Indian Parliamentary Research Service Legislative Summaries

Bill Summary

The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2005

· The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2005 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on December 23, 2005 to amend the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972.  The Bill was referred to the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology (Chairperson: Shri P.G. Narayanan) which submitted its report on March 20, 2006.

· The Bill proposes to amend the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, by (a) constituting a National Tiger Conservation Authority responsible for implementing Project Tiger plan for protecting endangered tigers; and (b) facilitating the implementation of the Tiger Conservation Plans prepared by the State Government keeping in mind the livelihood needs of local people.

· National Tiger Conservation Authority would consist of 24 members, including the Union and State Ministers of Environment and Forest, eight wildlife and tribal development experts, and other officials from the Ministry of Environment and Forest.  The Authority would be funded by the Central Government through the Tiger Conservation Authority Fund.  The main functions of the Authority are as follows:

- ensure that tiger bearing forests are not diverted for ecologically unsustainable uses without the approval of the National Board for Wild Life;

- lay down standards for tourism activities and guidelines for Project Tiger in order to conserve tigers in the buffer and core areas of tiger reserves;

- lay down standards for tourism activities and guidelines for Project Tiger in order to conserve tigers in the buffer and core areas of tiger reserves;

- provide information on protection measures including future conservation plan, tiger estimation, disease surveillance, mortality survey, patrolling, reports on untoward happenings etc.;

- approve and coordinate research on tiger, its habitat, and  related ecological and socio-economic parameters.

§ A tiger reserve cannot be denotified, except in public interest and with the approval of the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the National Board for Wild Life.  Any change in boundary of a tiger reserve requires the recommendation of the Authority and the approval of the Board.

· The State Government is empowered to constitute a Steering Committee to ensure the protection and conservation of tigers, co-predators and prey animals within the tiger range states. 

· The State Government would also prepare a Tiger Protection and Conservation Plan to protect tiger reserves and provide site specific habitat inputs for a viable population of tigers and other predators and ensure ecologically compatible land uses in tiger bearing forests for addressing the livelihood concerns of local people by providing for dispersal habitats and corridor for spill over population of wild animals from the designated core areas of tiger reserves.

· The State Government shall establish a Tiger Conservation Foundation in order to facilitate the management of tiger reserves for conserving tigers and biodiversity.  It would also promote eco-tourism by involving local stakeholder communities.

Kaushiki Sanyal

kaushiki@prsindia.org

April 4, 2006

Parliamentary Research Service n Centre for Policy Research n Dharma Marg n Chanakyapuri n New Delhi – 110021

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