Kerala becomes first state to amend central wildlife law: CM Vijayan

Kerala has become the first state in the country to pass a Bill amending the Central Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday.The Kerala Assembly passed the Kerala Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill on Wednesday with the objective of addressing the growing incidents of human-animal conflict in the state.In a post on social media platform X, Chief Minister Vijayan said that the passage of the Bill marks a significant step toward ensuring justice for communities living near forest areas. “These reforms reaffirm Kerala’s commitment to safeguarding both human life and wildlife, fostering harmony between people and nature,” he said.

Kerala has become the first state to pass a Bill amending the Central Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The Kerala Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill, along with the Forest Amendment Bill, marks a major step towards addressing rising human-animal conflicts and ensuring justice for…

— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) October 9, 2025

The Bill will now be forwarded to the Raj Bhavan, which will in turn refer it to the President for approval, as it pertains to a Central law, official sources confirmed.The legislation was introduced in the Assembly last month and aims to empower the state government to act swiftly in cases of escalating human-wildlife conflict. Forest Minister A K Saseendran had earlier told the Assembly that the government was compelled to bring its own amendment after repeated requests to the Centre for timely changes to the Central Act yielded no results.He highlighted that human-animal conflict affects nearly one-third of Kerala’s population, particularly those residing in forest-adjacent regions. The minister said the amendment’s key provisions include granting the state the authority to declare certain wildlife as vermin and providing greater flexibility for intervention in emergency situations.