Nameeta Prasad, Director,International Center for Environment Audit and Sustainable Development

15,589 species are threatened with extinction.

784 species have become extinct in the wild since 1500 AD.

The current species extinction rate is estimated to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural rate.

Forests have disappeared in 25 countries.

More than 90 per cent of forests have been lost in another 29 countries.

Some facts……

15,589 species are threatened with extinction.

784 species have become extinct in the wild since 1500 AD.

The current species extinction rate is estimated to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural rate.

Forests have disappeared in 25 countries.

More than 90 per cent of forests have been lost in another 29 countries.

According to the international Conventionon Biological Diversity (1992), biodiversity(or biological diversity) is

the variability among living organisms from allsources including terrestrial, marine and otheraquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexesof which they are a part;

this includes diversity within species, between speciesand of ecosystems.

Pandit, 1997

Grasses

Fuel-wood

Fodder

Leaf litter

Grazing

Lopping

Fruit/seeds

Agri. Expans.Forest Fires

Micro-climate

Urbanisation

Interception

Regeneration

Food for downstream

fauna fish

Stream hydrologyDiversity

Food for

wildlife/birds

Habitat structuring

Soil protection/

formation/rejuvenation

Assimilation

TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM

Ecosystem Services rendered by biodiversity

16,306 of 41,415 species on the IUCN Red List are threatened with extinction, reports IUCN

total number of known extinct species now stands at 785, while a further 65 are only found in captivity or in cultivation. One in four mammals, one in eight birds, one third of all amphibians and 70% of the world's assessed plants on the 2007 IUCN Red List are considered at risk.

Among the degraded ecosystems, the freshwater ecosystem is the most under threat.

Growing concern within the international community for the loss of different species of animals, plants, and micro-organisms, which is accelerating.

One of the challenges of maintaining biodiversity

increasing demand for biological resources caused by population growth and increased consumption.

Habitat fragmentation caused by urbanization & agriculture and the overexploitation of resources lead to

Extinction of species

Extinction of habitats

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005 states

“Human activity is putting such strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet's ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted.”

MA identified 24 ecosystem services performed by biodiversity and reported that 15 of them are in decline, including

provision of fresh water,

marine fishery,

number and quality of places of spiritual and religious value,

ability of the atmosphere to filter pollutants,

regulation of natural hazards,

pollination, and

capacity of agricultural ecosystems to control pests.

Many ecosystem services are neither widely recognized nor adequately valued in economic terms. In 1997, the combined economic value of ecosystem services was

estimated at between US$16 and $54 trillion per year. Those services would be extremely costly or impossible to replace.

Recently, natural disasters have shown that human lives could have been saved and damage reduced if ecosystems had been better managed. Where mangrove forests were preserved , Asian Tsunami had less

effect when compared to those cleared for shrimp faming or tourist resorts.

Diverting the Mississippi River through a system of canals and levees changed its sedimentation pattern and eroded wetlands. With this natural protection gone, Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage to the Louisiana coastline in 2005.

Convention on Biological Diversity recognizes five major threats to biodiversity:

habitat change: loss and fragmentation;

invasive alien species (bio-invasion);

overexploitation;

pollution and nutrient loading; and

climate change and global warming.

Other known threats include biotechnology, agricultural methods, desertification (spread of

deserts), and bio-piracy.

Convention on Biological Diversity, the first global convention dealing specifically with the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, signed at the 1992 Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro.

The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity recognized that Biodiversity remains the living foundation for sustainable development.

In 2002, “2010 Biodiversity Target,” set to significantly slow the decline of biodiversity at the global, regional, and national levels by 2010.

One of its key elements is to bring awareness of biodiversity into mainstream economic sectors and development planning.

Governments have put legislation, policies, and programs in place to deal with biodiversity issues. Because these activities are regulated by government, SAIs can play a

major role in auditing government’s actions. in this field

SAIs do not need special mandates to conduct audits on biodiversity.

SAIs around the world conducted at least 180 environmental audits of ecosystems and biodiversity and 247 on nature and recreation between 1993 and 2003.

Like all environmental audits, an audit of biodiversity could examine financial and compliance issues as well as performance issues, depending on the SAI’s mandate.

Since biodiversity issues can be complex and difficult to understand, many SAIs hire experts to help them understand particular issues or to clarify some points

Step 1

• Identify the country’s biodiversity and threats to it.

