Kerala State Board for Wildlife reconstitution faces criticism over nominees
Environmental activists have questioned the selection of certain members, including a Wayanad-based activist, for the reconstituted board.
The Kerala government has reconstituted the State Board for Wildlife, a move that has drawn criticism from environmental activists regarding the composition of the panel. According to The Hindu, the board is headed by the Chief Minister as chairperson and the Forest Minister as vice-chairperson.
Conservation activists have raised concerns over the nomination of K.P. Elias, an activist based in Wayanad. N.
Badusha, president of the Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi, alleged that Elias has taken positions opposing forest preservation. Badusha claimed Elias advocated for hunting wild animals to control populations and questioned the role of forests in addressing global warming.
Badusha also referred to Elias' reported support for a tunnel road through the hills of Wayanad and an airport requiring the reclamation of paddy fields. The Co-existence Collective, a coalition of environmental organisations and scientists, has registered a strong protest over the panel's constitution. Elias was unavailable to respond to these allegations.
The board includes three legislators: Kunnathur MLA Ullas Kovoor, Poonjar MLA Sebastian M.J., and Thiruvambady MLA C.K. Kasim. Non-governmental organisation representatives include Renjan Mathew Varghese of WWF-India, Jose Louise of the Wildlife Trust of India, and M.K.
Ranjit Singh, chairman emeritus of the Wildlife Trust of India.
Ten members representing conservationists and ecologists have been nominated, including tribal representatives Chandanam N. and Raman Rajamannan. Other nominated members are K.V. Dayal, Meera Chandran, Vinod C., Sandeep Das, Suma, Balan Madhavan, and Saji Joseph.
The Chief Wildlife Warden will serve as the member secretary for the three-year tenure.