PARLIAMENT QUESTION:- Marine Species Conservation.

 

PARLIAMENT QUESTION:- Marine Species Conservation

 02 DEC 2024  Delhi (prajaamaravati);

The Government has taken various important steps for the conservation of marine species which includes the following:

1. A network of protected areas across the Coastal States and Islands of the country has been created for the conservation of marine species under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
2. Many threatened marine species have been listed in Schedule I and II of the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972 providing them protection against hunting.
3. The Ministry has amended Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 to empower Indian Coast Guards for entry, search, arrest and detention in case of contravention of provisions of the Act.
4. The Ministry has released a National Marine Turtle Action Plan with the aim to conserve marine turtles and their habitats in India.
5. The Ministry has released ‘Marine Megafauna Stranding Management Guidelines’ in 2021 for management of stranding and entanglement of marine megafauna.
6. The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification,2019, promulgated under Environment (Protection) Act 1986, has specific focus on conservation and management plans of Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs), like Mangroves, Sea grasses, Sand dunes, Corals and Coral reefs, Biologically active mudflats, Turtle nesting grounds, and Horseshoe crabs’ habitats.
7. The Ministry provides financial assistance to States/UTs under the Centrally sponsored Scheme ‘Development of Wildlife Habitats’ for conservation of wildlife including marine fauna and its habitat. The details are provided as per Annexure-I.
8. The Ministry is granting funds under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes to maritime States for the conservation of Corals and Mangroves.
9. The Ministry under the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority provides funding support for conservation of Dugongs and their habitats.

 

Annexure-I

 

Details of funds released to coastal State/ UT Governments under CSS-‘Development of Wildlife Habitats’ during last five years:

(₹. in lakhs)

S. No.	Name of  States/UTs	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24
1	A& N Islands	132.64	0	135.77	25.125	0
2	Andhra Pradesh	0	0	0	0	0
3	Goa	111.654	0	0	0	50.10
4	Gujarat	0	124.5849	0	200.01	206.99
5	Karnataka	739.046	586.12634	1256.59314	291.71146	581.52346
6	Kerala	845.026	731.2845	295.7737	224.4735	921.0361
7	Maharashtra	715.781	146.08	0	350.3879	554.69645
8	Odisha	701.504	697.50	726.80273	967.4976	612.81161
9	Tamil Nadu	409.505	334.0354	390.75715	132.95205	373.8902
10	West Bengal	891.073	710.61953	757.25599	201.30866	385.29988
11	Puducherry	0	0	0	0	5.22
12	Lakshadweep	193.272	462.409	462.086	269.9055	124.655
	Grand Total	4739.501	3792.64	4025.039	2663.372	3816.223

This information was given by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.