National Board for Wildlife reconstituted, will it save wildlife from corporate onslaught?

Will the reconstituted National Board for Wildlife save wildlife from the corporate onslaught?

Bittu Sehgal, Valmik Thapar, B.K. Talukdar, Koustubh Sharma, Biswajit Mohanty and Shekar Dattatri are all set to join the reconstituted National Board for Wildlife. The new members include the Green Life Society, Raman Sukumar and the Bombay Natural History Society. It has been reported that M.K. Ranjitsinh, K. Ullas Karanth, WWF, Brijendra Singh and the Nature Conservation Foundation besides Jyoti Mirdha, Dushyant Singh and M.S. Gill remain on the list recommended by conflict of interest ridden Environment & Forests Minister, Veerappa Moily and approved by the PMO. The board is headed by the Prime Minister. Moily's environmentally destructive decisions have made him one of the unpopular ministers in the post independent India.

 The term of the pre-existing board’s members expired on 5 September, 2013. The board had a total of 47 members. While 32 of these were serving or retired government officials, the rest were members of organizations that work in the area of conservation, such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Nature Conservation Foundation and some independent conservationists. The Board has been reconstituted. It is likely to be announced in March 2014.

 

The Government of India enacted Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972 with the objective of effectively protecting the wild life of this country and to control poaching, smuggling and illegal trade in wildlife and its derivatives. The Act was amended in January 2003 and punishment and penalty for offences under the Act have been made more stringent. The Ministry has proposed further amendments in the law by introducing more rigid measures to strengthen the Act. The objective is to provide protection to the listed endangered flora and fauna and ecologically important protected areas.

 

Act

• The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006 (No. 39 of 2006, [03/09/2006])
  
• The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002 (No. 16 of 2003, [17/01/2003])
  
• The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 1993.
  

Bill

• Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill 2013
  

Rules

• Recognition of Zoo Rules, 2009. English, Hindi
  
• S.O.1092(E), [22/9/2003] - The National Board for Wild Life Rules, 2003.
  
• S.O.445(E), [18/4/2003] - The Declaration of Wild Life Stock Rules, 2003.
  
• G.S.R.350(E), [18/4/1995] - The Wildlife (Specified Plant Stock Declaration) Central Rules, 1995.
  
• G.S.R.349(E), [18/4/1995] - The Wildlife (Specified Plants - Conditions for Possession by Licensee) Rules, 1995.
  
• G.S.R.348(E), [18/4/1995] - The Wildlife (Protection) Rules, 1995.
  
• Recognition of Zoo Rules, 1992.
  
• G.S.R.328(E), [13/4/1983] - The Wildlife (Protection) Licensing (Additional Matters for Consideration) Rules, 1983.
  
• G.S.R.29(E), [25/1/1973] - The Wildlife (Stock Declaration) Central Rules, 1973.
  
• G.S.R.198(E), [9/4/1973] - The Wildlife (Transaction and Taxidermy) Rules, 1973.
  

Notifications

• S.O.2180(E), [4/9/2010] - Amendments to Constitution of the National Board for Wild Life.
  
• S.O.802(E), [16/05/2007] - The National Board for Wild Life Rules, 2007.
  
• S.O.1093(E), [22/9/2003] - Constitution of the National Board for Wild Life.
  
• S.O.1091(E), [22/9/2003] - Coming into force of section 6 of the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002 (16 of 2003).
  
• S.O.446(E), [18/4/2003] - Delegation of Powers of section 58E of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (53 of 1972).
  
• S.O.447(E), [18/4/2003] - Delegation of Powers of section 54 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (53 of 1972).
  
• S.O.332(E), [28/3/2003] - Coming into force of all the provisions except section 6 of the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002 (16 of 2003).
  
• S.O.1085(E), [30/9/2002] - Amendments to Schedule I and Part II of Schedule II of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (53 of 1972).
  
• S.O.1197(E), [5/12/2001] - Amendments to Schedule I and Schedule IV of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (53 of 1972).
  
• S.O.665(E), [11/7/2001] - Amendments to Schedule I and Schedule III of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (53 of 1972).
  
• S.O.474(E), [28/5/2001] - Additions to Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (53 of 1972).
  

Guidelines

• Guidelines for Appointment of Honorary Wildlife Wardens.