MoEF&CC’s U-turn to Merge Four Environmental Bodies

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• About National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
• About Forest Survey of India (FSI)
• Wildlife Crime Control Bureau(WCCB)
• About Central Zoo Authority (CZA)
• News Summary
• What was the MoEF&CC’s Rationale Behind the Proposal?

Why in News?

• In June, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) issued a notification to reverse its decision of merging the following four bodies –
  • National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA),
  • Forest Survey of India (FSI), 
  • Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), and
  • Central Zoo Authority (CZA)

About National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

• National Tiger Conservation Authority is a statutory body, constituted under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
• It was established in 2005 following the recommendation of the Tiger Task Force.
• Objectives:
  • To provide statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its directives become legal.
  • To Foster accountability of Centre-State in management of Tiger Reserves.
  • To address livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves.
• Functions:
  • To approve the tiger conservation plan prepared by the state government.
  • To ensure that the tiger reserves and areas linking one protected area/tiger reserve with another are not diverted for ecologically unsustainable uses.
  • To facilitate and support the tiger reserve management in the state for biodiversity conservation.
  • NTCA conducts Tiger Census across India, every four years.
• Chairman: Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

About Forest Survey of India (FSI)

• Forest Survey of India was founded in 1981 based on the recommendation of the National Commission on Agriculture (NCA).
• FSI assesses forest cover of the country every 2 years by digital interpretation of remote sensing satellite data and publishes the results in a biennial report called ‘State of Forest Report‘ (SFR).
• FSI provides training to the foresters cadres of various states of India.
• Headquarters: Dehradun, Uttarakhand

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau(WCCB)

• Wildlife Crime Control Bureau is a statutory body established in 2007 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Functions:
  • To collect and collate intelligence related to organized wildlife crime activities and to disseminate the same to State and other enforcement agencies for immediate action so as to apprehend the criminals;
  • To establish a centralized wildlife crime data bank;
  • Co-ordinate actions by various agencies in connection with the enforcement of the provisions of the Act;
  • Assist foreign authorities and international organization concerned to facilitate co-ordination and universal action for wildlife crime control;
  • Capacity building of the wildlife crime enforcement agencies for scientific and professional investigation into wildlife crimes and
  • Assist State Governments to ensure success in prosecutions related to wildlife crimes.
• It also assists and advises the Customs authorities in inspection of the consignments of flora & fauna as per the provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, CITES and EXIM Policy governing such an item.
• Headquarters: New Delhi

About Central Zoo Authority (CZA)

• Central Zoo Authority is a statutory body established in 1992 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Objective:
  • To complement and strengthen the national effort in conservation of the rich biodiversity of the country, particularly the fauna as per the National Zoo Policy, 1998.
• Every zoo in the country is required to obtain recognition from the Authority for its operation.
• The Authority’s role is more of a facilitator than a regulator. It, therefore, provides technical and financial assistance to such zoos which have the potential to attain the desired standard in animal management.
• It lays down guidelines and prescribes rules under which animals may be transferred among zoos nationally and internationally.
• It coordinates and implements programmes on capacity building of zoo personnel, planned breeding programmes and ex-situ research.
• Headquarters: New Delhi

News Summary

• During the Covid-19 pandemic period, the Union government had proposed that the four bodies i.e. NTCA, CZA, WCCB and FSI be merged into a single organization.
• This proposal received severe criticism from activists saying that it would render key environmental organisations “toothless”.
  • For example, in the existing structure, the NTCA can oppose a forest clearance for an infrastructure project for diverting Tiger Reserve areas.
  • The proposed merger would have rendered this difficult as the NTCA would have come under the Deputy Director General of Forests, who is in charge of the Integrated Regional Office and reports to the MoEF&CC.

What was the MoEF&CC’s Rationale Behind the Proposal?

• The MoEF&CC argued that the proposal does not amount to a merger and that the intention was to get the various authorities to function at 19 regional offices, under one roof.
• However, recently in June 2023, the MoEF&CC dropped the merger plan, likely owing to technical and administrative difficulties in merging the institutions in question.

Q1) What is Project Tiger?

Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched on April 1,1973 by the Government of India. It ensures that tigers are protected from extinction through means of habitat destruction or poaching by hunters.

Q2)  Who serves as the chairperson of the National Board for Wildlife?

The Prime Minister of the country is the ex officio chairperson of the NBWL and the Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change is the Vice-Chairperson of the Board.

Source: Explaining MoEFCC’s U-turn to merge autonomous bodies | CZA | WCCB