The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has enacted amendments to the Schedules appended to the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, effective May 27, 2025. These changes, made under Section 61 of the Act, involve renaming species, omitting certain entries, and extensively revising the Appendices to reflect updated conservation statuses and trade regulations.
Key Changes at a Glance
Schedule I: The Manipur brow-antlered deer will now be referred to as “Sangai,” aligning with its common name. The Pycnonotidae family, specifically the Pycnonotus zeylanicus (Straw-headed Bulbul), has been added. Several reptile and turtle species, including Tiliqua adelaidensis (Adelaide Pygmy Blue-tongue Skink), Chilabothrus monensis and Chilabothrus subflavus (boa species), Batagur kachuga (Red-crowned Roofed Turtle), Cuora galbinifrons (Indo-Chinese Box Turtle), Kinosternon cora and Kinosternon vogti (mud turtle species), and Nilssonia leithii (Leith’s Softshell Turtle), have been added to this highest protection category.
Schedule II: Two butterfly entries have been omitted. The Malabar Whistling Thrush (Copsychus malabaricus) and the Short-tailed Albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) are among the notable additions. Several reptile and amphibian species, including the Jeypore Ground Gecko (Cyrtodactylus jeyporensis), Chazalia’s Dwarf Gecko (Tarentola chazaliae), various horned lizard species (Phrynosoma spp.), the Mata Mata turtle (Chelus fimbriatus), snapping turtle species (Chelydra serpentina, Macrochelys temminckii), numerous map turtle species (Graptemys spp.), various mud turtle species (Kinosternon spp., Claudius angustatus, Staurotypus spp., Sternotherus spp.), softshell turtle species (Apalone spp.), and various glass frog species (Centrolenidae spp.), have been added. Certain shark (Carcharhinidae spp., Sphyrnidae spp.), freshwater stingray (Potamotrygon spp.), and guitarfish (Rhinobatidae spp.) families, as well as the Zebra Pleco (Hypancistrus zebra) and sea cucumber species (Thelenota spp.), are also newly listed. Plant additions include various timber species (Handroanthus spp., Roseodendron spp., Tabebuia spp., Afzelia spp., Dipteryx spp., Pterocarpus spp., Khaya spp.) and the roseroot (Rhodiola spp.).
Schedule IV (Interpretation): Significant changes have been made to the interpretation of CITES Appendix inclusions, clarifying that the whole organism and its parts/derivatives are included unless specifically annotated. The interpretation of the “10 kg per shipment” limit for Dalbergia and Guibourtia wood has been revised to focus on the individual weight of each annotated species within a shipment, not the total weight. The definition of “Transformed wood” has been updated to align with Harmonized System codes.
Appendix III: Several bird species from Cuba (Melopyrrha nigra, Tiaris canorus) and a snake species from Israel (Daboia palaestinae) have been added. A butterfly from the European Union (Papilio phorbanta) and numerous plant species from South Africa (various Conophytum, Mestoklema, Raphionacme, Othonna, Crassothonna, Tylecodon, Monsonia, Pelargonium, Adenia, and Portulacaria species) are also newly listed.
Annotations and Footnotes: Existing footnotes have been renumbered, and new annotations have been added to clarify specific trade conditions for certain Ceratotherium simum simum (White Rhinoceros) populations in Eswatini, Namibia, and South Africa. Revisions have also been made to the “Hash Footnotes” concerning exemptions for certain plant parts and derivatives, as well as for finished musical instruments made from listed wood species.
