CMS at Bangkok in
February 2007 for the conservation and management of marine turtles and their habitats of the Indian
Ocean and South East Asia.