National Board for Wildlife: Hoolock Gibbon

The National Board for Wildlife deferred its nod to Cairn Oil and Gas’s proposal for oil exploration in Assam’s Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary until a site visit is carried out.

• The standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), the country’s apex body on wildlife conservation, has deferred its nod to a Vedanta subsidiary’s proposal for oil exploration in Assam’s Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, the habitat of the endangered Hoolock Gibbon.
• Chaired by Union Environment Minister, the standing committee also appraised and cleared a proposal to electrify a section of an existing 100-year–old broad railway line passing through the sanctuary in Jorhat, subject to the construction of animal passages.
• The NBWL also cleared road widening through the buffer zone of the Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan’s Bundi, subject to conditions on building animal passages.

About Hoolock Gibbon:

• The Hoolock Gibbon is India’s only ape species and the shy, arboreal animals number only between 120-130 in the forests of Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary and surrounding Dessoi reserve.

Indian Railway Construction International Limited (IRCON) has proposed 25 KV electrification of a 9-km stretch on the Lumding-Dibrugarh section of the Northeast Frontier Railway.

• A 1.65 km stretch of railway line fragments the Gibbon sanctuary. With regards to this railway electrification project, the NBWL cleared subject to conditions that train speeds should be restricted based on prescriptions of the state forest department and that adequate animal passage plans should be executed.
• In May 2023, the Wildlife Institute of India had prepared a report on the animal passages that can be built to allow the Hoolock Gibbons to cross 1.65 km of the old railway track passing through the sanctuary.
• It had recommended the construction of artificial and natural canopy bridges for the safe passage of Gibbons. The NBWL also asked the railway authorities to not energise the electric wires until wildlife passages are in place.
• The road widening in Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve, submissions to the NBWL show, would require 28.8 hectares of forest land from the buffer zone of the reserve in Bundi district of Rajasthan. The widening proposal was for National Highway-12 between Laxmipura-Dora-Daba-Ranaji ka Guda.

A site inspection committee comprising members of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the Rajasthan forest department and the wildlife division of the environment ministry visited the road project site and recommended the plan with conditions.

The wildlife board said in its conditional clearance for the project that the Rajasthan Forest department should provide inputs on locations frequently used by wild animals to cross the roads and construct animal underpasses, apart from those proposed at five locations.

About the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) :

It is a statutory body in India, created under the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The NBWL is tasked with advising the government on matters related to wildlife conservation, management of protected areas, and policies to ensure the preservation of India’s rich biodiversity.

Key Functions and Responsibilities:

1. Advisory Role: The NBWL advises the Government of India on the framing and implementation of policies and programs for wildlife conservation and for preventing harm to wildlife habitats.
2. Sanctioning Projects in Protected Areas: One of the NBWL’s primary functions is to evaluate and grant or deny clearance to projects—such as infrastructure development (roads, dams, mining, etc.)—that may impact protected areas like national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and tiger reserves. The board plays a critical role in balancing developmental needs with conservation goals.
3. Monitoring Conservation Efforts: The NBWL monitors the implementation of various laws, rules, and measures concerning wildlife conservation across India, ensuring that they align with national and international commitments to biodiversity protection.
4. Preservation of Endangered Species: The NBWL works towards the protection of endangered species in India and suggests measures for their habitat preservation and recovery.
5. Coordination with Other Agencies: The NBWL coordinates with other bodies and ministries, including the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), to integrate wildlife conservation into broader environmental and development policies.

Composition of NBWL:

• Chairperson: The Prime Minister of India is the chairperson of the NBWL, reflecting the board’s national importance.
• Vice Chairperson: The Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change serves as the vice-chairperson.
• Members: The board includes representatives from government ministries, wildlife experts, conservationists, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and members of civil society. It is made up of 47 members, including official and non-official members.