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The standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL), chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, has recommended reinstating Rhesus Macaque species of monkeys under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, to restore statutory protection, enforcement against illegal capture, cruelty and to regulate its scientific management.
The panel’s recommendation came on the back of internal deliberations and views from states where the simian species is well-distributed.
The Chairman of Animal Welfare Board of India and Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations had requested restoration of protection to Rhesus Macaque under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, to prevent cruelty, exploitation and illegal trade, the minutes of the panel’s October 29 meeting stated.
Senior officials of the Environment Ministry said reinstating the species under Schedule II of the Act may be considered since under Section 11 of the law, the power to deal with wildlife species in conflict is given to states.
Yadav emphasised that all divisional forest officers and deputy conservator of forests should prepare site-specific management and conservation plans for the species and directed developing appropriate rescue and rehabilitation centres.
The panel’s recommendation was backed by Member Secretary, Central Zoo Authority and Member Secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority. State governments have been directed to prepare detailed, site-specific mitigation plans identifying and categorising areas of conflict. “A baseline study is to be developed based on studies carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India,” the minutes stated.
The matter of reinstating protection for the species was placed in the previous 85th meeting of the SC-NBWL for advice on policy framing. Subsequently, the ministry circulated a detailed questionnaire to Chief Wildlife Wardens of all states and Union Territories seeking reasoned statements.
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Six states — Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh — supported reinstating the species in Schedule II of the Act for protection, prevention of cruelty, and ecological reasons. Assam, Rajasthan, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and Andhra Pradesh opposed the proposal due to its non-threatened status and for conflict management reasons.
An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More
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