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The Wild Life (Protection) Act and the categories of protected area

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿವರಣೆ

Protected areas and wildlife conservation · Part 1 / 3 · Fact-checked on 8 November 2026 · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

The constitutional base of wildlife protection; the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, its authorities, hunting ban and schedules after 2022; sanctuaries, national parks, conservation and community reserves compared; eco-sensitive zones; enforcement and CITES.

Each idea is explained first in Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Kannada and revise it in English.

ಸಂರಕ್ಷಿತ ಪ್ರದೇಶ ಎಂದರೆ ಕಾನೂನಿನ ಮೂಲಕ ವನ್ಯಜೀವಿಗಳಿಗೇ ಮೀಸಲಿಟ್ಟ ಭೂಮಿ ಅಥವಾ ನೀರಿನ ಪ್ರದೇಶ, ಊರಿನ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನದ ಜಮೀನನ್ನು ಯಾರೂ ಒತ್ತುವರಿ ಮಾಡದಂತೆ ಬರೆದಿಡುವಂತೆ. ಈ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾನೂನು ಏನು ಹೇಳುತ್ತದೆ, ಪ್ರಭೇದಗಳನ್ನು ಹೇಗೆ ವರ್ಗೀಕರಿಸುತ್ತದೆ, ನಾಲ್ಕು ಬಗೆಯ ಸಂರಕ್ಷಿತ ಪ್ರದೇಶಗಳು ಯಾವುವು ಎಂದು ನೋಡೋಣ. (→ English: protected area · हिन्दी: संरक्षित क्षेत्र)

In exam EnglishThe biodiversity chapter ended with in situ conservation, protecting species where they live. In India the main legal tool for that is the protected area, a piece of land or water set aside by law so that wildlife comes first there. This chapter has three parts. This first part covers the legal frame: where the Constitution places wildlife, what the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 does, how it ranks species in its schedules, and the four kinds of protected area it creates, from the strict national park to the people-run community reserve, along with the eco-sensitive zones drawn around them. Part 2 turns to tigers, elephants and other species programmes, and Part 3 to biosphere reserves, Ramsar sites and World Heritage sites.

ಮೊದಲು ಕಾಡು ಮತ್ತು ವನ್ಯಜೀವಿಗಳು ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳ ಹೊಣೆ. 1976ರಲ್ಲಿ 42ನೇ ತಿದ್ದುಪಡಿ ಅವನ್ನು ಸಮವರ್ತಿ ಪಟ್ಟಿ ಗೆ ಸ್ಥಳಾಂತರಿಸಿತು, ಅಂದರೆ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಮತ್ತು ರಾಜ್ಯ ಇಬ್ಬರೂ ಕಾನೂನು ಮಾಡಬಹುದು, ಮನೆಯ ಹೊಣೆಯನ್ನು ಅಣ್ಣ ತಮ್ಮ ಇಬ್ಬರೂ ಹಂಚಿಕೊಂಡಂತೆ. ರಾಜ್ಯ ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕ ತತ್ವಗಳು ಲ್ಲಿ 48A ಸರ್ಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ, ಮೂಲಭೂತ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯಗಳು ಲ್ಲಿ 51A(g) ಪ್ರತಿ ನಾಗರಿಕನಿಗೆ ಪ್ರಕೃತಿ ಕಾಪಾಡಲು ಹೇಳುತ್ತವೆ. (→ English: Concurrent List; Directive Principles of State Policy; Fundamental Duties · हिन्दी: समवर्ती सूची; राज्य की नीति के निदेशक तत्व; मूल कर्तव्य)

In exam EnglishWhen the Constitution began, forests and the protection of wild animals and birds were State subjects. The 42nd Amendment of 1976 moved both to the Concurrent List, as entries 17A and 17B, so that Parliament and the states could both legislate on them. The same amendment added two lines that courts still quote. Article 48A, among the Directive Principles of State Policy, says the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country. Article 51A(g), one of the Fundamental Duties, asks every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures. Concern for wildlife had appeared earlier: the Indian Board for Wild Life, an advisory body, was set up in 1952, the year the cheetah was declared extinct in India.

