Conservation Laws, Policies and Programmes for Birds in India

India shelters over 1,300 bird species, representing roughly 13% of the world’s total avian diversity. To safeguard these avian populations and their natural habitats, India relies on a multi-tiered framework comprising statutory acts, international conventions, national policies, and targeted species-recovery programs. This institutional structure addresses key threats such as habitat loss, illegal wildlife trade, chemical poisoning, wetland degradation, and collision with power lines.

Constitutional and Legal Frameworks

The Indian legal system provides explicit mandates for avian protection through constitutional provisions and central legislations.

Constitutional Mandates

• Article 48A (Directive Principles of State Policy): Mandates that the State shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.
• Article 51A(g) (Fundamental Duties): Imposes a duty on every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures.
• Seventh Schedule Allocation: The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976 transferred ‘Forests’ and ‘Protection of Wild Animals and Birds’ from the State List to the Concurrent List (List III), enabling both Parliament and State Legislatures to enact conservation laws.

Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

The Wildlife (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972, serves as the primary statutory instrument for bird conservation. Following the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022, the protection schedules were rationalized from six down to four:

• Schedule I: Grants highest level of legal protection to critically endangered and threatened bird species (e.g., Great Indian Bustard, Bengal Florican, Forest Owlet, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Jerdon’s Courser). Offenses attract stringent punitive fines and imprisonment.
• Schedule II: Covers bird species requiring high protection with penal provisions for illegal hunting, trade, or captivity.
• Schedule IV: Enforces compliance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), regulating international trade in listed avian species.

Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and Wetland Rules

The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, empowers the central government to declare Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) around Protected Areas, restricting industrial pollution near key avian habitats. The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, prohibit industrial expansion, waste dumping, and untreated effluent discharge in notified wetlands critical for migratory waterbirds.

International Conventions and Treaties

India actively participates in global agreements to protect migratory flyways and transboundary avian species.

Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) or Bonn Convention

India is a signatory to the CMS since 1983. India sits at the heart of the Central Asian Flyway (CAF), which covers 30 countries and connects breeding grounds in Siberia to wintering grounds in South Asia. During CMS COP13 held in Gandhinagar in 2020, India championed the inclusion of the Great Indian Bustard, Bengal Florican, and Asian Elephant in CITES/CMS Appendices.

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Signed in 1971, this treaty provides a framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. India joined the convention in 1981, designating Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) as its first Ramsar sites. Over 80 wetlands across India hold Ramsar status, offering protected roosting and feeding sites for wintering migratory waterfowl.

CITES and TRAFFIC Operations

CITES regulates international commercial trade in wild birds to prevent over-exploitation. TRAFFIC (Trade Records Analysis of Fauna and Flora in Commerce), operating as a division under WWF-India, monitors illegal trade in indigenous songbirds, owls, falcons, and parakeets used in local pet markets and traditional medicine.

Targeted Avian Conservation Projects and Action Plans

Dedicated action plans address specific threats facing endangered bird families across different Indian biomes.

Vulture Action Plan

Vulture populations dropped by over 99% in the 1990s due to secondary poisoning from veterinary Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).

• Drug Bans: The Ministry of Health banned the veterinary use of Diclofenac in 2006, followed by bans on Ketoprofen and Aceclofenac in 2023.
• Action Plan for Vulture Conservation in India (2020–2025): Focuses on establishing Vulture Safe Zones (VSZs) within a 100 km radius of breeding colonies and setting up Vulture Conservation Breeding Centres (VCBCs).
• Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centres: Operates facilities at Pinjore (Haryana), Rani (Assam), Rajabhatkhawa (West Bengal), and Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) to breed Oriental White-backed, Long-billed, and Slender-billed vultures in captivity for wild reintroduction.

National Action Plan for Conservation of Migratory Birds (2018–2023)

Focuses on the Central Asian Flyway to preserve stopover sites, halt habitat loss, reduce power-line collisions, and eliminate illegal hunting of migratory waterfowl along coastal and inland waterbodies.

Project Great Indian Bustard

The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, faces severe population decline due to low reproductive rates and collisions with high-voltage power lines.

• Conservation Breeding: A dedicated Conservation Breeding Centre operates at Sam in Desert National Park, Jaisalmer (Rajasthan), managing egg collection and artificial incubation.
• Bird Diverters: Supreme Court rulings directed power companies to install Firefly LED bird diverters on overhead transmission lines across bustard habitats in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Major Avian Protection Initiatives in India

Key Facts on Bird Conservation in India

• India hosts two flyways for migratory birds: the Central Asian Flyway and the East Asian–Australasian Flyway.
• Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a primary wintering habitat for migratory birds.
• Chilika Lake in Odisha is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian subcontinent.
• The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), founded in 1883, is one of the oldest non-governmental organizations dedicated to avian research and habitat conservation.
• Nine bird species are included in the Species Recovery Programme under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH).
• These nine species are the Great Indian Bustard, Jerdon’s Courser, Bengal Florican, Forest Owlet, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Sociable Lapwing, Siberian Crane, White-winged Duck, and Vultures.
• Veterinary usage of Diclofenac was banned in India in 2006 to stop the decline of Gyps vulture species.
• Aceclofenac and Ketoprofen were officially banned for veterinary use in 2023 due to their toxic metabolization into Diclofenac inside bird systems.
• The Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) operates out of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, as an autonomous center under MoEFCC.
• India hosted the 13th Conference of Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP13) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• The Great Indian Bustard is the state bird of Rajasthan and is locally known as Godawan.
• Firefly LED bird diverters are optical reflectors installed on power lines to make high-voltage cables visible to heavy-flying birds.