While 133 species of plants have been named as threatened in study reports, Schedule VI of the Wildlife Protection Act has named only six species for legal protection, said a public interest litigation petition filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday.
A Division Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and S. Ananthi ordered notice to the Centre and the State in the petition filed by K. Pushpavanam, who sought a direction to authorities to update and restructure the Schedules of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 in accordance with the reports.
He said the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Wildlife Institute of India had prepared the lists and the Biological Survey of India had also contributed to them. It was disheartening to know that when 133 species of plants were named as threatened, only six species had legal protection under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Therefore, there was a need to revisit the Schedules under the Act and update it as per the list as expeditiously as possible, the petitioner said.
The court sought a response and adjourned hearing in the case.
