Why in news?

PM Modi chaired his first-ever National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) meeting on March 3, World Wildlife Day, at Gir National Park.

The board reviewed key wildlife conservation programs and announced new initiatives for gharials and the Great Indian Bustard, along with expanding Project Cheetah and Project Lion.

This was the first full-body NBWL meeting since September, 2012, when it was chaired by then-PM Manmohan Singh.

What’s in today’s article?

• History of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL)
• National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) – Overview
• Criticism of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL)

History of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL)

• Origins: Indian Board for Wildlife (IBWL)
  • Established in March 1952 as the Central Board for Wildlife, renamed IBWL during its first meeting in November 1952 at Lalitha Mahal Palace, Mysore.
  • Formed to address the decline in wildlife populations.
  • First Chairman: Maharaja Sri Jayachamaraja Wadiyar of Mysore.
• Early Contributions of IBWL
  • Divided into four committees:
    • National Parks
    • Trophies and Trading
    • Union and State Legislation
    • Administrative Matters
• Key Decisions:
• 1961: Declared the peacock as the national bird.
• 1972: Played a role in passing the Wild Life Protection Act (WLPA), providing a legal framework for wildlife conservation.
• 1973: Paved the way for Project Tiger.
• 1982: Established Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan.
• 1983: Adoption of the National Wildlife Action Plan.
• Transition to NBWL
  • In 2003, IBWL was restructured as NBWL through an amendment to The Wild Life Protection Act, 1972, giving it more regulatory authority.

National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) – Overview

• It functions as the apex body for wildlife policy, conservation, and recommending new national parks and sanctuaries.
• Composition
  • Chairperson: Prime Minister of India.
  • Vice-Chairperson: Union Environment Minister.
  • Members (47 total):
    • Chief of the Army Staff.
    • Secretaries from key ministries (Defence, Tribal Affairs, Information & Broadcasting, Finance).
    • Three Lok Sabha MPs and one Rajya Sabha MP.
    • Director General of Forests.
    • Ten eminent conservationists, ecologists, and environmentalists.
    • Five representatives from the non-governmental sector.
• Functions and Responsibilities
• Frames wildlife conservation policies.
• Reviews and recommends setting up new protected areas.
• Evaluates projects affecting forests and wildlife.
• Standing Committee
  • Delegated key tasks such as assessing projects on forest land in and around protected areas.
  • Its recommendations are advisory, and the Environment Ministry can overrule them.

Criticism of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL)

• Over the past decade, the NBWL has cleared several development projects in and around wildlife habitats, leading to controversy and protests from ecologists. 
• Key controversial approvals
  • Ken-Betwa River Linking Project – Daudhan Dam to submerge nearly 100 sq km of Panna National Park & Tiger Reserve.
  • Vedanta Oil Exploration – Approved in the eco-sensitive zone of Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, home to the endangered Hoolock Gibbon.
  • Denotification of Galathea Bay Sanctuary (2021) – A vital nesting site for leatherback sea turtles in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Concerns Over Dilution of Powers
  • 2014 Reconstitution:
    • Allegations of weakening the board’s independence.
    • Only three non-governmental members appointed (compared to seven in the UPA era).
    • One appointee was from the Gujarat government-linked Gujarat Ecological Education and Research Foundation (GEER).
  • Standing Committee Composition Issues:
    • Held 50 meetings since 2014 without the required number of conservation experts and non-governmental members.