Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, chaired the 91st Meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL), held on Thursday at the Central Academy for State Forest Service, Coimbatore.
The Standing Committee reviewed the progress made on several important directions issued by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). It also reviewed the progress of decisions taken during the 7th Meeting of the NBWL, chaired by the Prime Minister and deliberated upon several important national conservation initiatives.
Important issues discussed in the meeting included the long-term conservation strategy for the Greater One-horned Rhinoceros based on the Rhino DNA Indexing System; future conservation strategy for the Great Indian Bustard; inclusion of the Pygmy Hog under the Species Recovery Program. The Committee also reviewed the progress of conservation programmes for threatened species.
The Standing Committee considered more than 100 proposals across the country involving activities such as roads and bridges, defence infrastructure, drinking water supply, communication towers, power transmission lines, optical fibre networks, pipelines, mining, renewable energy, educational institutions, public infrastructure and other essential development works requiring wildlife clearance under the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
The proposals were appraised on the basis of their ecological impacts, importance for public welfare and national development, and the adequacy of mitigation measures to ensure conservation of wildlife and their habitats.
