Previous Year Question

Biodiversity conservation is not confined only to the Biological Diversity Act or the Wildlife Protection Act; several sectoral laws also affect it directly or indirectly.

Under the Import and Export (Control) Act, 1947, restrictions or controls could be imposed on the import and export of goods.

Such trade controls could be used to prevent unauthorized international trade in wildlife, wildlife products, endangered species and certain biological resources.

Thus, import-export controls had a bearing on biodiversity conservation.

The Mining and Mineral Development (Regulation) Act, 1957 provides the basis for regulating mineral development and mining activities.

Mining can cause deforestation, habitat fragmentation, soil degradation, water pollution and displacement of wildlife.

Therefore, the regulation of mining sites, leases and mining activities is relevant to biodiversity conservation.

The Customs Act, 1962 provides the basis for enforcing restrictions and customs procedures concerning imported and exported goods.

Customs authorities play a role in detecting and seizing the illegal cross-border trafficking of prohibited wildlife, plants and products derived from them.

This framework assists in enforcing the trade-related provisions of CITES and domestic wildlife laws.

The Indian Forest Act, 1927 contains provisions relating to reserved forests, protected forests and village forests.

It provides a basis for regulating the extraction, transportation and trade of forest produce and for controlling forest offences.

Regulation of forest areas and forest produce has a direct bearing on forest habitats and the biodiversity found within them.

Along with these Acts, the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and Biological Diversity Act, 2002 also form part of India’s broader biodiversity-conservation framework.

Therefore, all four listed Acts have relevance to biodiversity conservation.