Why in the News?

The Manipur government has imposed an immediate prohibition on the hunting, capture, killing and trading of Amur falcons in Tamenglong district and surrounding areas. Locally known as Kahuaipuina, authorities are enforcing measures to protect them during their roosting period, including a temporary ban on air guns and requiring residents to deposit weapons with village authorities. Violations will incur penalties under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Amur Falcons

• Scientific Name: Falco amurensis
• They are migratory birds, traveling thousands of kilometers from their breeding grounds in Eastern Russia and Northern China to wintering areas in Southeast Asia and Southern Africa.
• They have a distinctive appearance with a slate-gray body, pointed wings and a short tail.
• Primarily insectivorous, they feed on a diet of insects, especially during migration, often catching them mid-air.
• They were featured in the COP 13 logo.
• Nagaland is called the Falcon Capital of the World.
• The birds are the least concern under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Amur Falcon

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972

• It provides a legal framework for the protection of various species of wild animals and plants, management of their habitats, regulation, and control of trade in wild animals, plants and products made from them.
• It establishes the National Wildlife Board to advise the government on wildlife conservation and management policies.
• It empowers state governments to create wildlife preservation committees.
• There are five protected areas under the Act: Sanctuary, National Parks, Conservation Reserves, Community Reserves and Tiger Reserves.
• Schedules under the Act
  • Schedule I
    • It covers endangered species that need rigorous protection.
    • A person is liable to the harshest penalties for violation of the law under this Schedule.
    • Species under this Schedule are prohibited to be hunted throughout India, except under threat to human life or in case of a disease that is beyond recovery.
    • Some of the animals listed under Schedule I include the Black Buck, Snow Leopard, Himalayan Bear and Asiatic Cheetah.
  • Schedule II
    • Animals under this list are also accorded high protection with the prohibition on their trade.
    • Some of the animals listed under Schedule II include Assamese Macaque, Himalayan Black Bear and Indian Cobra.
  • Schedule III & IV
    • Species that are not endangered are included under Schedule III and IV.
    • This includes protected species with hunting prohibited but the penalty for any violation is less compared to the first two schedules.
    • Animals protected under Schedule III include Chital (spotted deer), Bharal (blue sheep), Hyena, and Sambhar (deer).
    • Animals protected under Schedule IV include Flamingo, Hares, Falcons, Kingfishers, Magpie, and Horseshoes Crabs.
  • Schedule V
    • This schedule contains animals that are considered vermin (small wild animals that carry disease and destroy plants and food). These animals can be hunted.
    • It includes only four species of wild animals: Common Crows, Fruit Bats, Rats, and Mice.
  • Schedule VI
    • It provides for regulation in the cultivation of a specified plant and restricts its possession, sale, and transportation.
    • Both cultivation and trade of specified plants can only be done with the competent authority's prior permission.
    • Plants protected under Schedule VI include Beddomes’ cycad (Native to India), Blue Vanda (Blue Orchid), Red Vanda (Red Orchid), Kuth (Saussurea lappa), Slipper orchids (Paphiopedilum spp.) and Pitcher plant (Nepenthes khasiana).