India’s Wildlife Laws, Policies and Institutions

Policies & Laws Concerning CITES in India

When we talk about CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), remember one thing:
CITES controls international trade; India must ensure that what enters or leaves the country does not harm wildlife.
To make this possible, India uses several laws together:

Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (WPA)
Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992
Foreign Trade Policy
Customs Act, 1962

Think of these four as different ministries holding four corners of a single net—so that no illegal wildlife product slips through.

Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972

This is India’s main law for protecting wildlife.
It classifies animals and plants into Schedules, each with a different protection level.

Schedules under the old WPA (before 2022 amendment)

Schedule	Which species?	Protection level
Schedule I	Critically endangered	Hunting & trade banned fully
Schedule II	Less endangered	Hunting & trade banned
Schedule III	Big game species	Hunting banned; penalties lighter
Schedule IV	Small game species	Hunting banned; penalties lighter
Schedule V	Vermin	These can be hunted
Schedule VI	Certain plants	Cultivation/planting prohibited

Who are vermin?
Small wild animals that spread disease or destroy crops/food—e.g., rats.

Exceptions under WPA (important for prelims & mains)

Wildlife may be hunted only with permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW), and only if:

Schedule I animals
- Threaten human life
- Are incurably injured or disabled
Schedule II, III, IV animals
- Threaten human life or property
- Are incurably injured or diseased

Other exceptions:

Killing in self-defence is allowed.
GoI can declare any wild animal as vermin (except Schedule I & II).
GoI can modify any Schedule—add, delete, transfer species.
Trade in Schedule I and Schedule II (Part II) species is fully banned.
Ivory trade (including African ivory) is completely prohibited.
2006 amendments created:
- National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
- Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)

Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022

This amendment reorganized the whole Schedule system to align India with CITES better.

Changes introduced

Schedules reduced from 6 to 4
Vermin Schedule removed
A new Schedule for CITES specimens inserted

New Schedules under WPA 2022

Schedule I – Highest protection for animal species
Schedule II – Lower protection for animals
Schedule III – Protected plants
Schedule IV – All specimens listed under CITES Appendices

This is a major alignment step—now India’s domestic law mirrors CITES directly.

Foreign Trade Regulations & CITES

To regulate international trade in wildlife and its derivatives, India uses:

A. Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992

No import/export can happen except according to this Act.
Empowers GoI to prohibit or regulate import/export of any goods, including wildlife specimens.

B. Foreign Trade Policy (FTP)

Issued by the Ministry of Commerce.
Mentions which wildlife/wildlife products are banned or allowed for trade.
Policy is framed in consultation with CITES Management Authority of India.
Enforced through the Customs Act, 1962.

C. EXIM Policy

This deals with rules for import/export under DGFT.

Key provisions:

Wild animals/plants or their parts/products can be exported/imported only for research or zoo exchange, and only with a DGFT licence.
Commercial import of African ivory is banned as per CITES.
Import of other wildlife derivatives is restricted and needs DGFT permission.
Importing wild animals as pets is strictly controlled under CITES provisions.

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)

Created in 2007 under WPA to combat illegal wildlife trade.
It is the nodal enforcement agency for CITES in India.

Structure

Headquarters: Delhi
Regional offices: Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Jabalpur
Border units: Ramanathapuram, Gorakhpur, Motihari, Nathula, Moreh

Functions of WCCB

Gather and share intelligence on wildlife crime
Maintain a central wildlife crime database
Coordinate enforcement among states and agencies
Assist international bodies on wildlife crime
Build capacity of enforcement agencies
Assist states in prosecuting wildlife crimes
Advise GoI on wildlife crime matters
Support Customs during inspections of flora/fauna consignments (under WPA + CITES + EXIM)

Important WCCB Initiatives

A. Operation Clean Art

First pan-India operation to curb mongoose hair smuggling.
About 150 kg of mongoose hair = around 6000 mongooses killed.
All Indian mongoose species are in Schedule II of WPA and Appendix I of CITES → total commercial trade ban.

B. Campaign: “Not all animals migrate by choice”

Launched by WCCB and UN Environment to reduce illegal wildlife trade by reducing consumer demand.

Part of UNESCO’s global Wild for Life campaign.

Phase I featured:

Tiger (EN)
Pangolin (EN)
Star Tortoise (VU)
Tokay Gecko (LC)

Phase II covers more threatened species.

Project Hangul (Kashmiri Stag)

Let us continue our discussion with an iconic Himalayan species—Hangul, also called Kashmiri Stag.

