SCHEDULES OF WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT 1972

Overview

The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 is a law in India that seeks to provide for the protection of wildlife, including both flora and fauna, throughout the country. The Act classifies animals based on their level of protection and provides for the imposition of penalties for offenses related to them. The classification is done through six schedules.

Schedule	Covered Categories	Prohibitions and Requirements
Schedule I	Wild animals listed under Mammals	Covered under the definition of Scheduled animals and Scheduled animal articles. Dealing in these along with their articles and trophies is prohibited under Section 49 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
	Amphibians and Reptiles	Covered under the definition of Scheduled animals and Scheduled animal articles. Dealing in these along with their articles and trophies is prohibited under Section 49 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
	Birds	Covered under the definition of Scheduled animals and Scheduled animal articles. Dealing in these along with their articles and trophies is prohibited under Section 49 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
	Crustacea and Insects	Hunting of these animals is also prohibited.
Schedule II	Wild animals listed under Mammals and Reptiles	Dealing in Part I Schedule articles requires a license. Part II covered under the definition of Scheduled animals and Scheduled animal articles.
Schedule II	Beetles	Dealing in these items and animal articles requires a license. Hunting is prohibited.
Schedule III	Wild animals under Mammals	Dealing in these items and animal articles and trophies requires a license. Hunting is prohibited.
Schedule IV	Wild animals under Mammals and Birds	Dealing in these items and animal articles and trophies requires a license. Hunting is prohibited.
Schedule V	Vermins (Common Crow, Fruit Bats, Mice, and Rats living in the wild)	Vermins living in the wild are excluded from the definition of Wild Animals.
Schedule VI	List of plants	License from the Chief Wild Life Warden is required for dealing in specified plants. Cultivation also requires a license.

Schedule	Description	Examples of Species Included
Schedule I	Provides the highest level of protection to the species listed here. Hunting, trading, and exploitation of these animals are strictly prohibited. Offenses under this schedule attract the most severe penalties.	Bengal Tiger, Asiatic Lion, Indian Elephant, Snow Leopard, Great Indian Bustard
Schedule II	Provides protection to species, but the penalties for offenses are less severe than those for Schedule I. Includes species that require rigorous protection but are not as critically endangered as Schedule I species.	King Cobra, Indian Python, Sambar Deer, Black Buck
Schedule III	Includes species that are protected, but the penalties for offenses are less severe than for those in Schedules I and II. These species are relatively more common but still need protection from hunting and trade.	Chinkara (Indian Gazelle), Nilgai (Blue Bull)
Schedule IV	Includes species that are also protected but with the least stringent penalties. This schedule covers animals that are relatively abundant and less threatened.	Indian Porcupine, Palm Squirrel, Flying Fox
Schedule V	Includes species that are considered vermin and may be hunted without restrictions. These species are typically those that are deemed harmful to human activities, such as agriculture.	Common Crow, Fruit Bats, Mice, Rats
Schedule VI	Contains plant species that are prohibited from cultivation and planting. This schedule aims to protect endangered plant species and prevent their exploitation.	Beddome’s Cycad, Blue Vanda, Kuth, Pitcher Plant

