Judiciary and wildlife conservation: A Wild Policy seminar

Bilaspur, February 14: A two-day seminar on legal and policy issues concerning wildlife conservation was recently organised here by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in collaboration with the forest department of Chhattisgarh. The seminar, held here on February 8 and 9 under the auspices of the Wild Policy Programme of WTI, aimed at creating effective enforcement systems and nurturing a responsive judiciary in the field of wildlife conservation. Special emphasis was laid on tiger conservation.

The seminar stressed on the crucial role played by the judiciary and legal fraternity in wildlife conservation and how innovative verdicts can alter the fate of wildlife . It served as a platform for discussing ideas, experiences and important rulings by the apex court and high courts that have supported conservation of wildlife.

In all, 56 participants attended the seminar including advocates, mediapersons, forest officials, law professors, and students. Dr RC Sharma, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) of Chattisgarh, was the chief guest. Other dignitaries included Mr VS Silekar, Chief Wildlife Warden, Mr PK Shrivastava, District Judge (Forum) and Mr RCS Samant, Additional District Judge, (Bilaspur).

Resource persons included Mr Vivek Menon, Executive Director, WTI, Mr SK Sinha, Senior Advocate, Mr Ritwick Dutta, Advocate, Supreme Court of India and consultant to WTI, Mr Naim Akhtar, research scholar, Wildlife Institute of India, and Ms Tanushree Sood, intern, Wild Policy, WTI. The seminar was supported by Save the Tiger Fund, a project of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, US.

The richness of forest cover (58 per cent), being home to endangered species like the wild buffalo, the bison, and the leopard, a concerned but committed administration, and active non-governmental organisations made Chhattisgarh an ideal location to conduct such a seminar.

The occasion served as a forum for presenting overviews of current threats to wildlife in India. The seminar centred around important court verdicts in the past and how they had in effect saved wildlife populations from potentially disastrous consequences. In addition, provisions in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the Forest (Conservation) Act were also discussed. Interactive sessions were held after every talk so as to enable a clear understanding of issues related to wildlife.

Application and importance of international environmental principles such as the precautionary principle, the polluter pays approach, and the public trust doctrine were discussed. Along with global theories, local issues were also accorded due importance.

Human-bear conflict in north Bilaspur forest division, indiscriminate felling of trees in the district, and poaching and hunting were identified as some of the immediate problems faced by the state. The state forest officials discussed actions taken and plans drawn thereof to curb these problems. The seminar was followed by a field trip to Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary on February 9.