Introduction of the Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill, 2013 in India

This briefing by Natural Justice discusses the introduction of the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2013 in India, detailing its objectives to strengthen wildlife law enforcement and CITES compliance, while critiquing specific provisions regarding penalties in tiger reserves and research permits.

• The Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2013 aims to strengthen wildlife protection through stricter enforcement, including prohibitions on animal traps (with exceptions), mandatory permits for scientific research, and increased penalties for wildlife offenses. It also seeks to align Indian law with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) by inserting lists of flora and fauna to regulate international trade.
• The Bill proposes specific penalties for offenses in tiger reserves, including a minimum 7-year imprisonment and fines between 5 lakh and 30 lakh rupees for hunting or altering boundaries. Critics argue that these harsh penalties may deter courts from sentencing offenders, potentially lowering conviction rates. Furthermore, conservationists note that the Bill singles out tiger reserves, neglecting the Asiatic lion despite both being listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
• The Bill empowers the Chief Wildlife Warden to grant scientific research permits, but critics fear this creates excessive bureaucratic control over ecological research. There are concerns that minor violations of research or tourist permits, such as simple trespass, could result in a minimum 3-year imprisonment.
• While the Bill mentions that consultations with the Gram Sabha will occur before declaring a Scheduled Area as a National Park, it lacks provisions for monitoring these consultations, which may result in accountability gaps.

APA

Henderson, I. (2013). Introduction of the Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill, 2013 in India. Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/introduction-of-the-wildlife-protection-amendment-bill-2013-in-india/

Chicago

Henderson, Ian. Introduction of the Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill, 2013 in India. Natural Justice, 2013. https://naturaljustice.org/introduction-of-the-wildlife-protection-amendment-bill-2013-in-india/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Henderson |first1=Ian |title=Introduction of the Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill, 2013 in India |publisher=Natural Justice |date=5 October 2013 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/introduction-of-the-wildlife-protection-amendment-bill-2013-in-india/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{henderson2013introduction, author = {Henderson, Ian}, title = {{Introduction of the Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill, 2013 in India}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2013}, month = oct, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/introduction-of-the-wildlife-protection-amendment-bill-2013-in-india/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }