About NBWL

• The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) is a statutory board set up in 2003 by an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• It is the apex body for wildlife conservation in India. The Board is responsible for promotion of conservation and development of wildlife and forests.
• NBWL is chaired by the Prime Minister of India. The NBWL has 47 members including the chairperson. The committee includes government officials as well as “non-official members”, or independent experts.
• Every new government constitutes a new board, based on the provisions of the WLPA, with the new PM as the chair.
• The Standing Committee of NBWL is chaired by the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, who is also the vice chairperson of the NBWL.  The Standing Committee performs such duties as may be delegated by the National Board.

Powers of NBWL

• The NBWL advises the central and state governments on the ways and means of promoting wildlife conservation and controlling poaching and illegal trade of wildlife and its products. 
• It can also make recommendations on setting up of national parks and other protected areas and on matters relating to restriction of activities in those areas. 
• The NBWL has special responsibilities with respect to tiger reserves, specifically, to ensure that no tiger reserves or areas linking different tiger reserves are diverted towards ecologically unsustainable use, without prior approval. 
• The NBWL has the power to approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries.
• No alteration of the boundaries of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries can be done without the permission of the NBWL.
• The Wildlife Protection Act mandates that without the approval of the Board, de-reservation of Tiger Reserves, construction of tourist-lodges and destruction/diversion of wildlife habitat cannot take place.