This article has been written by Sarah Joseph.

This article has been edited and published by Shashwat Kaushik.

Introduction

From time to time, India had been known for its rich natural biodiversity, which had been a point of exploitation. Beneath this labyrinth lies the vibrant flora and fauna, home to many species that are innumerable. The mighty western guards, accounting for the majority of the tropics, aid as guardians protecting nature and climatic conditions, which impact us directly or indirectly evidentially. It’s crucial to conserve wildlife, as it may impact the sustainable living conditions that nature offers us. As the species chain is webbed, extinction of one hinders another.

The involvement of corporations and its impact on nature can be significantly observed. Which calls for wildlife conservation, what it is, what measures can be taken by the government, and the role of the growing companies is to be keenly analysed to address the uncertainties that may be faced.

Wildlife and wildlife conservation

What do wildlife and wildlife conservation mean? Are they interrelated? Wildlife, from the colloquial term, can be understood as animals, birds, insects, etc. that are wild and live in a natural environment. A two-dimensional aspect that defines wildlife that distinguishes it from wild to domestic animals is that wild animals are not artificially selected in a medium or long-term considered wild that is not tamed under human intervention similarly to that of domestic animals. This distinguishes wild animals from domesticated animals. We could also generalise that wild animals come under the purview of the wildlife. Protection and conservation of wildlife can be drawn out as wildlife conservation. Thus, both terms are interrelated.

Wildlife conservation and its impacts

Animals and plants live in different terrain ecosystems that are not inhabited by humans. The terrain ecosystem includes forest, grassland, and so on. In this sense, the protection of the natural habitat of plants and animals without causing disturbance to their existence can be referred to as wildlife conservation, with the peaceful coexistence of plants, animals, and humans along with the essence without losing its balance being the primary objective of wildlife conservation. To achieve this objective, recognised NGO along with the government is working together to hinder and put an end to the unauthorised encroachment and other illegal, threatening activities that cause severe endangered and extinction of wildlife. 

With the rise in unauthorised human activities, the wildlife biosphere suffered tremendously, resulting in:

• Change in climatic conditions;
• Destruction, fragmentation, and degradation of habitat;
• Pollution;
• Exploitation of resources resulting in its extension and so on.

To bring an end to this exploitation and the side effects of this cause, many  government legislations, awareness programs among the public and officials, categorisation of zones, implementation of biosphere reserves, many protective projects, recognition of the NGO’s and other similar measures had been implemented, but the arising question is how far the steps taken had been effectively implemented. Though much had been passed on, corruption and humans’ basic instinct of grumpling greed to a certain degree had made this goodwill in a lukewarm state. The rising calamity in eco-sensitive areas due to illogical human intervention can be cited as a thriving example.

Legal framework for wildlife conservation

The Government of India has carved out spectacular legislation with respect to conservation of wildlife, which was made in response to the growing wildlife destruction. A few of the renowned legislative frameworks include:

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972

This legislation is said to be one of the strongest legislation regarding wildlife conservation. It prohibited hunting. Worked for the protection and management of wildlife habitat. It established protected areas and categorised them as wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, tiger reserves, conservation reserves, and community reserves. It also regulated and prevented the trade practices that exploited the wildlife. Through the amendment in 2006, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) was established. This act dives into the rights of wildlife conservation.

The Indian Forest Act, 1927 

Enactment of this Act gave the state government exclusive control over forest to meet the timber needs. As for this purpose, the forest area was categorised into reserved, protected and village forest. This act also defined what state ownership is and regulated its use. A reserved forest is the most protected one and any sort of activity in the said forest is a punishable offence.

The Forest Conservation Act, 1980

When state governments started releasing the forest to meet with agricultural, industrial, and other projects, there seemed to be a surge in deforestation. To put a rapid check on these surges, this Act was enacted. With the implementation of this Act, states had to go through the central government’s acceptance for the use of forests. 

The Environmental Protection Act 1986, the Biological Diversity Act 2002, and the National Forest Policy 1998 are a few of the other legal frameworks implemented with the agenda of  wildlife conservation.

It could be summarised that the Indian legal framework for wildlife conservation had put a great effort into implementing, conserving and protecting wildlife.

Legal perspective of cooperates in wildlife conservation

It is to be understood that India stands as one of the greatest holders of mega-biodiversity in the world. So protection concerning the same is of highest demand with respect to cost. It’s also the nation that has always attracted the corporations in its investment and development goals. Since time immemorial, the philanthropist activity of conserving and protecting the nature of cooperation has been directed to only education, health and so on. With the enactment of the Companies Act 2013, CSR, i.e., the concept of corporate social responsibility towards wildlife, had made a significant change but on observation, it can be verified that only a few contribute, compared to the significant expansion of corporate footing in India. So is it worth it for such a movement? It could be stated that such action is worthy. As it not only makes a name for the corporate entity but also covers the financial burden faced by the government in wildlife conservation to an extent. It’s the Companies Act 2013 that brought a legal framework that promoted such activities to be implemented fruitfully.

CSR stance in wildlife conservation

The practice of CSR can be traced back to the 19th century. Its evolution can be categorised  into four. Initial phase (1860-1914) donation mainly to religious causes. 1940-1960, phase two focused on social development. The period between 1960 and 1980 saw the 3rd phase; initiatives of business went through legal steps and the last phase is the 4th, which we go through is a mix of traditional CSR and sustainable business strategy. Clause 136 of the Company Act 2013, any company with an annual turnover of 151 million USD or more in net profit has to comply with the provision of the Act. That is, to spend at least 2% of their revenue of the last 3 years in CRS deeds.

Protection of wildlife comes under the purview of item 6 of Clause 135, Schedule 7 of the Companies Act 2013. Ensure all activities promote protecting the environment, its balance, conservation, and so on. Here the arising question is, is this activity solely enough to address the concern of wildlife conservation? It could be stated that at many times companies do their activities for name or hidden agendas, and hence most of the activities are far away from practicality, less scientific or may turn worse in the long run. A much more research-orientated initiative proceeding may change the face of this scenario and hence aid in implementing the goals error-free successfully.

TATA Capital Limited: Save the whale shark initiative

The initiative of the tata group in protecting whale sharks that’s currently Scheduled in I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, is an endangered species. They conducted a campaign among the fishing community, assigning an ambassador. Convinced people of not choosing sharks for consumption. Researched and studied on its habitat migration, etc. introduced shark tagging. This was possible with cooperation of Gujarat state forest department and wildlife trust of India. This and many other initiatives were done in several phases. Other projects include ‘save the asian lion project,’ etc.

Muthoot Group: Human elephant conflict management program

The financial limited logo itself shows the conservation initiative. Implemented several projects to reduce the affected areas of elephant attacks. Equipped villages with spencers and other advanced technology to protect themselves and so on. 

Other such projects include Aircel’s- ‘Save Our Tiger Project’, Nokia India’s- ‘River Water Project’ and so on.

It would be recommended that the initiatives taken by the cooperation be in the practical sphere, addressing all issues faced in wildlife conservation and giving importance to all. Not concentrating on just one species or so. Such projects are of active collaboration of the government or department, hence increasing its efficiency. Making sure that the projects are not just paper talks but active walks

Conclusion

Corporates and entities play a crucial role in wildlife conservation; a major success for such a project is the effective legal framework of the Companies Act. It is expected that more amendments would be made so as to meet the modern sustainable requirements of all time for an effective implementation of wildlife conservation.