It is a Critically Endangered (CR) subspecies of the Central Asian Red Deer.
Found mainly in Dachigam National Park, Kashmir, at around 3,035 m elevation.
Historically, their numbers were around 5,000 (early 1900s).
But due to habitat destruction, overgrazing by livestock, and poaching, the population crashed to about 150 by 1970.

To save this species, the erstwhile J&K government, IUCN, and WWF launched Project Hangul.
This improved the population briefly—340 by 1980—but numbers declined again.
As per the 2023 census, only 289 Hanguls remained.

The Hangul story is a reminder that conservation is not a one-time event—it requires continuous effort.

Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH)

This is an ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme designed to strengthen wildlife conservation across India.

It provides financial assistance for:

1. Support to Protected Areas

National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, and Conservation/Community Reserves.

2. Protection Outside Protected Areas

Because animals often move outside core zones, buffer support is essential.

3. Species Recovery Programmes

Focused on saving locally Critically Endangered species and their habitats.

22 Critically Endangered (Locally) Species under the Species Recovery Programme (SRP)

IDWH funds recovery efforts for 22 species.
Below is a structured list:

Mammals

Marine Mammals

Birds

Reptiles

Arabian Sea Humpback Whale (EN)
- Note: This is an endangered subpopulation of a globally LC species.
Marine Turtles
Northern River Terrapin (CR)

Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)

A very important body—but often confused with the National Board for Wildlife.
Both are different.

What is AWBI?

A statutory advisory body created under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
It works under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (MFAHD).
- This shift happened in 2019 (earlier it was under MoEFCC).

Who established it?

Rukmini Devi Arundale, eminent Bharatanatyam dancer and humanitarian, was instrumental.

What does AWBI do?

Advises government on animal welfare laws.
Monitors Animal Welfare Organizations (AWOs) and provides them financial aid.
Focuses on stopping:
- cruelty to animals in research,
- and in entertainment (circus, performances, etc.).

Important Judgement

In 2014, in AWBI vs A. Nagaraja, the Supreme Court declared Jallikattu unconstitutional, citing cruelty and unnecessary suffering to bulls.

National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) 2017–2031

India’s long-term conservation blueprint.

1st NWAP → 1983
2nd NWAP → 2002–2016
3rd NWAP → 2017–2031

The latest plan has:

5 broad components,
103 conservation actions.

Philosophy: Landscape Approach

Instead of protecting isolated sites, we conserve entire landscapes—rivers, forests, villages, farms, wildlife corridors, everything together.

This approach:

respects genetic diversity,
ensures sustainable use of species,
and encourages private sector participation through CSR funds.

Components of NWAP (2017–2031)

Integrated management of wildlife & habitats; conflict mitigation
Climate change adaptation & sustainable aquatic biodiversity management
Eco-tourism, nature education & participatory conservation
Strengthening research and human resource development
Better policies and funding mechanisms for conservation

Landscape Approach

It is a holistic conservation strategy.

Traditional conservation = focus on sites (National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries).
Landscape conservation = focus on entire ecosystems including:
→ forests,
→ agricultural land,
→ human settlements,
→ migratory routes,
→ rivers and wetlands.

The aim is to balance ecology and economy across the whole landscape.

National Action Plan for Conservation of Migratory Birds (2018–2023)

Prepared by MoEFCC for birds using the Central Asian Flyway (CAF).

Goals:

Long-term: Reverse population decline
Short-term: Halt decline in meta-populations by 2027
Protect important stopover sites & wintering areas

Central Asian Flyway (CAF)

Birds migrate along fixed routes called Flyways.

CAF is one of the nine flyways recognized under the Convention on Migratory Species.

Route:

From Russia (Siberia) → through Central Asia → to West Asia, South Asia, Maldives, BIOT.

India’s role:

Crucial stopover & wintering ground for 90% of bird species using this flyway.

That makes India central to global migratory bird conservation.

Green Good Deeds Initiative

A MoEFCC-led campaign under the scheme Environment Education, Awareness and Training.
Promotes small, positive environmental actions by students, teachers, and citizens.

National Green Corps (NGC)

Involves 1.5 lakh Eco Clubs in schools/colleges.
Activities include:
- Swachh Bharat cleanliness drives
- Plantation
- Waste segregation
- Awareness programmes

This is India’s mass-level environment awareness engine.

Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)

Established in 1883
One of India’s largest NGOs dedicated to biodiversity conservation
Publishes the Journal of the BNHS
Associated with legendary naturalists like Dr. Sálim Ali and S. Dillon Ripley

BNHS is deeply involved in research, bird studies, and shaping ecological knowledge in India.