India Ensuring Environmental Balance - New Rules for Wildlife Project Clearances

In a significant move to harmonize development projects with wildlife conservation, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has introduced a pivotal change. From now on, major projects within protected areas will receive wildlife clearances only after securing forest clearances.

This decision, made by the National Board for Wildlife's (NBWL) standing committee, chaired by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, marks a strategic shift towards safeguarding wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, tiger reserves, and their connecting corridors.

Clarifying the Approval Process

On March 19th, a directive was sent to state governments, outlining that proposals for projects requiring both forest and wildlife clearances under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, will now be reviewed for wildlife considerations only after the forest clearance is obtained. This change aims to streamline the approval process, which previously allowed for simultaneous submissions for both clearances, often leading to confusion and rushed decisions.

Preventing Overlooked Decisions

The former method of seeking clearances concurrently sometimes resulted in premature and uninformed decisions, with the assumption that one clearance would naturally lead to the other. This new approach by the SC-NBWL is designed to eliminate such 'fait accompli' scenarios, ensuring that wildlife protection is given due consideration after the project has passed the forest clearance stage.

A Closer Look at Maharashtra's Projects

The impact of this decision is particularly noteworthy in Maharashtra, where several linear projects like mining and irrigation works within protected areas and tiger corridors have previously received wildlife clearances without the necessary forest approvals.

Praise from Conservationists

Environmentalists and wildlife conservationists, including Debi Goenka, have applauded the SC-NBWL's decision as a positive development. It promises a more thorough assessment of potential impacts on wildlife and their habitats, ensuring that projects are scrutinized with an emphasis on wildlife protection following forest clearance approval.