- Why in news
- On 9 July 2026, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav chaired the 91st meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife at Coimbatore. It reviewed earlier directions and considered over 100 development project proposals.
- What it is
- The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) is a statutory body set up under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. It is the apex advisory body on wildlife policy and is chaired by the Prime Minister. Its Standing Committee, chaired by the Environment Minister, appraises projects in and around protected areas.
- Who chaired
- The Environment Minister chaired the 91st meeting of the Standing Committee at Coimbatore.
- Legal basis
- Wildlife clearances for projects are sought under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
- Species items
- Agenda items covered the Greater One-horned Rhino DNA Indexing strategy, Great Indian Bustard strategy, and adding the Pygmy Hog to the Species Recovery Programme.
- NBWL chair
- The NBWL is chaired by the Prime Minister; its 7th meeting was under the PM.
- Statutory status
- NBWL was constituted under Section 5A of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2002.
- Proposals considered
- 58 fresh proposals were considered, across sectors such as power lines, roads, defence, irrigation and water supply.
- Policy matters
- The Committee discussed e-flows in the Chambal River for dolphins and gharials, villages inside tiger reserves, grasslands and the human-leopard interface.
- Chair of the Board
- The full NBWL is chaired by the Prime Minister.
- Chair
- The 88th meeting was chaired by the Union Environment Minister, Bhupender Yadav.
- Defence proposals
- Seventeen defence proposals, mainly in Ladakh and Sikkim, were recommended for strategic border and high-altitude infrastructure.
- Process reform
- The Committee reviewed the Action Taken Report, including improvement of the PARIVESH portal.
Don’t confuse with NBWL vs National Tiger Conservation Authority: NBWL is under the Wild Life (Protection) Act and advises on all wildlife policy. The NTCA is a separate statutory body for tiger conservation and tiger reserves.
Don’t confuse with NBWL vs Forest Advisory Committee: The Standing Committee of NBWL appraises projects affecting protected areas. The Forest Advisory Committee examines forest land diversion under the Forest (Conservation) Act.
Don’t confuse with NBWL vs its Standing Committee: The NBWL is chaired by the Prime Minister and sets broad policy advice. The Standing Committee, chaired by the Environment Minister, appraises specific projects in and around protected areas.
Don’t confuse with Advisory role: Both bodies advise and recommend. Final project decisions rest with the government.
Laws, judgments and statutory bodies: 30 Prelims questions since 2013 (what the law says, who chairs, legal basis). In Mains, 44 news-triggered questions, most in GS2, asking for provisions and challenges.
Why it matters
- It is the main national forum that balances development projects with wildlife habitat protection.
- Its reviews of species plans, such as for the Great Indian Bustard and rhino, guide recovery work.
- Gives a statutory check on projects near protected areas, balancing development with conservation.
- Brings research institutions such as the Wildlife Institute of India into policy advice.
- It is the main check on projects in and around protected areas, balancing development with conservation.
- Clearing defence and border infrastructure shows how security needs are weighed against ecology.
Problems
- Clearing many projects, including mining and linear infrastructure, can fragment habitats and weaken connectivity.
- Mitigation measures are hard to monitor once a project is cleared.
- Criticism that most project proposals are cleared, so scrutiny of ecological costs is weak.
- Relocating villages from tiger reserves raises livelihood and rights issues.
- Many proposals are cleared with conditions, and enforcing mitigation measures is hard.
- Roads and power lines fragment habitats and affect species in sensitive areas.
Way forward
- Base clearances on scientific impact studies and enforce mitigation conditions with monitoring.
- Protect ecological corridors and use traditional knowledge in conservation planning.
- Use independent scientific assessment and publish reasons for decisions.
- Plan voluntary, rights-respecting relocation and landscape-level management of conflict.
- Monitor compliance with SC-NBWL directions and publish action taken reports.
- Use digital platforms like PARIVESH for faster, transparent and science-based appraisal.
Put in your answer
Balancing development and wildlife: The Standing Committee appraised projects on ecological impact, public welfare and adequacy of mitigation, showing how clearance weighs both aims.
Example of balancing development and wildlife: A medium irrigation project in Madhya Pradesh's Bundelkhand region was considered for drinking and irrigation water and for more water for wildlife and gharials.
- 2025Mains GS4 · Q2Ethics of environmental clearance for projects in ecologically sensitive border areas
- 2026Mains GS3 · Q8Aims of Kunming-Montreal framework and India's biodiversity commitments and initiatives.
- 2018Mains GS2 · Q6Policy contradictions among sectors weakening environmental protection; comment with illustrations
- 2018Mains GS3 · Q17Explain biodiversity variation in India and how the Biological Diversity Act helps conservation.
- 2022Prelims Q89Which statements on wildlife law: state ownership, protection inside and outside reserves, capture?
- 2014Prelims Q95Which statements about Eco-Sensitive Zones under the Wildlife Act are correct?
- 2017Prelims Q35Which animals cannot be hunted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972?
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Statutory body of lasting relevance. The release has few testable facts, and statutory bodies are only 7 of 327 Prelims questions.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.