Wildlife Protection Act 1972
Forest & Wildlife · वन्यजीव संरक्षण अधिनियम 1972 · 18 facts
Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) 1972: Main legislation for protecting wild animals and plants in India; has 66 sections and 6 schedules.
WPA Schedule I: Highest protection; includes tiger, lion, elephant, rhinoceros, leopard, crocodile, snow leopard; hunting prohibited; maximum penalty.
WPA Schedule II: Animals with less commercial value but still protected; includes mammals, birds, and reptiles; limited hunting permissions.
WPA Schedule III and IV: Protected species but with lesser restrictions; penalty lighter than Schedule I and II.
WPA Schedule V: Vermin (pests) — animals that can be hunted or destroyed under certain conditions; includes common crow, fruit bats, rats, mice.
WPA Schedule VI: Specified Plants — protects certain endangered plants from collection, trade, possession; includes Blue Vanda, Red Vanda orchids.
NTCA under WPA: National Tiger Conservation Authority established in 2005 by amending WPA 1972 (Section 38L); statutory body.
Penalties under WPA: Hunting Schedule I animal — 3 to 7 years imprisonment + minimum Rs 10,000 fine; second offence: 7 years + Rs 25,000.
WPA Amendment 2022: Aligned India with CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species); added new schedules for CITES-listed species.
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species): International treaty controlling wildlife trade; 3 appendices; India is a signatory.
National Animal: Tiger; National Bird: Peacock (Indian Peafowl); National Aquatic Animal: Gangetic Dolphin; National Butterfly: Orange Oakleaf; all protected under WPA.
Declared sanctuaries and NPs: State governments declare Wildlife Sanctuaries; Central Government declares National Parks; both under WPA.
Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ): Buffer zones around NPs and WLS; restrict mining, quarrying, industrial activities; notified by MoEFCC.
Wildlife Crime: Poaching, illegal trade in wildlife products (skins, bones, ivory, feathers, horns); WCCB (Wildlife Crime Control Bureau) established 2007 under MoEFCC.
Biosphere Reserves vs Wildlife Sanctuaries vs National Parks: Biosphere Reserves are for ecosystem conservation (IUCN Category VI); WLS (Category IV); NP (Category II).
Project Elephant (1992): Conservation programme for wild elephants; 32 elephant reserves covering 58,000 sq km; main threat is human-elephant conflict.
WPA bans: Hunting, trapping, poisoning; damage to habitat; trading in trophies (skins/horns); violating any condition of hunting license.
Forest Rights Act 2006 vs WPA 1972: FRA gives tribal communities forest rights; WPA protects wildlife; Supreme Court mediated conflicts between tribal rights and wildlife protection.