Step 2

• Understand the government’s responses to these threats and the relevant players.

Step 3

• Choose audit topics and priorities.

Step 4

• Decide on audit objectives and lines of audit enquiry

Identify the country’s biodiversity and threats to it

(i) Assessment of biological resources of the country

(ii) What are the key threats to these resources and its diversity?

Auditors need to do the following:

1. List Economic sector/activities that depend on biological resources. Economy based on fisheries, forests, or agriculture?

2. Understand the nature of various types of ecosystems in the country. Are the ecosystems mainly marine, freshwater, or terrestrial, or are they combinations?

3. Understand the contribution that the country’s ecosystem makes to the economy For example, are wetlands and mangroves important to protect against flooding? Forest based economy

4. Understand the nature and status of species in the country Are any species endemic or endangered?

Auditors need to do the following

1. Check whether government has identified specific threats and the

risks that these threats pose to economic development, social

prosperity, and the quality of the environment.

In some cases, governments may not have adequately assessed the

threats to biodiversity

Auditors may consult universities, non-governmental and international

organizations, local and state councils, laws, and the media

2. Understand the causes behind these threats

Changes in land use, urbanization, agricultural practices, and many other factors can drive or aggravate the threats discussed

In addition, economic development policy, such as the increasing tourism in the world’s biodiversity hotspots, should not be overlooked.

Understand the government’s responses to these threats and the relevant players

(i) What is the government doing about these threats?

(ii) Who are the players and what are their roles and responsibilities?

Auditors need to identify the actions of the government to meet these threats in these areas:

1. Policies and programs

2. International treaties signed

3. Bringing in legislation and regulations

4. Economic tools and incentives

5. Environmental impact assessments

1. The auditor needs to identify the major players involved

2. The auditor needs to define the role and responsibility of each player

Choose audit topics and priorities

1. Identify the area in biodiversity which has the highest risks to the environment and the use of public funds

2. Is the topic auditable?

3. Can an audit make a difference?

Risk analysis to be done by SAI to define where its actions will be most relevant and useful.

When assessing threats to biodiversity, the auditor should consider the

magnitude of the actual and potential impact on the environment, society, and the economy.

When determining the damage to the environment, the auditor should question how reversible that damage is—irreversible damage is especially risky.

For some SAIs, the level of expenditure by the government is a critical factor; some monies can be earmarked for specific legislation and directives.

First and foremost, the auditor should decide whether there are suitable sources of criteria against which to conduct the audit.

Sources of criteria

government signed international biodiversity-related agreements

government enacted laws and regulations

Has the government made policy statements clear?

Biodiversity-related topics included in state budgets

Government receive external funding from international organizations (for example, the Global Environmental Fund or the European Union) to fulfill its biodiversity obligations related to international agreements?

SAI will have to assess where it will be most effective in improving the way the government protects and conserves biodiversity. The auditor may consider the following questions:

▪ What are the interests of the users of the audit report, particularly the primary users (e.g., Parliament)?

▪ What is the impact of the audit likely to be? Is the audit likely to make a significant difference?

▪ Has the topic been audited before?

▪ What is the relevance of this topic to protect basic human needs?

The SAI may then decide that it is not worthwhile to audit a biodiversity issue at this stage.

On the other hand, the SAI may include a line of enquiry related to biodiversity in an environmental audit, even though biodiversity is not the main issue.

For example, in an audit of climate change, a SAI may include a line of enquiry on the effect of climate change on biodiversity.

Decide on audit approaches: audit objectives and lines of enquiry.

What are the most relevant kind of audit

▪ Financial management and regularity audit

▪ Compliance with agreements, laws, and policies

▪ Performance audit

Use of public funds in projects and programs that focus on conservation and biodiversity.

Are the funds spent on biodiversity programs correctly administered, according to spending authorities and regulations?

Are adequate financial resources allocated to protection programs?

Is the disbursement of funds monitored?

Against what criteria is the disbursement of funds measured?

Do official trade-offs exist in policies? If so, how do the estimated benefits balance against the losses in biodiversity?

Compliance to internal laws/rules/regulation Are government policies being complied with? Has the government developed policies that address the

protection and conservation of biological resources in the country? Do the policies deal with the most important threats?

Have general policies on biodiversity been addressed, specified, and executed in laws and other legal instruments such as plans and budgets?

