Rajasthan State Government has reconstituted State Wildlife Board with 13 members. The Board will be headed by chief minister Ashok Gehlot. The board has been reconstituted for effective implementation of wildlife projects and efficient management of protected areas. The tenure of State Wildlife Board has been kept as 3 years.
Rajasthan State Wildlife Board has been constituted under Section-6 of the Wildlife Protection Act-1972 (Central Act 53-1972). According to the Act and guidelines set by the Supreme Court, it is compulsory for states to form wildlife boards and have them approved.
The members include government officials, forest department authorities and others along with wildlife experts. In this, 10 members of the nominated include environmentalists, conservationists and scientists while 3 members belong to NGOs related to wildlife.
It is responsibility of the board to look into formulation of policies related to wildlife and ensure that the ecological conservation is done. The board essentially will act as a watchdog and make sure that wildlife and forest are not harmed in anyway due to encroachments or illegal activities.
According to the guidelines, the board has to meet at least twice a year. It is the responsibility of the board to advise the state government in the selection and management of areas to be declared as protected areas as well as in formulation of the policy for protection and conservation of the wild life and specified plants.
The 13-member board also can mull over the measures to be taken for harmonising the needs of the tribals and other dwellers of the forest with the protection and conservation of wildlife. Any projects to be taken up inside forests need to be approved by the board before moving forward.
