Tamil Nadu State Board for Wildlife reconstituted: CM chairs, Forest Minister vice-chair, 3 MLAs as members

4 November 2026 · English Environment & Ecology

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Topics: Environment · 4 November 2026 Current Affairs (UPSC / TNPSC / SSC / RRB)

News

A Government Order (G.O.(D) No. 198, dated 28.10.2026) under Section 6(1) of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 reconstituted the Tamil Nadu State Board for Wildlife; it was reported on 1–3 Nov 2026. Re-formed after the change of government, the Board is chaired by CM C. Joseph Vijay, with the Forest Minister as Vice-Chairperson and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Chief Wildlife Warden as Member-Secretary. The 30 members include 3 MLAs – Dr M. Sudhakar (Katpadi), S. Karthikeyan (Madurai East) and M.R. Pallavi (Thiru.Vi.Ka. Nagar) – 3 NGO representatives, 10 experts and 14 officials; the Chief Secretary is a special invitee. Non-official members serve 2 years.

Key facts

Order	G.O.(D) No. 198, 28.10.2026 – Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972, Section 6(1)
Chair / Vice-chair	CM C. Joseph Vijay / Forest Minister
Member-Secretary	PCCF & Chief Wildlife Warden
MLAs	M. Sudhakar (Katpadi), S. Karthikeyan (Madurai East), M.R. Pallavi (Thiru.Vi.Ka. Nagar)
Others	3 NGOs (WTI, NCF, OMCAR), 10 experts (BNHS, IUCN India...), 14 officials – 30 in all
Term	Non-official members – 2 years; Chief Secretary – special invitee

Background

• Law: the Wild Life (Protection) Act was enacted in 1972. The 2002 Amendment Act (Act 16 of 2003) created the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) under Section 5A and State Boards under a new Section 6. The NBWL is chaired by the Prime Minister; its Standing Committee (Section 5B) by the Union Environment Minister. Its forerunner was the Indian Board for Wildlife (1952).
• State Board's role: advising the government on selecting areas to be declared protected (sanctuaries, national parks), their management, wildlife policy, amending the Act's schedules and balancing tribal needs with conservation. Projects such as roads, dams or mines in sanctuary areas need the Board's recommendation.
• Constitution: the 42nd Amendment (1976) moved 'Forests' and 'Protection of wild animals and birds' from the State List to the Concurrent List (entries 17A, 17B); the same amendment added the Directive Principle on protecting the environment, forests and wildlife – Article 48A.
• Board composition (Section 6): Chief Minister (Administrator in a UT) – Chairperson; Minister for Forests & Wildlife – Vice-Chairperson; three legislators; three NGOs; ten conservationists/ecologists (at least two from Scheduled Tribes); representatives of the Wildlife Institute of India, Botanical Survey and Zoological Survey of India; Chief Wildlife Warden – Member-Secretary.

Tamil Nadu link: Tamil Nadu has five tiger reserves – Kalakad–Mundanthurai, Anamalai, Mudumalai, Sathyamangalam and Srivilliputhur–Megamalai – and the Board's advice matters for project decisions around them. Members include the Director of the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC), Vandalur, the head of wildlife science at Madras Veterinary College, the Students' Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN), Chennai and the OMCAR Foundation, Thanjavur.

Source: ETV Bharat Tamil (2 Nov 2026), Dinamalar (1 Nov 2026), Dinakaran (3 Nov 2026); Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972 – Sections 5A, 6 (India Code)

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