Draft Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act 2010- Effort to make it more effective

[Samraj Sahay]

MoEF has released the Draft Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act 2010 with an effort to add more teeth to the existing act. It aims at strengthening the act by introducing the following:
- Increasing the penalties for offences, especially those involving unlawful trade in wildlife products.
- Establishment of a Management Authority to regulate the trade in exotic species of animals and plants that are alien to India having negative effect on our ecosystems as an obligation to CITES
- Complete ban on the trade in peacock tail feathers and articles made from them allowing reasonable exceptions for their use in religious ceremonies.
- Promote independent scientific research.
- Bans the sale,manufacture and use of these traps and regulates their possession as well.

Do these amendment  really going to help protect our precious wildlife?

Read the Draft bill:

[Satya Prakash Mehra]

Dear Friends,
As per my experience, WPA is already very strong and adding any more amendments do not make it effective unless it is implemented strongly and strictly......
Further, as I experienced in the PAs/ conservation priority sites of Rajasthan that many activities (unlawful) are being carried out under the nose of Forest Officials. Due to high profile, the culprits remain untouched and the poor local residents around PAs/ conservation site get caught........
What happened to superstars involved in hunting? Such incidents are common and very few come in front because local people are least bothered... reasons we all know...
In such conditions how the wildlife would be protected?
The poor residents are facing discrimination against them than how they would feel that it is their duty to check the nuisance in/around PAs or other conservation site....

So instead of introducing amendments, government should focus on the strict implementation without discrimination.....

[Satya Prakash Mehra]

Further, what's the use of WPA when we could not save our wildlife as in the case of Keoladeo National Park..... Despite of world heritage, we all know how serious our government is??????????????

Yet another report of denotification - "Concern over plans to downgrade Indian national park" on the link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/10221681.stm

[Monu Kumar Goyal]

It's nice to hear govt. is amending rules but how much they are useful??
Govt. should ensure that rules will be applied.
we also have responsibility to follow the rules.