Schedule I List

Mammals

Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution	IUCN Red List Category
Andaman Wild Pig	Sus scrofa andamanensis	Andaman Islands	Vulnerable
Bharal (Blue Sheep)	Pseudois nayaur	Himalayas	Least Concern
Binturong	Arctictis binturong	Northeastern India, Southeast Asia	Vulnerable
Black Buck	Antelope cervicapra	Indian Subcontinent	Near Threatened
Brow-antlered Deer (Thamin)	Rucervus eldii	Manipur, Myanmar	Endangered
Himalayan Brown Bear	Ursus arctos isabellinus	Himalayas, northern India	Endangered
Capped Langur	Trachypithecus pileatus	Northeastern India, Bangladesh	Vulnerable
Caracal	Caracal caracal	Indian Subcontinent	Least Concern
Cheetah	Acinonyx jubatus	Extinct in India	Vulnerable
Chinese Pangolin	Manis pentadactyla	Northeastern India, Southeast Asia	Critically Endangered
Chinkara (Indian Gazelle)	Gazella bennettii	Indian Subcontinent	Least Concern
Clouded Leopard	Neofelis nebulosa	Northeastern India, Southeast Asia	Vulnerable
Crab-eating Macaque	Macaca fascicularis	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Least Concern
Desert Cat	Felis margarita	Northwestern India	Least Concern
Desert Fox	Vulpes vulpes pusilla	Northwestern India	Least Concern
Dugong	Dugong dugon	Indian Ocean	Vulnerable
Ermine	Mustela erminea	Northern Hemisphere	Least Concern
Fishing Cat	Prionailurus viverrinus	Wetlands of India, Southeast Asia	Vulnerable
Four-horned Antelope	Tetracerus quadricornis	Indian Subcontinent	Vulnerable
Gangetic Dolphin	Platanista gangetica	Ganges, Brahmaputra Rivers	Endangered
Gaur (Indian Bison)	Bos gaurus	Indian Subcontinent	Vulnerable
Golden Cat	Catopuma temminckii	Northeastern India, Southeast Asia	Near Threatened
Golden Langur	Trachypithecus geei	Assam, Bhutan	Endangered
Giant Squirrel	Ratufa macroura	Western Ghats, Northeastern India	Near Threatened
Himalayan Ibex	Capra sibirica	Himalayas	Least Concern
Himalayan Tahr	Hemitragus jemlahicus	Himalayas	Near Threatened
Hispid Hare	Caprolagus hispidus	Terai grasslands	Endangered
Hog Badger	Arctonyx collaris	Northeastern India, Southeast Asia	Near Threatened
Hoolock Gibbon	Hoolock hoolock	Northeastern India, Bangladesh	Endangered
Indian Elephant	Elephas maximus	Indian Subcontinent	Endangered
Indian Lion (Asiatic Lion)	Panthera leo persica	Gir Forest, Gujarat	Endangered
Indian Wild Ass	Equus hemionus khur	Rann of Kutch, Gujarat	Near Threatened
Indian Wolf	Canis lupus pallipes	Indian Subcontinent	Endangered
Kashmir Stag (Hangul)	Cervus elaphus hanglu	Kashmir Valley	Critically Endangered
Leaf Monkey	Trachypithecus phayrei	Northeastern India, Myanmar	Endangered
Leopard (Panther)	Panthera pardus	Indian Subcontinent	Vulnerable
Leopard Cat	Prionailurus bengalensis	Indian Subcontinent	Least Concern
Lesser or Red Panda	Ailurus fulgens	Eastern Himalayas	Endangered
Lion-tailed Macaque	Macaca silenus	Western Ghats	Endangered
Loris	Nycticebus coucang	Indian Subcontinent	Vulnerable
Little Indian Porpoise	Neophocaena phocaenoides	Indian Ocean, Ganges River	Vulnerable
Lynx	Lynx lynx isabellinus	Indian Subcontinent	Least Concern
Malabar Civet	Viverra megaspila	Western Ghats	Critically Endangered
Malay or Sun Bear	Helarctos malayanus	Northeastern India, Southeast Asia	Vulnerable
Marbled Cat	Pardofelis marmorata	Northeastern India, Southeast Asia	Near Threatened
Markhor	Capra falconeri	Himalayas, northern India	Endangered
Mouse Deer	Tragulus meminna	Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats	Least Concern
Musk Deer	Moschus moschiferus	Himalayas	Endangered
Nilgiri Langur	Trachypithecus johnii	Western Ghats	Endangered
Nilgiri Tahr	Nilgiritragus hylocrius	Western Ghats	Endangered
Tibetan Antelope (Chiru)	Pantholops hodgsonii	Tibet, Ladakh	Endangered
Tibetan Fox	Vulpes ferrilatus	Tibetan Plateau, Ladakh	Least Concern
Tibetan Gazelle	Procapra picticaudata	Tibetan Plateau, Ladakh	Near Threatened
Tibetan Wild Ass (Kiang)	Equus kiang	Tibetan Plateau, Ladakh	Least Concern
Tiger	Panthera tigris	Indian Subcontinent	Endangered
Urial (Shapu)	Ovis vignei	Western Himalayas	Vulnerable
Wild Buffalo	Bubalus arnee	Indian Subcontinent	Endangered
Wild Yak	Bos grunniens	Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau	Vulnerable
Tibetan Wolf	Canis lupus chanco	Tibetan Plateau, Ladakh	Vulnerable

GS3 - schedules of wildlife protection act 1972

Overview

Schedule I List

Mammals