ಕಾಯ್ದೆ 1972ರಲ್ಲಿ ಬಂತು. ಆಗ ವನ್ಯಜೀವಿ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ವಿಷಯವಾಗಿದ್ದರಿಂದ, ಕೆಲವು ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳು 'ನೀವೇ ಕಾನೂನು ಮಾಡಿ' ಎಂದು ಕೇಳಿದ ಮೇಲೆ ಸಂಸತ್ತು 252ನೇ ವಿಧಿಯಡಿ ಮಾಡಿತು. ಮೇಲೆ ಪ್ರಧಾನಿ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷತೆಯ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ವನ್ಯಜೀವಿ ಮಂಡಳಿ, ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿಯ ಮಂಡಳಿ, ದಿನದ ಕೆಲಸವನ್ನು ಮುಖ್ಯ ವನ್ಯಜೀವಿ ಪಾಲಕ ನೋಡುತ್ತಾರೆ, ಮನೆಯ ಯಜಮಾನ, ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥಾಪಕ, ಕಾವಲುಗಾರನಂತೆ. (→ English: Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972; National Board for Wildlife; Chief Wildlife Warden · हिन्दी: वन्यजीव (संरक्षण) अधिनियम, 1972; राष्ट्रीय वन्यजीव बोर्ड; मुख्य वन्यजीव संरक्षक)

In exam EnglishThe Wild Life (Protection) Act was passed in 1972. Because wildlife was still a State subject then, Parliament enacted it under Article 252, after the legislatures of several states had passed resolutions asking it to; other states adopted it later. The Act has been amended several times, most importantly in 2002, which added new kinds of protected area and the National Board for Wildlife, in 2006, which set up the tiger authority and the crime bureau, and in 2022, which rewrote the schedules. At the top of its machinery is the National Board for Wildlife, chaired by the Prime Minister, which advises on policy and must be consulted on changes to protected areas. Each state has a State Board for Wildlife chaired by the Chief Minister, and a Chief Wildlife Warden who runs protected areas and issues permits.

ಕಾಯ್ದೆಯ ಮುಖ್ಯ ನಿಯಮ: ಪಟ್ಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿರುವ ವನ್ಯಪ್ರಾಣಿಯನ್ನು ಬೇಟೆಯಾಡಬಾರದು. ಬೇಟೆ ಎಂದರೆ ಕೊಲ್ಲುವುದು ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲ, ಹಿಡಿಯುವುದು, ಉರುಳು ಹಾಕುವುದು, ಗೂಡು ಕೆಡಿಸುವುದೂ ಸೇರಿ. ಮನುಷ್ಯರ ಜೀವಕ್ಕೆ ಅಪಾಯವಾದ ಪ್ರಾಣಿ ಅಥವಾ ಸಂಶೋಧನೆಯಂತಹ ಕೆಲವು ಸಂದರ್ಭಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾತ್ರ ಅನುಮತಿ. 2022ರಿಂದ ಆರು ಅನುಸೂಚಿಗಳ ಬದಲು ನಾಲ್ಕು, ಶಾಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ತರಗತಿಗಳನ್ನು ಕಡಿಮೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಸೇರಿಸಿದಂತೆ. (→ English: hunting; schedules; vermin · हिन्दी: शिकार; अनुसूचियाँ; पीड़क-जंतु)

In exam EnglishThe core rule of the Act is simple: no person may hunt a wild animal listed in its protective schedules. 'Hunting' is defined widely, covering killing, poisoning, capturing, trapping and even injuring or disturbing eggs and nests. The exceptions are narrow. Under Section 11 the Chief Wildlife Warden may allow an animal to be killed or captured if it has become dangerous to human life or is so disabled or diseased that it cannot recover; under Section 12 permits may be granted for education, scientific research, scientific management or for zoos. How strictly a species is guarded depends on its schedule. The 2022 amendment cut the schedules from six to four and added a full chapter to carry out CITES, the convention on international trade in endangered species. It also dropped the separate vermin schedule; instead the central government may, by notification, declare a wild animal other than those in Schedule I to be vermin for a given area and period.

