Why in the News?

The number of species included in the new schedules of the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2022 has been increased, recently.

• Schedule 1 confers the highest protection and contains about 600 species of vertebrates and hundreds of invertebrates.
• Schedule 2 contains about 2,000 species (with 1,134 species of birds alone)

The Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2022:

1. The act amended the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 that deals with the protection of wild animals, birds and plants.
2. The act has increased the species protected under the law.
3. Also, it seeks to implement the provisions of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), that include:
   1. Ensuring that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species.
   2. Countries have to regulate the trade of all listed specimens through permits.
   3. Possession of live animal specimens have to be regulated.
   4. The act provides for the central government to designate a:
      1. Management Authority to grant export or import permits for trade of specimens
      2. Scientific Authority to gives advice on aspects related to impact on the survival of the specimens being traded. 
4. Rationalising schedules:
   1. The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 had 6 schedules for specially protected plants (one), specially protected animals (four), and vermin species (one). 
   2. The new act reduces the total number of schedules to four by:
      1. Reducing the no. of schedules for specially protected animals to two (one for greater protection level)
      2. Removes the schedule for vermin species
      3. Inserts a new schedule for specimens listed in the Appendices under CITES (scheduled specimens)
5. The act empowers the central government to regulate or prohibit the import, trade, possession or proliferation of invasive alien species.
6. The act empowers the central government to also notify a conservation reserve besides the state governments, for protecting flora and fauna, and their habitat.
7. The act provides for any person to voluntarily surrender any captive animals or animal products to the Chief Wild Life Warden, which shall then become property of the state government.  

Issues for conservation:

1. The inclusion of several species in the new schedules has been criticised for no consultation, process or logic. The issues are as follows:
2. There is no clear connection between endangerment and conservation given in the act.
   1. The WLP act, 1972 intended to only regulate the use of various species (including hunting), restrict trade, and police the trafficking of species, while research was only an exception under the hunting clause. 
   2. The new act aligns itself with CITES, including the CITES appendices as well.
3. No prioritising of species in the act:
   1. It is unclear where resources should be allocated on the basis of this list as hundreds of species of mammals and over 1,000 species of birds and innumerable other taxa are listed.
   2. The same level of protection is offered to many important and least concern species. For instance, same level of protection is offered to tigers and jackals, to the great Indian bustard and common barn owls, to the king cobra and rat snakes.
4. Various Schedule 1 species pose enormous physical, mental and economic harm to people such as Crocodiles in the Andamans, leopards and elephants destroying lives and livelihoods.
   1. The new act pushes the point of ‘co-existence’, without considering the plight of impact on people.
   2. Few States that allowed limited culling of problematic animals such as wild pigs and nilgai, will have to shun the policy due to their inclusion in Schedule I. this shows disregard for plight of farmers and marginal cultivators.
5. Restrictive view on hunting and the use of animals:
   1. While restrictions on use of declining species have been imposed, regulated use has not been considered for animals that are abundant.
6. Other issues:
   1. The act instead of promoting conservation, disincentivise plantation owners from planting native trees, and promote exotics such as Silver Oak, which goes against acts such as Tree Preservation Acts of Kerala and Karnataka which prohibits felling of native trees. 
   2. The listing of spotted deer (chital) in Schedule 1, which is common throughout India and invasive in the Andaman Islands causing harm to the vegetation and herpetofauna, cannot be legally culled or removed because of the WLPA.
7. Tedious and time-consuming process for research approval due to listing of such a large number of species.