Railway
The Wildlife (Protection) Act was passed in:
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Answer: Option D — 1972
Detailed Solution
The Wildlife (Protection) Act was passed by Parliament in 1972 to protect wild animals, birds and plants, and to establish protected areas such as national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
Why the Act was passed:
- India's wildlife was declining rapidly because of hunting, poaching and loss of habitat.
- Before 1972, wildlife protection was mainly a state subject, and laws were weak and scattered.
- The Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment in 1972 also increased global concern for the environment.
Main features of the Act:
- It prohibits the hunting of wild animals listed in its Schedules, except in special cases.
- It provides for the declaration of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, conservation reserves and community reserves.
- It regulates trade in wildlife and wildlife products.
- It provides for the appointment of wildlife wardens and other officers.
- It lays down penalties for offences, with higher penalties for offences involving highly protected species.
Schedules of the Act:
- Species are listed in Schedules according to the level of protection they need.
- The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 reduced the number of Schedules from six to four and brought the Act in line with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Important amendments:
- The 2006 amendment created the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.
- The 2002 amendment introduced conservation reserves and community reserves.
Constitutional basis:
- The 42nd Amendment moved "forests" and "protection of wild animals and birds" from the State List to the Concurrent List.
- Article 48A directs the State to safeguard forests and wildlife.
- Article 51A(g) makes it a duty of citizens to protect wildlife.
Conservation projects:
- Project Tiger and Project Elephant were launched to protect these species.
- The National Board for Wildlife, chaired by the Prime Minister, advises the government on wildlife conservation.
Why not the other options?
- ✗1965, 1980 and 1986 do not match; 1980 and 1986 are the years of other environmental laws.
Quick tip
Remember: Wildlife (Protection) Act = 1972; NTCA created by the 2006 amendment; Schedules reduced to four in 2022.
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Environmental Conventions, Laws & Organisations — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Environmental Conventions, Laws & Organisations, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers international environmental agreements, such as the Montreal Protocol, the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, the Ramsar Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity, Indian environmental laws, and environmental organisations and movements such as the Chipko movement. Questions usually ask what an agreement deals with (the Montreal Protocol protects the ozone layer, and the Ramsar Convention protects wetlands), when India passed an environmental law (such as the Environment Protection Act 1986), and who led a movement (Sunderlal Bahuguna is associated with the Chipko movement). Climate summit outcomes change every year, so check current affairs. Practise the environmental conventions and laws questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.