Schedules of the Wild Life (Protection) Act after the 2022 amendment
Schedule	What it lists
I	Animal species given the highest protection
II	Animal species given lesser protection
III	Protected plant species
IV	Specimens listed in the CITES appendices

ವನ್ಯಜೀವಿ ಅಭಯಾರಣ್ಯ ವನ್ನು ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಘೋಷಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಮೊದಲು 'ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಅಭಯಾರಣ್ಯ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇವೆ' ಎಂದು ತಿಳಿಸಿ, ಜಿಲ್ಲಾಧಿಕಾರಿ ಅಲ್ಲಿನ ಜನರ ಹಕ್ಕುಗಳನ್ನು, ಭೂಮಿ, ಸೌದೆ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ, ಪರಿಶೀಲಿಸಿ ಇತ್ಯರ್ಥಪಡಿಸಿದ ನಂತರವೇ ಅಂತಿಮ ಘೋಷಣೆ. ಒಳಗೆ ಅನುಮತಿ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ಏನನ್ನೂ ಕಡಿಯಬಾರದು. ದನಗಳ ಮೇವನ್ನು ಪಾಲಕರು ನಿಯಂತ್ರಿಸಬಹುದು ಅಥವಾ ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸಬಹುದು, ಅಂದರೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಹೊಂದಾಣಿಕೆಗೆ ಜಾಗವಿದೆ. (→ English: wildlife sanctuary; Collector; settlement of rights · हिन्दी: वन्यजीव अभयारण्य; कलेक्टर; अधिकारों का निपटारा)

In exam EnglishThe first kind of protected area under the Act is the wildlife sanctuary. A state government may declare any area of adequate ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological, natural or zoological significance a sanctuary in order to protect wildlife or its environment. Declaration happens in two steps. The state first notifies its intention, and the Collector then inquires into and settles the rights of people living in or using the area, such as rights over land or forest produce; only then is the final notification issued. Inside a sanctuary nobody may destroy or remove wildlife or forest produce, or damage the habitat, without a permit from the Chief Wildlife Warden. Some human activity can still continue under control. The Chief Wildlife Warden may regulate, control or prohibit the grazing of livestock, and rights that the Collector allowed to continue remain in force.

ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಉದ್ಯಾನ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಕಟ್ಟುನಿಟ್ಟಿನದು, ಮನೆಯ ದೇವರ ಕೋಣೆಯಂತೆ: ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಚಪ್ಪಲಿಯನ್ನೂ ಹಾಕುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಜನರ ಹಕ್ಕುಗಳು ಬಹುತೇಕ ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ಕೊನೆಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತವೆ, ದನ ಮೇಯಿಸುವುದು ಇಲ್ಲವೇ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಹಲವು ಉದ್ಯಾನಗಳು ಮೊದಲು ಅಭಯಾರಣ್ಯಗಳೇ, ನಂತರ ಮೇಲಿನ ಮೆಟ್ಟಿಲಿಗೆ ಏರಿದವು. ಮೊದಲನೆಯದು 1936ರ ಹೇಲಿ, ಇಂದಿನ ಉತ್ತರಾಖಂಡದ ಕಾರ್ಬೆಟ್. (→ English: national park; Hailey National Park; Corbett National Park · हिन्दी: राष्ट्रीय उद्यान; हेली राष्ट्रीय उद्यान; कॉर्बेट राष्ट्रीय उद्यान)

In exam EnglishThe national park is the strictest category. A state government may declare an area, whether inside a sanctuary or not, a national park when it is ecologically important enough to protect, propagate or develop wildlife or its environment. The rights of people in the land must be settled before the final notification, and in practice almost all private rights end, often through acquisition or resettlement. Inside a national park the grazing of livestock is not permitted at all, and nothing may be destroyed or removed except under a permit given for the improvement and better management of wildlife. Because a national park can be carved out of an existing sanctuary, many began as sanctuaries and were later upgraded. India's first national park was set up in 1936 in the United Provinces as Hailey National Park; it was later renamed after the hunter-turned-conservationist Jim Corbett and is now Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand.

ಅಭಯಾರಣ್ಯ, ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಉದ್ಯಾನ ಎರಡನ್ನೂ ರಾಜ್ಯವೇ ಘೋಷಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಭಯಾರಣ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಮೇವು, ಕೆಲವು ಹಕ್ಕುಗಳು ಇರಬಹುದು; ಉದ್ಯಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಗಡಿ ಬದಲಿಸಲು ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ವನ್ಯಜೀವಿ ಮಂಡಳಿಯ ಶಿಫಾರಸು ಕಡ್ಡಾಯ, ಮನೆಯ ಗೋಡೆ ಸರಿಸಲು ಹಿರಿಯರ ಒಪ್ಪಿಗೆ ಬೇಕಾದಂತೆ. (→ English: alteration of boundaries; National Board for Wildlife · हिन्दी: सीमाओं में परिवर्तन; राष्ट्रीय वन्यजीव बोर्ड)

In exam EnglishPlacing the two side by side brings out the differences the exam tests. Both are declared by the state government by notification, though the central government can also declare either over land the state hands to it. A sanctuary may allow some regulated grazing and some continuing rights; a national park allows no grazing and keeps hardly any private rights. On one point the two are equal: since the 2002 amendment, the state government cannot alter the boundaries of either, or denotify any part, except on the recommendation of the National Board for Wildlife. That check exists because boundary changes were often used to open protected land to mining, dams or roads. In practice the Board's standing committee, chaired by the environment minister, examines such proposals, and projects inside protected areas need its clearance.

ಎರಡು ಕಾಡುಗಳ ನಡುವಿನ ಖಾಲಿ ಜಾಗಗಳು, ಊರಿನ ಜಮೀನುಗಳೂ ಪ್ರಾಣಿಗಳಿಗೆ ದಾರಿಯೇ. ಅದಕ್ಕೇ 2002ರಲ್ಲಿ ಎರಡು ಹೊಸವು: ಸಂರಕ್ಷಣಾ ಮೀಸಲು ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಭೂಮಿಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಊರವರನ್ನು ಕೇಳಿದ ಮೇಲೆ; ಸಮುದಾಯ ಮೀಸಲು ಊರಿನ ಅಥವಾ ಸ್ವಂತ ಭೂಮಿಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಜನರು ತಾವಾಗಿ ಮುಂದೆ ಬಂದರೆ. ಜನರ ಹಕ್ಕುಗಳು ಹೋಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ, ಸಮಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರೇ ಇರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಎರಡು ದೊಡ್ಡ ಊರುಗಳ ನಡುವೆ ಸೇತುವೆ ಕಟ್ಟಿದಂತೆ ಇವು ಕಾಡುಗಳನ್ನು ಜೋಡಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. (→ English: conservation reserve; community reserve · हिन्दी: संरक्षण आरक्षित क्षेत्र; सामुदायिक आरक्षित क्षेत्र)

In exam EnglishNational parks and sanctuaries leave large gaps: forests between them, and village or private land where wildlife also lives. The 2002 amendment filled these gaps with two new categories. A conservation reserve is declared by the state government, after consulting local communities, on land owned by the government, especially land next to national parks and sanctuaries or land that links one protected area with another; its purpose is to protect landscapes, seascapes, plants and animals and their habitat. A community reserve is declared on community or private land where a community or an individual has volunteered to conserve wildlife and its habitat. Each is run by a management committee drawn from local people and officials, and the rights of the people living there are not taken away. They make residents partners and help protect the corridors animals use between larger protected areas.