Compliance to international conventions/treaties Are there any conflicts or gaps between national policies on

biodiversity and the country’s environmental laws? Are environmental laws and regulations being adequately

enforced? Is there any conflict between national policies and the

international conventions that the country is a signatory to?

Have the relevant agencies defined expected results for their programs?

Have they developed indicators and measures for these results and are they being monitored and tracked?

Is the data used to measure performance reliable?

Are policies and programs on biodiversity achieving their objectives and intended results?

Why are policies and programs not achieving their objectives and intended results, and how can the causes be countered?

In 2006, the Iceland National Audit Office audited the efforts of its government, under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

In 2006, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) of Norway conducted an audit of government activities regarding the country’s commitments, under the CBD.

In 2004, the Mongolian National Audit Office conducted an audit entitled “Special Protected Area Network and Effectiveness of its Management” to assess the risk of the unsustainable use of resources and the decline of biological species in protected areas.

In 2004, the National Audit Office of China audited XishuangBanna National Nature Reserve and Jiangsu YanchengNational Wild Bird Reserve regarding management of these reserves

In 2005, the Office of Auditor General of Botswana conducted a performance audit of the fishing industry to determine how unregulated fishing activities, the absence of a policy framework, and operational mechanisms have affected the sustainability of fisheries and the environment.

Conserving plant genetic resources in India Conservation and protection of tigers in

tiger reserves Role of National biodiversity Authority Regulation of Biodiversity in India by National

Biodiversity Authority Role of Botanical Survey of India in meeting

India’s commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity

Protection of biodiversity and forests in Rajasthan

Botanical Survey of India is the premier body for undertaking surveys by exploring the plant resources of the country and identifying flora with economic virtues. After ratification of CBD in February 1994 by the Government of India, a larger role for the BSI was envisaged and objectives of BSI were remodeled in light of India’s ratification of the CBD.

Audit findings:

inadequate identification/ documentation and monitoring of plant species.

Very few surveys and explorations were carried out to identify and document the Protected Areas and Fragile ecosystems.

The Red Data Book was updated in 1990 and last updated version was printed in 2003 thereby impacting conservation efforts.

identification of different ethnic groups associated with usage of plant species for different purposes was not done.

BSI did not generate adequate data for in-situ conservation and it did not carry out ex-situ conservation, which impacted conservation of biodiversity.

As such, BSI could not effectively fulfill its role in meeting India’s commitment to CBD.

Ministry of Environment and Forests needs to ensure that all necessary infrastructure is provided to BSI to effectively ensure conservation of precious biodiversity and also to meet its commitments to CBD.

National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) was established in 2003 by the Government of India for the regulation, conservation and sustainable use of bio-resources of India.

Even six years after its formation, NBA could not notify important regulations like access to biodiversity, transfer of results of research and intellectual property rights etc.

ists of endangered medicinal plants in India and measures for their conservation were not drawn up.

NBA’s efforts in identifying threatened endangered and endemic species and recommending guidelines for their conservation were inadequate as list of endangered species was prepared for only seven out of 28 states.

It also failed to get the Peoples’ Biodiversity Registers and database of biological resources prepared, both of which were vital for efforts at protection and conservation of biological resources.

It had no information on grant of Intellectual Property Rights outside India on any biological resource obtained from India or knowledge associated with such biological resources which is derived from India

Thank you

Nameeta Prasad, Director (Environment Audit)

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (2005) defines forest as: Land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher

than 5 meters and a canopy cover of more than 10 percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ.

It doesn’t include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use.

Other experts have used definitions that are typically characterized by: the area of land; the area’s function; and an ecosystem.

1. Naturally regenerated forests With assistance: Forests established by natural regeneration, with

deliberate silvicultural assistance from man. The source of seed or vegetative reproduction is natural so this is a natural forest assisted by man.

Without assistance: Forests established by natural regeneration without deliberate assistance from man. These included virgin forests and those regenerated by natural means.

2. Planted forests Generally defined according to the extent of human intervention in the

forest's establishment and/or management. This in turn depends largely on the purpose of growing the forest . Ex: Primary forest/other wooded land , Productive plantation (in forest/other wooded land)

FAO (2001) divides the world’s forest into the following broad ecological zones based on rainfall patterns, temperature, and humidity:

tropical,

subtropical, temperate,

boreal.

