Bhopal, February 28 – Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, chaired the 89th meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, on Saturday, considering proposals related to wildlife conservation.
"The Standing Committee also discussed development projects located in and around protected areas, wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves, and eco-sensitive zones, in accordance with the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972," the statement said.
The proposals were examined, taking into account ecological sensitivity, statutory requirements, and prescribed mitigation measures.
"A total of 58 fresh proposals across sectors such as communication infrastructure, optical fibre cables, power transmission lines, road projects, drinking water supply, thermal power, defence, irrigation, and other infrastructure were considered by the Committee," it added.
The Committee also deliberated on important policy matters, including the ecological importance of maintaining environmental flows (e-flows) in the Chambal river for the conservation of aquatic fauna like dolphins and gharials; the status of social, economic, and ecological aspects of villages within the Tiger reserves; the importance of grasslands for wildlife management; and strategies to manage the current challenges of the human-leopard interface.
The meeting also emphasised the involvement of scientific and technical institutions, including the Wildlife Institute of India, the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, and the Central Water Commission, to ensure that conservation policies are supported by robust research and inter-sectoral coordination.
"The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife is a statutory body constituted under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and is mandated to advise the Union government on matters relating to the conservation and protection of wildlife and forests, while ensuring that development activities in and around protected areas are undertaken in a sustainable and balanced manner," the statement said.