About the Wildlife Conservation in India
Effects of wildlife commerce that is illegal:
- Due to demand generated by the illegal wildlife trade, certain species face extinction.
- The environment is out of balance when animal resources are misused owing to unlawful commerce.
- Trade gangs participate in the illegal trade in wildlife, which hurts the nation’s economy and contributes to social unrest.
- Wild plants that provide genetic variability for agriculture are put in jeopardy by the illicit trade (a natural source of many medicines).
Actions Taken by the Law Against Different Species:
- Stopping the illegal trading, transportation, and poaching of live turtles and tortoises is the major goal of Operation Save Kurma.
- To curb the illegal trade in live turtles, Operation Turtshield was launched.
- The objective of Operation Lesknow is to educate law enforcement about the illegal wildlife trade in less well-known wildlife species.
- Operation Clean Art’s goal is to inform law enforcement about the unlawful trade of monkey hair brushes made from wildlife.
- Operation Softgold’s goals include training the weavers and merchants involved in the illegal trade of Shahtoosh Shawls, which are made from wool from the Chiru region.
- Operation Birbil aims to halt the illegal trade in wild bird and cat species.
- Operation Wildnet was designed to educate law enforcement organisations about the rapidly expanding illegal wildlife trafficking that occurs online and on social media.
- Operation Freefly: To stop the smuggling of live birds.
- Operation Wetmark: To make sure that the selling of meat from wild animals is prohibited in all wet markets around the nation.
The domestic legal system in India for preserving wildlife:
Constitutional clauses addressing wildlife:
- The Section on Forests and the Protection of Wild Animals and Birds of the 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 was moved from the State to the Concurrent List.
- Every citizen has a fundamental responsibility to safeguard and enhance the natural environment, including forests and wildlife, in accordance with Article 51 A (g) of the Constitution.
- The State must seek to preserve the nation’s forests, wildlife, and environment, according to Article 48 A of the Directive Principles of State Policy.
Legal Acts:
- 1986 Environmental Protection Act
- 1972 Wildlife (Protection) Act
- 2002’s Biological Diversity Act
