Over 50 individuals and organisations across the country have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the recent reconstitution of National Board for Wildlife (NBWl).
Pointing out that the country was without NBWl and standing committee for several months, they said the country expected that the Government would constitute a proper NBWl honouring the letter and spirit of the Wildlife Protection Act and the need to protect wildlife and biodiversity in protected areas.
“But we stand disappointed…. about the constitution of the NBWl and its Standing Committee. It is not even available on MoEF website. The notification seems to be in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act in letter and spirit and is not in the interest of the wildlife, biodiversity or protected areas in the country. A comparative reading of Sept 2003, May 2007 and Sept 2010 notifications of the MoEF about constituting NBWl further strengthen this view,” said the letter.
The sources pointed out that instead of five non-government members as stipulated in the Wildlife Protection Act 2002, the notification mentions just one name — Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation which has Gujarat CM as its chairperson and most Gujarat government officials as its members. “Thus GEER stands disqualified from being nominated as an NGO,” the letter said.
Further, instead of having ten prominent conservationists or ecologists as its members as in the wildlife protection act, the notification mentions only two names— ecologist Raman Sukumar and HS Singh of GEER.
The wildlife act also stipulates the appointment of one representative each from ten States and Union territories by rotation, to be nominated by the Central Government but the official notification only names five states.
The letter points out that the notification thus mentions a small subset of the NBWl members as listed in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002. “The limited list is in violation of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and its subsequent amendment in 2002 by way of the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002. The Director General of Forests is on record having said that this is the entire NBWl. We would respectfully like to submit that a notification issued by the Government cannot override or violate an Act passed by the Parliament, with the ascent of the President of the Union of India,” it added.
Among the signatories are Kalpavriksh Environment Action Group, Citizens Concern for Dams and Development, Committee on the Protection of Natural Resources in Manipur, Centre for Research and Advocacy and South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People.