Wildlife Act to be amended to check poaching

Hefty fine for trading in animal parts

The Centre is all set to make the Wildlife Act more stringent by increasing the penal provisions besides strengthening the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau to rein in on poachers and control illegal trading in wildlife materials.

The government has proposed a number of amendments to the existing Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 to increase penal provisions. In addition, many provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species will also be incoporated to give more teeth to the law, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said at a meeting of National Board of Wildlife here on Wednesday.

The proposed penal provisions include increasing the imprisonment term up to a maximum of 7 years and raising the fine up to Rs 50 lakh. Currently the imprisonment term is 3 years and fine Rs 50,000 only.

The government is also drafting amendments to make gram sabhas and gram panchayats proactive in management of protected areas.

“ We hope to approve these amendments soon and introduce a bill in Parliament,” Singh said. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau is being strengthened with more regional offices, field units and forensic labs. A national database on wildlife crime and criminals is also under preparation.

Even though creation of a second home for Asiatic lions and conservation of tiger was on the agenda, Singh refrained from making any comments on both issues, the former is a sensitive topic in in the BJP-ruled Gujarat and the other one is being discussed at the Supreme Court.

Instead, he stressed on the importance of conserving endangered species other than large mammals like the tiger. A centrally-sponsored scheme titled Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats will focus on conserving other species inlcuding birds and marine life.

Singh said the Centre would ensure adequate allocations to protect the wildlife, which in turn would help in protecting critically endangered species like Jerdon's Courser, the Great Indian Bustard, the Snow Leopard, the Kashmir Stag and the Manipur deer.

He added that the environment ministry will have to put a monitoring mechanism in place to ensure funds are used. The ministry has also been advised to strengthen its regional offices by inducting wildlife experts not only to monitor the implementation of wildlife schemes, but also to ensure strict adherence to conditions of wildlife clearances.