News Excerpt:

Project proposals in and around wildlife sanctuaries and national parks will not be considered for wildlife clearance unless states submit certificates of compliance prescribed by NBWL.

Why Compliance Certificates have been made mandatory:

• There was hardly any compliance with the precautionary conditions prescribed by NBWL for infrastructure and development projects that have been allowed to come up in national parks and sanctuaries.
• In the last five years, 718 project proposals in wildlife sanctuaries and protected areas have been granted wildlife clearance by NBWL. But, the state chief wildlife wardens did not send the certificates of compliance.
  • In the 59th NBWL meeting 2020, the standing committee recommended a protocol for effective monitoring of projects.
    • It was decided that the chief wildlife warden shall submit an annual certificate for compliance with the conditions imposed by the standing committee for all proposals and that the integrated regional offices shall monitor the conditions imposed by the standing committee.
• Several non-compliance issues were observed in previous projects. 
  • One of the conditions that was not complied with was the deposition of funds with the chief wildlife warden for restoration.
    • The Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) is the statutory authority under the Wildlife Protection Act, who heads the Wildlife Wing of the department and exercises complete administrative control over Protected Areas (PAs) within a state.

About NBWL and its standing committees:

• The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) (formerly known as the Indian Board for Wildlife) is constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and chaired by the Prime Minister with the Minister of Environment and Forests as the vice-chair. 
• The board advises the federal and state governments in matters concerning wildlife conservation policy, illegal trade and poaching, management of national parks and sanctuaries, impact assessments of projects on wildlife, and other related issues.  
• The tenure of each board is 3 years, after which a new one is constituted.
• The National Board may, at its discretion, constitute a Standing Committee under sub-section (1) of Section 5B. 
• The Standing Committee shall consist of the Vice-Chairperson (Union Minister in charge of Forests and Wildlife), the Member Secretary, and not more than ten members to be nominated by the Vice-Chairperson from amongst the members of the National Board.

• The WLPA mandates that without the approval/recommendation of the NBWL, construction of tourist lodges, alteration of the boundaries of protected areas, destruction or diversion of wildlife habitat and de-notification of Tiger Reserves cannot be done.

• Several proposals seeking statutory approvals for such projects come up before the Standing Committee, which meets once every three months to deliberate and grant or reject approvals.
• Most of the proposals that come up before the Standing Committee are for dams, highways, mines, power lines and other projects that may destroy wildlife or involve diversion of habitat. 
• It is, therefore, mandatory for the Standing Committee to adjudicate every such proposal strictly in conformity with robust environmental standards.

Conclusion:

The National Board for Wildlife’s (NBWL) new requirement for compliance certificates marks a crucial shift in protecting wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. With past projects often failing to follow precautionary conditions, this move emphasizes the need for stricter monitoring. Chief wildlife wardens' annual compliance certificates and integrated regional office monitoring are key to safeguarding these habitats.