Centre rules out amendments to Wildlife Act amid rising human-wildlife conflicts

Guwahati, March 28: The Central government has made it clear that it is not considering any amendments to the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, to grant states greater autonomy in dealing with wild animal attacks. This statement was made in Parliament in response to a query from Communist Party of India (Marxist) Rajya Sabha MP V Sivadasan.

Union Minister of State for Environment, Kirti Vardhan Singh, clarified that the management of human-wildlife conflict falls primarily under the purview of state and union territory governments, as per the provisions of the Act. The existing law already provides mechanisms for addressing such conflicts, he said.

Under Section 11(1)(a) of the Act, the Chief Wildlife Warden is authorised to permit the hunting of animals listed in Schedule I if they pose a direct threat to human life or are incurably diseased. Similarly, Section 11(1)(b) allows the Chief Wildlife Warden or an authorised officer to grant hunting permits for animals in Schedules II, III, or IV if they become dangerous to human life or property or are too diseased to recover.

The issue was raised after Sivadasan sought details of requests made by states to amend the Act and its associated rules. In response, the minister categorically stated, "Currently, no amendment in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, has been proposed."

Kerala has been at the forefront of calls for an amendment, repeatedly urging the Centre to declare wild boars as "vermin." The state government argues that the unchecked wild boar population is causing widespread damage to crops and increasing instances of human-wildlife conflict.

According to Environment and Forest Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Kerala has reported 344 deaths due to human-wildlife conflict between 2021 and 2025. Breaking down the numbers, he informed the Rajya Sabha that:

• 180 deaths were caused by snake bites,
• 103 fatalities were linked to elephant attacks, and
• 35 people were killed in encounters with wild pigs.

Despite Kerala’s repeated appeals, the Centre has remained firm in its stance. In 2021, it stated that declaring wild boars as "vermin" could have unintended ecological consequences and might do more harm than good.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has advised the Kerala government to utilise the provisions of Section 11 of the Act rather than seeking a “vermin” declaration under Section 62. The key difference lies in their implications:

• Section 11 allows for case-by-case selective hunting, ensuring control measures without disrupting ecological balance.
• Section 62, if invoked by the Central government, removes all legal protection from the species, allowing unrestricted hunting and culling.

Faced with mounting concerns, the Kerala government issued an order permitting farmers to kill wild boars using licensed firearms, provided a forest guard was present. This measure was introduced to curb the destruction of crops and protect rural communities from increasing attacks.

With no proposed amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act, states like Kerala will have to continue managing the crisis within the existing legal framework. The Centre, meanwhile, remains cautious about balancing conservation efforts with the realities of human-wildlife conflict.