WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT, 1972: A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF INDIA’S CONSERVATION FRAMEWORK

India is recognised as one of the world’s biologically diverse countries. Its forests, wetlands, mountains, grasslands, deserts, rivers and coastal ecosystems support a vast range of animals, birds, reptiles, fish, insects and plant species. This natural wealth is not merely a source of aesthetic value or tourism revenue; it is essential to ecological balance, climate resilience, food security, water conservation and the survival of human communities. Yet, wildlife in India faces persistent threats from habitat fragmentation, illegal development and human wildlife conflict.