**The Committee’s Mandate and Ground Realities**

Andhra Pradesh’s Wildlife Protection Push: High-Level Committee to Tackle Tiger Deaths and Poaching

Andhra Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan has constituted a high-level committee to investigate wildlife deaths, with a focus on tiger conservation, following recent incidents of poaching and electrocution of protected species. The move comes as forest officials in Karnataka’s Sharavathi Wildlife Range arrested three individuals for killing two spotted deer, a Schedule-II species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, highlighting the persistent threats to India’s biodiversity.

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The committee, chaired by Forest Department Advisor P. Mallikarjuna Rao and including Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Rahul Pandey, has been tasked with a multi-pronged review. Its scope includes assessing habitat management, anti-poaching measures, and the efficacy of existing conservation programmes for tigers, leopards, and elephants. Critically, it will also evaluate human-wildlife conflict mitigation strategies—a growing challenge as habitats shrink and human settlements expand into forest fringes.

• ▸The committee will examine factors contributing to animal deaths, including forest fire control and water source availability.
• ▸It will review the impact of ground-level conservation programmes and propose innovative solutions.
• ▸A special report on habitat development, natural food sources, and wildlife corridor protection is mandated.
• ▸Local community participation is a key focus to ensure sustainable conservation outcomes.

Legal Frameworks and Enforcement Gaps

The recent arrest of three accused in Karnataka’s Nagavalli for electrocuting spotted deer underscores the enforcement challenges under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The Act categorises species into Schedules, with Schedule-I offering the highest protection (e.g., tigers, elephants) and Schedule-II (e.g., spotted deer) regulating trade and hunting. However, poaching and illegal wildlife trade persist due to loopholes in monitoring and weak penalties for violations.

• ▸Section 38A of the Act empowers the Central Government to regulate trade in Schedule-II species.
• ▸National Parks are designated as "inviolate" under Section 18, while Wildlife Sanctuaries permit limited human activity.
• ▸The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) oversees tiger reserves, but state-level implementation often lacks coordination.

Broader Conservation Challenges

The committee’s focus on habitat development and wildlife corridors aligns with global frameworks like the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and India’s National Biodiversity Action Plan. However, human-wildlife conflicts—exacerbated by deforestation and linear infrastructure projects—remain a hurdle. The economic cost of such conflicts, including crop raids and livestock predation, often pits local communities against conservation efforts, necessitating inclusive strategies.

• ▸India’s tiger reserves cover ~2.2% of its geographic area, but corridors connecting them are increasingly fragmented.
• ▸The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022) urges countries to protect 30% of terrestrial and marine areas by 2030.
• ▸Compensation schemes for human-wildlife conflict victims exist but are often delayed or inadequate.

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