The four protected-area categories of the Wild Life (Protection) Act
Category	Land	People's rights	Managed by
National park	Usually government	Settled; almost none remain; no grazing	Chief Wildlife Warden
Wildlife sanctuary	Usually government	Some may continue; grazing may be regulated	Chief Wildlife Warden
Conservation reserve (2002)	Government, often linking PAs	Not taken away	Conservation reserve management committee
Community reserve (2002)	Community or private	Not taken away	Community reserve management committee

ಮನೆಯ ಸುತ್ತ ಕಾಂಪೌಂಡ್ ಇದ್ದರೂ ಪಕ್ಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಸ ಸುಟ್ಟರೆ ಹೊಗೆ ಒಳಗೆ ಬರುತ್ತದಲ್ಲವೇ. ಅದಕ್ಕೇ ಸಂರಕ್ಷಿತ ಪ್ರದೇಶದ ಸುತ್ತ ಪರಿಸರ ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮ ವಲಯ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ, ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ 10 ಕಿ.ಮೀ. ವರೆಗೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಗಣಿಗಾರಿಕೆ, ಮಾಲಿನ್ಯಕಾರಿ ಕೈಗಾರಿಕೆ ನಿಷೇಧ; ಮರ ಕಡಿತ, ಹೋಟೆಲ್ ನಿಯಂತ್ರಣದಲ್ಲಿ; ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಕೃಷಿ ಅನುಮತಿ. ಇದು ವನ್ಯಜೀವಿ ಕಾಯ್ದೆಯಡಿ ಅಲ್ಲ, 1986ರ ಪರಿಸರ ಕಾಯ್ದೆಯಡಿ. (→ English: eco-sensitive zone; Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 · हिन्दी: पारिस्थितिक संवेदनशील क्षेत्र; पर्यावरण (संरक्षण) अधिनियम, 1986)

In exam EnglishA protected area does not end cleanly at its boundary; a quarry or factory just outside can damage it as surely as one inside. For this reason the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notifies an eco-sensitive zone around a protected area, using its powers under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, not the Wild Life Act. The ministry's guidelines of 2011 say such a zone may extend up to 10 km from the boundary, and can be wider where corridors or sensitive land lie beyond. Activities inside it are sorted into three lists: prohibited ones, such as commercial mining and polluting industries; regulated ones, such as felling of trees or building hotels; and permitted ones, such as ordinary farming and rainwater harvesting. In June 2022 the Supreme Court, in the T. N. Godavarman Thirumulpad case, directed that every protected area have an eco-sensitive zone of at least 1 km, and in April 2023 it relaxed that order for zones already notified or proposed.

ವನ್ಯಜೀವಿ ಅಪರಾಧಗಳು ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗ್ಯಾಂಗ್‌ಗಳ ಕೆಲಸ: ಹುಲಿ ಚರ್ಮ, ಘೇಂಡಾಮೃಗದ ಕೊಂಬು, ದಂತ, ಚಿಪ್ಪುಹಂದಿಯ ಚಿಪ್ಪುಗಳನ್ನು ಗಡಿ ದಾಟಿ ಮಾರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅದಕ್ಕೇ ಅವುಗಳ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ನಿಷೇಧ. ದೆಹಲಿಯ ವನ್ಯಜೀವಿ ಅಪರಾಧ ನಿಯಂತ್ರಣ ಬ್ಯೂರೋ (2007) ಪೊಲೀಸ್, ಅರಣ್ಯ, ಸುಂಕ ಇಲಾಖೆಗಳನ್ನು ಒಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡಿಸುತ್ತದೆ, ಊರಿನ ಕಳ್ಳತನಕ್ಕೆ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಬೀದಿಯ ಕಾವಲುಗಾರರು ಒಟ್ಟಾಗುವಂತೆ. (→ English: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau; CITES · हिन्दी: वन्यजीव अपराध नियंत्रण ब्यूरो; CITES)

In exam EnglishLaws need enforcement, and wildlife crime is often organised and cross-border, driven by demand for tiger parts, rhino horn, ivory, pangolin scales and live birds. The Act therefore bans trade in animals listed for the highest protection and in articles and trophies made from them, and requires people holding such items to declare them. The 2006 amendment created the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, set up in 2007 with its headquarters in New Delhi, to collect intelligence on organised wildlife crime, coordinate the police, forest, customs and other agencies, and help the states in investigations. On the international side, the 2022 amendment made the Act the vehicle for India's duties under CITES: Schedule IV lists the species in the CITES appendices, and the central government names a Management Authority to issue trade permits and a Scientific Authority to advise it. The 2022 amendment also raised the fines for offences.

