New Delhi: The Center has proposed amendments to the Margasatwa Protection Act, 1972 to enforce the provisions of the international convention to prevent endangered species trading, but changes that intend to introduce the existing law by default are more dangerous than the good of experts marking how It will allow commercial trade elephant to live and even reduce the protection of certain species such as Tigiatic Jackal, Hyena and Bengal Fox striped.
Commenting on the wildlife protection bill (amendment), which was introduced by the government at Lok Sabha during the parliamentary winter session in December 2021, experts from legal initiatives for forests and the environment (life) – environmental research and policy groups – also pointed out that the proposed change even Will make the country board for dead wildlife.
“We have sent our detailed comments on the bill to Jairam Ramesh, Chair of the Standing Parliament Committee on the Environment and Forest, which is expected to see the points marked by us before making a final recommendation about the proposed law,” said Ritwick Dutta, the environment .
Lawyers who head life.
The bill, which is sent to a permanent parliamentary committee for further examination, seeks to change existing actions for the implementation of a better convention on international trade in wild fauna species and endangered.
It proposes to rationalize various legal schedules to fulfill India’s international obligations for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants.
“In the positive section, this is intended to ensure that the provisions relating to the Convention are part of the domestic law.
In addition, this bill aims to also make the law simple by streamlining the schedule.
However, there are problems that need to be considered,” said Dutta.
Life in its comments noted that existing actions specifically prohibit trade wild animals including prisoners and wild elephants, but exceptions have been carved in bills by excluding ‘elephant life’ from the general prohibition contained in section 43.
“The same implication is that commercial sales and Purchases are no longer prohibited, below the action.
Therefore, the amendment bill allows commercial trade to elephants, “he said.
It underlines that the bill also has the provisions “excessive delegation and unlimited power from the central government to declare the species as vermin” unlike existing laws.
As soon as wild animals are declared vermin, it does not enjoy legal protection and has the same status as domestic animals.
It can be killed, traded and tamed.
Species such as ferret, general foxes, wolves, martens, Andaman wild pigs include cannot be expressed as vermin under action in the view of legal protection.
“However, as the bill changed part 62 by stating that only the species listed on my schedule cannot be expressed as Vermin, while the species listed in Schedule II can be expressed as Vermin.
Schedule II in the bill including Striped Hyena, Indian Pig, Fox India , Bengal Fox, Jungle Cat and Asiatic Jackal among other species which if expressed as Varmin can pose a serious threat to their existence in the wild, “said life.
Noting how the state board for wildlife will be given death by the proposed amendment, he said, “the bill intends to replicate the national council model for wildlife (NBWL) and its permanent committee.
This is related to the NBWL., Led by the Prime Minister, has not been fulfilled Since 2014.
“All legal functions are carried out by a permanent committee, led by the Minister of Environment, without accountability to the Board.
At present, the state board based on the composition they can still speak for the benefit of wildlife.
It will no longer happen after the committee stood the State Council was formed.
“
The gap flag experts in the amendment proposed in the Wildlife Protection Act, said that it would allow elephant commercial trade to live
