Lok Sabha Question No. 3293 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-16
Subject: Illegal Trading of Flora and Fauna
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Kanwar Singh Tanwar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3293

TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.12.2024

## Illegal Trading of Flora and Fauna

## 3293.   SHRI KANWAR SINGH TANWAR:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there has been an increase in the illegal trading of wild fauna and flora in each of the last three years;
- (b) if so, whether the incidences of illegal trade of wild fauna and flora including the value of the said trading came to the cognizance of the Government in various States especially in Uttar Pradesh during the said period;
- (c) if so, the details of such incidences, State-wise;
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to curb the illegal trading of wildlife fauna and flora in the country along with the institutional changes made in this regard; and
- (e) the details of arrests made and properties seized in various States, particularly in Uttar Pradesh during the said period?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

- (a), (b) and (c) As  per  the  records  available  with  the  Wild  Life  Crime  Control  Bureau  and based on the cases reported and provided by State  Law  Enforcement Agencies, there is no increase in number of cases of illegal trade in wild life during the last three years.
- (d) The  following  are  the  important  steps  taken  by  Government  for  control  of illegal wild life trade:
- i. The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 has been amended time to time for better protection of wild life.
- ii. The Wild Life Crime Control Bureau has been established for control of illegal trade in wild life and its products.
- iii. The Wild Life Crime Control Bureau participates in global operations in coordination with INTERPOL.
- iv. The  Wild  Life  Crime  Control  Bureau  conducts  sensitization  and capacity building programmes for enforcement agencies, including the State Police and Forest department officials, for combatting wild life crime.
- v. India  is  a  signatory  to  the  Convention  on  International  Trade  in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) that regulates international trade in wild life and its derivatives.
- vi. Provisions of  CITES  have  been  incorporated  in the Wild  Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
- vii. Financial  and  technical  assistance  is  provided  to  the  States/Union Territories under Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats, for better conservation and management of wildlife and its habitat.
- viii. The National Tiger Conservation Authority for conservation of tigers and their habitat has been established.
- (e) The information regarding arrests made in various States in connection with illegal  wildlife  trade  as  available  with  the  Wild  Life  Crime  Control  Bureau during the last three years, is placed as Annexure. Further, the details of the properties seized by different authorities in various states in connection with illegal wildlife trade is not collated at the level of the Ministry.

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## Annexure referred to in reply to part (e) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3293 due for reply on 16.12.2024 regarding 'Illegal Trading of Flora and Fauna'.

## Details of arrests made in various States in connection with illegal wildlife trade as available with the Wild Life Crime Control Bureau during the last three years

| S.No   | State             | No. of accused arrested   | No. of accused arrested   | No. of accused arrested   |
|--------|-------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|
|        |                   | 2021-22                   | 2022-23                   | 2023-24                   |
| 1      | Andhra Pradesh    | 12                        | -                         | 2                         |
| 2      | Arunachal Pradesh | -                         | -                         | 1                         |
| 3      | Assam             | 38                        | 31                        | 19                        |
| 4      | Bihar             | 13                        | 5                         | 11                        |
| 5      | Chhattisgarh      | 15                        | 19                        | 10                        |
| 6      | Delhi             | 13                        | 8                         | 4                         |
| 7      | Goa               | -                         | -                         | 3                         |
| 8      | Gujarat           | 2                         | 15                        | 15                        |
| 9      | Haryana           | 5                         | 1                         | -                         |
| 10     | Himachal Pradesh  | 7                         | 3                         | 1                         |
| 11     | Jammu &Kashmir    | -                         | 1                         | 7                         |
| 12     | Jharkhand         | 2                         | 9                         | 5                         |
| 13     | Karnataka         | 8                         | 21                        | -                         |
| 14     | Kerala            | 20                        | 3                         | 14                        |
| 15     | Madhya Pradesh    | 46                        | 40                        | 31                        |
| 16     | Maharashtra       | 38                        | 18                        | 15                        |
| 17     | Manipur           | -                         | 5                         | 1                         |
| 18     | Meghalaya         | 4                         | 3                         | -                         |
| 19     | Mizoram           | -                         | -                         | 2                         |
| 20     | Nagaland          | -                         | 2                         | -                         |
| 21     | Odisha            | 25                        | 30                        | 19                        |
| 22     | Punjab            | 2                         | 1                         | -                         |
| 23     | Rajasthan         | 12                        | 10                        | 7                         |
| 24     | Tamil Nadu        | 30                        | 40                        | 29                        |
| 25     | Telangana         | 3                         | 4                         | 1                         |
| 26     | Uttar Pradesh     | 45                        | 22                        | 24                        |
| 27     | Uttarakhand       | 4                         | 10                        | 17                        |
| 28     | West Bengal       | 49                        | 28                        | 38                        |