These zones correspond largely to latitudes (although there may well be a wide range of forest types in any one continent or country).

Mountain forests Tropical rain forests Boreal coniferous forests Temperate broadleaf deciduous forests Mangrove Tropical dry forests and woodlands Subtropical dry forests

The FAO’s forests classification above is quite general.

Individual countries tend to adapt the FAO’s distribution or classification to meet their own needs.

Forests are amongst the most diverse and widespread ecosystems on the earth. They are critical in meeting human needs for

water, food, shelter, medicine, fuel wood, fodder, and timber.

They provide a wide range of environmental services, which include biological diversity conservation, watershed protection, protection of soil, mitigation of global climate change, and protection against desertification (FAO, 1999).

Forests are also important economically. They are source of livelihood and paid

employment for local economies, and make a major contribution to national economies through domestic and export sales of forest products.

According to the World Bank, 1.6 billion people rely heavily on forests for their livelihoods

Forests also play a major social role and contribute to people's quality of life

According to FAO (2005), forest ownership, is either: Privately owned

▪ Land owned by individuals, families, private cooperatives, corporations, industries, private religious and educational institutions, pension or investment funds, and other private institutions. Private owners may be engaged in agriculture or other occupations including forestry;

Publicly owned▪ Land owned by the state (national, state and regional

governments) or government-owned institutions or corporations or other public bodies including cities, municipalities and villages; or

Other. Neither publicly nor privately owned.

The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) guidelines on the conservation of biological diversity in tropical

production forests (ITTO, 1993) developed to optimize the contribution of timber-producing tropical forests to the conservation of biological diversity

The FAO’s model code of forest harvesting practice (1996) compiled to highlight the wide range of environmentally sound

harvesting practices that are available and to enable policy-makers to develop national, regional, or local codes of practice to serve particular needs.

The FAO’s governance principles for concessions and contracts in public forests compiles critical factors for balancing and safeguarding public and

private interests in forest management and identify new approaches to contractual arrangements for the provision of goods and services from public forests.

The ITTO, in collaboration with partners, developed guidelines for the restoration, management and rehabilitation of degraded and secondary tropical forests (ITTO, 2002).

The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) developed Legal Logging, a code of conduct for the paper industry (to combat illegal logging). Best practices for improving legal compliance in the forest sector (FAO/ITTO, 2005) distill the available knowledge that decision-makers could follow when attempting to reduce illegal operations in the forest sector.

1. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

Today, it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 30,000 species of animals and plants - whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats, or dried herbs. Participation is voluntary.

Although CITES is legally binding on the parties, it does not take the place of national laws.

Instead, it provides a framework to be respected by each party.

Each country has to then adopt its own domestic legislation to make sure CITES is implemented at the national level. (www.cites.org)

2. Ramsar Convention

Signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, the RamsarConvention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands.

It aims to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future.

It recognizes the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value. (www.ramsar.org)

3. World Heritage Convention This was founded by (UNESCO) in 1972 .

The Convention aims to encourage the identification, protection, and preservation of the earth’s cultural and natural heritage.

It provides for the protection for those cultural and natural “properties” deemed to be of greatest value to humanity by selecting an international list of the most outstanding of these.

To date, more than 170 countries have adhered to the Convention. (www.whc.unesco.org)

4. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

This was signed in the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992 and entered into force on 29 December 1993.

It is the first global agreement to cover all aspects of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. (www.cbd.int)

5. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) This is an international environmental treaty produced at

the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro.

The Convention entered into force on 21 March 1994. The treaty aims at stabilizing greenhouse gas

concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human-induced) changes to the global climate.

This action was aimed primarily at industrialized countries, with the intention of stabilizing their emissions of greenhouse gases at 1990 levels by the year 2000, and other responsibilities will be incumbent upon all UNFCCC parties. (www.unfccc.int)

6. Kyoto Protocol This international agreement links to the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change.

The Protocol aims to reduce greenhouse gases as a way of preventing anthropogenic climate change.

It entered into force on 16 February 2005.

Countries that ratify this Protocol commit to reducing their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases, or they commit to engaging in emissions trading if they maintain or increase these emissions.

Under the treaty, countries must meet their targets primarily through national measures.

However, the Kyoto Protocol also offers countries an three market-based mechanisms as way of meeting their targets: emissions trading, clean development mechanism, and joint implementation.

