Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972

The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 is a set of laws created in 1972 by the Government of India. Before 1972, India had only five national parks.

The Act protects wild animals, a birds and plants in all of India, except the State of Jammu and Kashmir, which has its own wildlife act. It has six sections that give different degrees of protection. Schedule I Archived 2010-09-11 at the Wayback Machine and part II of Schedule II Archived 2010-09-11 at the Wayback Machine provide complete protection. Offences under these are given the highest penalty. Species listed in Schedule III Archived 2010-09-11 at the Wayback Machine and Schedule IV Archived 2010-11-15 at the Wayback Machine are also protected, but the penalties are much lower. Schedule V Archived 2010-09-11 at the Wayback Machine includes the animals that can be hunted. The plants in Schedule VI Archived 2010-09-11 at the Wayback Machine are prohibited from harvesting and planting.

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