Protection and management of forest and wildlife are primarily the responsibility of the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations. There are legal frameworks for the protection and management of forest and wildlife resources of the country which include, the Indian Forest Act 1927, Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam 1980, Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and the State Forest Acts, Tree Preservation Acts and Rules, etc,. The State Governments /UT Administrations take appropriate actions to protect forest, wildlife and tree resources under the provisions made under these Acts/ Rules.

As per the existing provisions of Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, State Governments and Union Territory Administrations are required to ensure that the least number of trees are felled for developmental projects whilst prescribing necessary compensatory plantation as per the cases to address environmental concerns. Further, the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) gives Environmental Clearance as per provisions of the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

The instances of illegal logging, illegal deforestation, and wildlife offences as and when detected are cognized under the relevant Forest Acts / Wildlife Act and are proceeded against the offenders before the competent Court/competent Authorities.

Endangered and Rare species found in India, such as Tiger, Elephant, Snow Leopard, etc., have been listed in Schedule-I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 thereby providing them the highest degree of protection. In order to conserve and protect the endangered species and biodiversity, a network of Protected Areas (PAs) consisting of National Parks, Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves, and Community Reserves, covering important wildlife habitats have been created in the country under the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Currently, this network has 106 National Parks, 573 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 123 Conservation Reserves, and 220 Community Reserves, covering an area of 1,78,640.69 sq .km.

In the North Eastern Region, 59 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 17 National Parks, 1 Conservation Reserve, and 134 Community Reserves have been notified.

As per the report received from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Government of India, the wildlife protection initiatives are effective in preventing poaching and preserving endangered species in the country, especially in the North Eastern Region. In this regard, Inter-Agency Coordination (IAC) meetings have been conducted to coordinate law enforcement efforts to combat illegal wildlife crimes. Six IAC meetings were held in the North Eastern Region during 2019-2023, and 166 joint operations were conducted in the North Eastern Region during 2019-2023; which led to the arrest of 375 wildlife offenders. The WCCB had also coordinated a species-specific enforcement operation coded LESKNOW in collaboration with the State Law Enforcement Agencies to invite attention to poaching and illegal trade of lesser-known wild animals.

Besides, alerts and advisories are issued by the WCCB on poaching and illegal trade of wildlife to the concerned State and Central agencies for taking necessary preventive action.

The Ministry also supports the targeted efforts of the States/ UTs in the conservation and protection of forests and wildlife, through its ongoing Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs) such as Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats, Project Tiger and Elephant, Forest Fire Prevention and Management, Green India Mission, Nagar Van Yojana, as well as through the CAMPA funds. The Ministry sanctions the scheme-specific activities through the Annual Plan of Operations submitted by the States/ UTs for the respective financial years.

This information was given by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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VM/GS

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