ಒಟ್ಟು ಒಂದು ಏಣಿ: ಕೆಳಗೆ ಸಂವಿಧಾನ, ಅದರ ಮೇಲೆ 1972ರ ಕಾಯ್ದೆ, ಆ ಕಾಯ್ದೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಾಲ್ಕು ಮೆಟ್ಟಿಲು, ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಕಟ್ಟುನಿಟ್ಟಿನ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಉದ್ಯಾನದಿಂದ ಜನರೇ ನಡೆಸುವ ಸಮುದಾಯ ಮೀಸಲು ವರೆಗೆ. ಸುತ್ತ ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮ ವಲಯ, ಗಡಿಗೆ ಮಂಡಳಿಯ ಕಾವಲು. ಇವೆಲ್ಲ ಸೇರಿ ಒಂದು ಸಂರಕ್ಷಿತ ಪ್ರದೇಶ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆ. (→ English: protected area network · हिन्दी: संरक्षित क्षेत्र नेटवर्क)

In exam EnglishThe pieces fit into a ladder of protection. The Constitution supplies the base: a shared law-making power through the Concurrent List, a duty on the State in Article 48A and a duty on every citizen in Article 51A(g). The Wild Life (Protection) Act turns this into rules: a ban on hunting scheduled animals, a ranking of species in four schedules, and four kinds of protected area. National parks sit at the strict end, with no grazing and almost no private rights; sanctuaries allow regulated use; conservation reserves and community reserves bring government land between parks and people's own land into the system with residents as partners. Around them eco-sensitive zones, drawn under a different Act, soften the edge, and the National Board for Wildlife guards every boundary change.

Exam traps

Forests (17A) and protection of wild animals and birds (17B) are in the CONCURRENT List, moved there by the 42nd Amendment (1976); they were earlier in the State List.
Article 48A is a Directive Principle (duty of the State); Article 51A(g) is a Fundamental Duty (duty of citizens). Both came with the 42nd Amendment.
The National Board for Wildlife is chaired by the PRIME MINISTER; the State Board by the Chief Minister.
Grazing is NOT permitted in a national park; in a sanctuary it may be regulated, controlled or prohibited.
Boundaries of a sanctuary OR a national park can be altered only on the recommendation of the National Board for Wildlife, not by the state alone.
Conservation reserves are on GOVERNMENT land; community reserves are on COMMUNITY or PRIVATE land. Both were added in 2002.
Eco-sensitive zones are notified under the ENVIRONMENT (PROTECTION) ACT, 1986, not the Wild Life Act.
After the 2022 amendment the Act has FOUR schedules, not six, and Schedule IV is for CITES specimens; there is no separate vermin schedule.

Recap

42nd Amendment (1976): forests and wildlife to the Concurrent List (17A, 17B); Article 48A (State) and 51A(g) (citizens).
Indian Board for Wild Life, 1952; Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, passed under Article 252; key amendments 2002, 2006, 2022.
National Board for Wildlife (PM), State Boards (CM), Chief Wildlife Warden; hunting banned, exceptions in Sections 11 and 12.
Four schedules since 2022: I and II animals, III plants, IV CITES specimens; vermin by central notification (not Schedule I animals).
Sanctuary: state notification, Collector settles rights, grazing may be regulated.
National park: strictest, no grazing, rights settled; first was Hailey (1936), now Corbett, Uttarakhand.
Boundary changes of sanctuaries and national parks only on the recommendation of the National Board for Wildlife.
Conservation reserve (government land) and community reserve (community or private land), both from 2002, run by committees.
Eco-sensitive zones under the EPA 1986: up to 10 km (2011 guidelines); Supreme Court 2022: at least 1 km, relaxed in 2023.
Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (2007, New Delhi); trade bans; CITES implemented through the 2022 amendment.

Practice questions

Q1. 'Protection of wild animals and birds' was placed in the Concurrent List by which constitutional amendment?

