The NBWL, the country's apex body on wildlife conservation was formed to frame and monitor policies and decide the fate of ‘development' proposals that infringe on Protected Areas. Under the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act of 2002, the Board usually includes the Prime Minister (Chair), the Union Minister for Environment & Forests (Vice Chair), as well as several key representatives from the Parliament, states, NGOs, Ministries of tourism, forests and wildlife, government organization such as the Zoological Survey of India and eminent environmentalists.
However, a notification, dated July 22, 2014, announcing the new members of the Board included only a small subset of the required members. Instead of the requisite five representatives from NGOs, only one organisation was nominated. As it turns out, even that organization - GEER (Gujarat Ecological Education and Research Foundation) should be disqualified as it is a governmental body set up by the State of Gujarat in 1982.
Similarly, only two individuals were nominated from amongst India's many eminent conservationists and ecologists, as against the 10 that are mandated by the WLPA to be included on the board.
Lastly, the notification mentions the inclusion of only five representatives from states and Union Territories as opposed to the 10 that ought to be nominated by the central government.
The dilution of the National Board for Wildlife is a worrying indicator of the new government's attitude towards the environment. The new board is in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and is being labeled ‘illegal' by distressed conservationists. A number of individuals and organisations have approached the central government to repeal this notification and have suggested that the failure to include an appropriate number of independent experts and NGOs on this statutory body is indicative of an effort to de-fang the board and pave the way to easy clearances for environmentally disastrous projects. A robust National Board for Wildlife that adheres to the directives of the Wildlife Protection Act is vital to ensure that our beleaguered wildlife and wildernesses have a fair chance.
An open letter addressed to the Prime Minister, the Minister of State of Environment and Forests and the Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife, has garnered much attention and has been endorsed by dozens of professionals from organisations such as International Rivers, River Research Centre and the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People. Concerned individuals are urged to write to the Prime Minister of the country demanding the retraction of the July 22nd notification and the reconstitution of the National Board for Wildlife that is in the letter and spirit of the WLPA.
Author: Cara Tejpal.
