Conservation Laws, Policies and Programmes for Birds

Introduction

India is home to more than 1,300 bird species, making bird conservation an important part of environmental governance. The protection of birds in India rests on a mix of constitutional duties, wildlife laws, wetland rules, international conventions, and species-specific recovery programmes.

This framework addresses major threats such as habitat loss, illegal trade, poisoning, wetland degradation, and collisions with power lines.

Constitutional and Legal Framework

• Article 48A: Directs the State to protect and improve the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife.
• Article 51A(g): Places a duty on every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife, and to show compassion for living creatures.
• 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976: Shifted Forests and Protection of Wild Animals and Birds from the State List to the Concurrent List, allowing both Parliament and State Legislatures to make laws on conservation.
• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: The main statutory law for bird protection in India.
• Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022: Rationalised the protection schedules from six to four.
• Schedule I: Gives the highest protection to critically endangered and threatened bird species such as the Great Indian Bustard, Bengal Florican, Forest Owlet, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, and Jerdon’s Courser.
• Schedule II: Covers bird species requiring high protection, with penalties for illegal hunting, trade, or captivity.
• Schedule IV: Supports compliance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) by regulating international trade in listed species.
• Environment (Protection) Act, 1986: Empowers the Centre to declare Eco-Sensitive Zones around Protected Areas, helping reduce industrial pollution in key bird habitats.
• Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017: Restrict industrial expansion, waste dumping, and untreated effluent discharge in notified wetlands important for migratory waterbirds.

International Conventions and Flyways

• Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) / Bonn Convention: India has been a signatory since 1983.
• Central Asian Flyway (CAF): India lies at the heart of this flyway, which covers 30 countries and links breeding grounds in Siberia to wintering areas in South Asia.
• CMS COP13, Gandhinagar (2020): India supported the inclusion of the Great Indian Bustard, Bengal Florican, and Asian Elephant in the relevant CITES/CMS Appendices.
• Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: Signed in 1971 and joined by India in 1981.
• First Ramsar sites in India: Chilika Lake in Odisha and Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan.
• Ramsar wetlands: More than 80 wetlands in India have Ramsar status and serve as roosting and feeding grounds for migratory waterfowl.
• CITES: Regulates international commercial trade in wild birds to prevent over-exploitation.
• TRAFFIC: Works on monitoring illegal trade in birds such as songbirds, owls, falcons, and parakeets in local pet markets and traditional medicine networks.

Targeted Conservation Programmes

• Vulture decline: Vulture populations fell by over 99% in the 1990s because of secondary poisoning from veterinary Diclofenac.
• Diclofenac ban: The Ministry of Health banned veterinary use of Diclofenac in 2006.
• Further drug bans: Ketoprofen and Aceclofenac were banned in 2023.
• Action Plan for Vulture Conservation in India (2020–2025): Focuses on Vulture Safe Zones within a 100 km radius of breeding colonies and on Vulture Conservation Breeding Centres.
• Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centres: Located at Pinjore (Haryana), Rani (Assam), Rajabhatkhawa (West Bengal), and Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh).
• Species covered: These centres breed Oriental White-backed, Long-billed, and Slender-billed vultures for future reintroduction.
• National Action Plan for Conservation of Migratory Birds (2018–2023): Seeks to protect stopover sites, reduce habitat loss, prevent power-line collisions, and curb illegal hunting along coastal and inland waterbodies.
• Project Great Indian Bustard: Addresses the declining population of the Critically Endangered Great Indian Bustard, which is threatened by low reproductive rates and collisions with high-voltage power lines.
• Conservation Breeding Centre: Functions at Sam in Desert National Park, Jaisalmer, for egg collection and artificial incubation.
• Bird diverters: Supreme Court directions led to the installation of Firefly LED bird diverters on overhead transmission lines across bustard habitats in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Major Institutional and Policy Initiatives

Why These Measures Matter

• Habitat protection: Legal safeguards help conserve forests, wetlands, grasslands, and coastal habitats used by birds.
• Migratory routes: Flyway-based cooperation is essential because many bird species cross multiple countries.
• Trade control: CITES and TRAFFIC help curb illegal capture and commercial exploitation.
• Species recovery: Breeding centres and action plans are important for critically endangered birds with very small populations.
• Pollution control: Wetland rules and eco-sensitive zones reduce harmful pressures on bird habitats.
• Power-line safety: Diverters and related interventions are crucial for large soaring birds such as the Great Indian Bustard.

Key Prelims Takeaways

• Article 48A: Directive Principle that asks the State to protect and improve the environment.
• Article 51A(g): Fundamental Duty relating to compassion for living creatures and protection of nature.
• WPA, 1972: Main law for bird protection in India.
• 2022 amendment: Reduced wildlife protection schedules from six to four.
• CMS: India has been a signatory since 1983.
• Ramsar first sites: Chilika Lake and Keoladeo National Park.
• Great Indian Bustard: Conservation breeding is undertaken at Sam, Desert National Park, Jaisalmer.