24th Amendment, 1971
42nd Amendment, 1976
44th Amendment, 1978
73rd Amendment, 1992

Show answer

Answer: B. 42nd Amendment, 1976

The 42nd Amendment (1976) added entries 17A and 17B to the Concurrent List. The 24th Amendment dealt with Parliament's power to amend Fundamental Rights, the 44th mainly with emergency safeguards and the right to property, and the 73rd with panchayats.

Q2. Consider the following statements:
1. Article 48A of the Constitution is a Fundamental Duty to protect the environment.
2. Article 51A(g) asks citizens to have compassion for living creatures.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

Show answer

Answer: B. 2 only

Statement 1 is wrong: Article 48A is a Directive Principle addressed to the State, not a Fundamental Duty, so options 1 and 3 fail. Statement 2 is correct, so option 4 fails.

Q3. Who chairs the National Board for Wildlife constituted under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972?

The President
The Prime Minister
The Union Minister of Environment
The Director General of Forests

Show answer

Answer: B. The Prime Minister

The Prime Minister chairs the National Board for Wildlife. The President has no such role; the environment minister chairs the Board's standing committee, not the Board; and the Director General of Forests is an official, not the chair.

Q4. With reference to protected areas under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which one of the following statements is correct?

Grazing of livestock may be permitted in a national park.
A state government can alter the boundary of a sanctuary on its own.
A national park may be declared within an existing sanctuary.
Community reserves can be declared only on government land.

Show answer

Answer: C. A national park may be declared within an existing sanctuary.

A national park may be declared whether or not the area lies inside a sanctuary. Grazing is not permitted in a national park; boundary changes need the National Board for Wildlife's recommendation; and community reserves are on community or private land.

Q5. Match List I with List II:
List I (Category) — List II (Feature)
A. Conservation reserve — 1. Community or private land, conserved voluntarily
B. Community reserve — 2. Government land, often linking protected areas
C. National park — 3. No grazing of livestock
Select the correct answer using the code below.

A-2, B-1, C-3
A-1, B-2, C-3
A-3, B-1, C-2
A-2, B-3, C-1

Show answer

Answer: A. A-2, B-1, C-3

Conservation reserves are on government land, community reserves on community or private land, and national parks forbid grazing: A-2, B-1, C-3. Option 2 swaps the two reserves, and options 3 and 4 give the no-grazing rule to a reserve.

Q6. Eco-sensitive zones around protected areas are notified under

The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
The Biological Diversity Act, 2002

Show answer

Answer: C. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986

The Ministry notifies eco-sensitive zones under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The Wild Life Act creates the protected areas themselves, the Forest (Conservation) Act controls diversion of forest land, and the Biological Diversity Act deals with access to biological resources.

Q7. Consider the following statements about the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 as amended in 2022:
1. The Act now has four schedules, one of which lists specimens in the CITES appendices.
2. Animals in Schedule I can be declared vermin by the central government.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Statement 1 is correct: there are four schedules and Schedule IV covers CITES specimens. Statement 2 is wrong because the power to declare vermin excludes Schedule I animals, so options 2 and 3 fail; option 4 fails because statement 1 is true.

Q8. India's first national park, set up in 1936, is known today as

Kaziranga National Park
Corbett National Park
Kanha National Park
Gir National Park

Show answer

Answer: B. Corbett National Park

Hailey National Park (1936) in the United Provinces was renamed after Jim Corbett and is now Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand. Kaziranga, Kanha and Gir were all declared national parks much later.

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Sources

Constitution of India: Articles 48A, 51A(g), 252; Seventh Schedule, List III, entries 17A and 17B (Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976) — https://legislative.gov.in/constitution-of-india
The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2002, 2006 and 2022 (Sections 5A, 9, 11, 12, 18–38, 36A–36D, 38Y, 49A–49C and Schedules I–IV) — https://www.indiacode.nic.in
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Wildlife Institute of India (ENVIS): protected areas of India, National Wildlife Action Plan, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau — https://moef.gov.in
The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Section 3, and the Ministry of Environment and Forests guidelines for declaration of eco-sensitive zones around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries (2011) — https://www.indiacode.nic.in
Supreme Court of India, In re: T. N. Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India, judgment of 3 June 2022 and order of 26 April 2023 on eco-sensitive zones — https://main.sci.gov.in