‘Wildlife conservation stymied by lack of state forest policy’ (Ahmedabad) Times of India September 17, 2023 Gujarat, which is home to the Asiatic lion, wild ass and other important species like blackbuck, great Indian bustard, greater and lesser flamingos, does not have a state-specific forest policy. The CAG in its report, ‘Performance Audit of Protection, Conservation and Management of Wildlife Sanctuaries in Gujarat-2023’, which was tabled in the state assembly on Saturday, stated that a forest policy provides a strategy for conservation, maintenance, sustainable utilization, restoration and enhancement of the natural environment. The report states that according to the National Forest Commission Report 2006, within the broad parameters of the National Forest Policy, each state needs to have its own forest policy statement for sustainable management of forests and wildlife resources. The report stated that a mechanism has to be in place at the state level to monitor implementation of the national forest policy provisions. The CAG noted in its present report that the Audit Report (Civil) of the Gujarat government for the year ended March 31, 2009, pointed out that the state had not prepared its own state-specific forest policy. The 2023 CAG audit report noted that even 15 years after the report of the National Forest Commission came out, and being pointed out by the CAG in 2009; Gujarat had not prepared its forest policy as of November 2022. In the absence of a state-specific policy, provisions of the National Forest Policy must be adhered to for the protection, conservation, and development of forests in the state. However, the audit observed that there was no implementation and monitoring framework or even mechanism for conservation of forest and wildlife resources, financial allocations and implementation of the National Forest Policy. The department did not implement the National Forest Policy regarding conservation and protection of wildlife. The CAG notes that when asked, the forest department said that preparation of the state forest policy was underway and it would be submitted to the state government for approval soon. The first National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) was brought out by the Union forest ministry in 1983. It aimed to have a concerted approach to protection, conservation, and management of wildlife throughout the country and was for the period up to 2001. After that, the new National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP-2) was put in place for 2002-2016. Both plans were based on protected-area-centric approaches. Subsequently, NWAP-3 for 2017-2031, was circulated in September 2018 by the MoEFCC to chief wildlife wardens of the states. Key focus areas of NAWP-3 are wildlife health management, strengthening research and monitoring, mitigation of human-wildlife conflict, management of tourism in wildlife areas, people’s participation in wildlife conservation and integration of climate change into wildlife planning. The CAG observed that the department had neither prepared an implementation framework for any NWAP, nor has it come up with a state-specific wildlife action plan. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/wildlife-conservation-stymied-by-lack-of-state-forest-policy/articleshow/103725036.cms