The mechanisms help stimulate green investment and help Parties meet their emissions targets in a cost-effective way. (www.unfccc.int)

Balancing the different ways that humans engage with forests depends on good policy and, more often than not, requires governments to play the role of judicious arbiter.

One of the key tools that governments can use is appropriate national and regional legislation and policies.

SAIs can audit not only the performance and the compliance of government activities, but also the soundness of government accountability systems and practices. SAIs can assist the government by strengthening

the way government manages its internal controls, by reviewing these controls and providing suggestions about how to improve them.

SAIs can also suggest how government can improve the ways it assesses and mitigates risks related to management processes.

Phase I: Identify risks

Phase II: Understanding the forest management entity’s efforts to mitigate risks

Phase III: Evaluate and test the capacity of the management entity to mitigate risks

Phase IV: Choose audit topics and priorities

At this stage, the SAI is expected to be able to identify risks pertinent to each sub-topic in the audit. In identifying the risks, auditors should take into

consideration the special characteristics of forest in question and the key players involved.

Risks related to forest management are difficult to asses and complex, and sometimes there is no comprehensive data available. SAIs may use external sources to identify risks. These sources include academic papers, studies done by

NGOs, interviews with relevant officials and representatives, and information from the media

Some examples of risk are:

Biodiversity and ecosystem loss

Forest fire risk

Illegal logging risk

Conflict risk

Revenue risk

Illegal use of lands

Characteristics to consider Type of forest

▪ Tropical rainforest

Type of ownership ▪ State owned

▪ Privately owned

▪ Concessions

▪ Traditional community

Function of forest Status of forest

▪ Protected forest

▪ Productive forest

▪ Hunting ground

Key players

The government

▪ Forest and environment departments

Others

▪ Private companies

▪ Local community

▪ International community

The forest management entity may already be undertaking efforts to resolve the various issues it faces.

With this in mind, the SAI should gain an understanding of the steps taken by the management entity and other key players involved. The SAI could get an understanding of the

management entity’s efforts to mitigate risks by reviewing legal regulations, standard operating procedures, policies, and instruments set out by the government; and by interviewing some key players.

Efforts to mitigate risks

Establish policies

Enact legislation

Forest biodiversity inventory

Designate areas for permanent forest

Phase 3 should result in the SAI having an understanding of what the management entity has done to mitigate the risks,

▪ Information on important topics and sub-topics,

▪ Whether the entity’s control systems are inadequate or have the potential to create further risks

Relevant staff and senior officials of the forest management entity should be interviewed to arrive at a conclusion.

During interviews, the entity’s various controls systems and procedures could be discussed in order to gain a better understating.

Additionally, sample-testing could also be undertaken to check whether the systems and procedures are sufficiently effective and reliable.

This is the most important and crucial stage.

As with Part III, the SAI’s capacity is very important when it comes to choosing audit topics and priorities.

The SAI needs to consider the auditors capacity to answer questions about the audit and its findings, the level and nature of public attention surrounding the subject, the amount of money involved, and the nature and extent of the impact that might result from the audit findings.

How: SAIs could conduct interviews with government officials, analyze previous audit reports, and research on public opinion regarding the topic and sub-topics to be audited.

5: Decide audit criteria

4: Formulate potential audit objective and researchable questions

3: Identify related risk

2: Decide the sub-topic

1: Choose primary audit topic

This is most important step in the audit process.

The SAI needs to identify key forest issue of greatest importance for the recipients of the report. This should be done in consultation with the client to ensure both parties agree and clearly understand the main purpose of the audit.

List of topics audited by SAIs

Performance Audit to the Actions Implemented for the Management of Forestry Resources

Application of policies and rules on forestry

Audit of the effective use of land and forest resources in Forest management office for Moscow area and Moscow city

Protection of valuable forest habitats in the Natura 2000 network areas

Audit of Forest Fire Control System

Audit of the project of sustainable management of native forest

Project for forest environment preservation

Forest Fire Prevention and Fight

Management of Recreational Forest

Audit on the Federal Program: Sustainable Amazon

The primary topic is a concise statement of the audit’s mission or purpose.

Once confirmed, sub-topics needs to be segmented into to facilitate planning the audit, including the risk analysis, internal controls and the roles of each SAI unit working on the audit.

