Kerala Assembly: Government seeks urgent amendments to Wildlife (Protection) Act to control wildlife populations

Kerala's Left Democratic Front criticizes Centre over wildlife conflicts, calls for urgent reforms to Wildlife (Protection) Act.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF), under growing pressure over escalating human-wildlife conflicts in Kerala, has directed its criticism towards the Centre, calling for urgent reforms to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran said the State has repeatedly sought permission from the Central government on a number of demands, including classifying wild boars as “vermin” under the Act, but such requests have consistently been denied. Under such circumstances, the State government has sought to mitigate the unfolding crisis through local interventions, he said.

He was replying to a calling attention motion moved by CPI(M) legislator Linto Jose in the Kerala Assembly on Thursday (January 23, 2025) which called for amendments to the Central law to control the unchecked proliferation of wildlife in the State and address the rising number of wildlife incursions into human habitations.

Notably, the Kerala Assembly had passed a resolution demanding specific amendments to the law a year ago.

Acknowledging the increased danger posed by wild animals, Mr. Saseendran said the current legal framework is impractical for managing the wildlife challenges the State currently faces. In addition to the wild boar crisis, the government is also addressing other wildlife concerns such as the rising nuisance caused by monkeys in various parts of the State.

The State has submitted a proposal to the Central government to reclassify bonnet macaques from Schedule I to Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, which would allow for more effective legal control measures. The government is also formulating a comprehensive action plan, including birth control measures, to manage the growing monkey population, said the Minister.

In an effort to strengthen human-wildlife conflict mitigation, the government has declared wildlife conflict a State-specific disaster, issuing guidelines for the safe management of such situations. A landscape-level master plan is also being developed, dividing conflict-prone areas into 12 zones with specific preventive measures. These localised plans will eventually be consolidated into a Statewide action plan, he said.