After deciding on the topic and sub-topics, the SAI then needs to begin identifying the risk or risks with the potential to influence the direction and aims of both the audit and the work of each of the units working on the sub-topics. The identified risks have the potential to

become part of the audit’s ultimate findings

Environmental Impact Assessment can act as an information resource to identify forest risks.

Risk identification enables the SAI to develop a clearer picture of the audit’s direction and possible findings. This helps the SAI formulate the audit’s principal

objective. Once a potential audit objective is formulated, the

next step is to develop the kinds of research questions or lines of inquiry that are likely to guide the investigation towards achieving this objective.

The questions must be sufficiently comprehensive to enable the auditors to fulfill the potential audit objective.

Auditors will then examine the ways in which these questions can be answered.

This is crucial to determining the audit’s criteria.

Each question will require corresponding and measurable criteria to determine the degree of compliance of the entity being audited.

Audit criteria may be developed from international conventions agreements (bilateral and multilateral), national regulations, policies, best practices, and benchmarks

Performance audit of Implementation of Forest Conservation Act, 1980 Forest Department, Madhya Pradesh Objectives of the performance audit were to assess

whether: ▪ provisions of the Act were followed by the State Government in

case of diversion of forest land for non-forest purpose;

▪ conditions imposed by the GOI and the State Government for diversion of forest land were adhered to;

▪ mandatory conservation measures such as compensatory afforestation, catchment area treatment etc. were carried out effectively and efficiently;

▪ financial management was effective; nd system of monitoring and evaluation was in place and effective.

Audit findings: Utilization of forest land for non-forest purposes

without obtaining prior approval from the Central Government

Non carrying out and failure of compensatory afforestation plantations

catchment area treatment was not carried out at all Safety zones not created around the mining area Non-reclamation of mining area Environment clearance not obtained Plantations were not monitored and evaluated at all by

the nodal officer, the Conservators of Forests or an outside agency or any of their representatives

Conclusion Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 was enacted with the objective of

maintaining a sustainable balance between the developmental needs of the country and the conservation of natural environment.

This objective largely remains un-achieved in the State of Madhya Pradesh due to poor implementation of compensatory conservation measures.

Non-carrying out of conservation measures in large number of cases; non-utilization of funds received from user agencies; and failure of significant number of compensatory plantations reflect that the State Government was unable to mitigate the adverse effects of degradation of the environment resulting from diversion of green forests for non-forest purposes.

Further, there were significant cases of violation of the Act where neither any penal action was initiated by the Government nor any compensatory conservation measures was carried out after getting these cases regularized from the Central Government.

The audit objectives were as follows:

to assess whether the protection development and management of wildlife and its environment in the protected areas and outside has been carried out efficiently and effectively;

to see the extent of compliance with the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972; and

to see whether monitoring of implementation of various activities was effective.

Audit criteria Provisions of the Act, guidelines, rules, action

plans and orders of the Government of India and of the State Government, as well as orders of the Supreme Court.

Priorities fixed by the department for conservation and protection of wildlife.

Plans for scientific management and systematic growth of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries

Audit findings Non-preparation of management plans

Representative potential areas not notified as protected areas

Irrational creation of protected areas network without keeping in view the ecological status of a particular area

Variation between notified area and actual area

Eco-sensitive zones around protected areas not constituted

Non-declaration of wetlands as protected areas for conservation

Regular census of all the animals and birds in the wildlife area had not been conducted.

Non-protection of animals from poaching and illicit trade

Operation of rights/concessions and other illegal/prohibited activities in wildlife protected areas

Encroachments in wildlife areas

Unauthorized construction of roads in protected areas

Illegal grazing in protected areas

In Chhattisgarh, Performance audit of conservation of Wildlife in National Parks and Sanctuaries (2006) showed that the objective of conserving wild life and its habitat was accorded very low priority. There was limited communication network and anti-poaching operations were largely neglected. Forest guards were untrained and old and the wildlife population had also shown a steep decline.

In Arunachal Pradesh, Performance audit of Wildlife preservation revealed that the objective of preservation of wildlife in accordance with the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972 and National Wild Life Action Plan (NWLAP) 2002-16 was not achieved in Arunachal Pradesh in full due to the absence of financial control, delay in formulation of Management Plans, State Government’s inability to tackle the encroachment problems and lack of planning and prioritization of preservation/conservation measures

Thank you