Overview
- The Kerala Assembly introduced the Kerala Forest (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Wildlife Protection (Kerala Amendment) Bill, 2025 and sent both to the Subject Committee on Forest, Environment and Tourism for scrutiny.
- Key provisions would let the Chief Wildlife Warden order immediate action, including lethal force, after attacks in inhabited areas, allow the state to declare Schedule II species as vermin, and shift the bonnet macaque from Schedule I to Schedule II.
- Ministers said legal consultations were completed and emphasized that, as a concurrent subject, state-specific amendments would apply only after passage by the House and approval by the President.
- Opposition leaders supported the goal of reducing conflict but questioned the bills’ legal standing and timing, predicting the Governor would refer them to the President.
- Environmental groups criticized the plan as unscientific and a potential ‘shoot first’ approach that risks mistaken killings, urging non-lethal measures and warning against diluting central safeguards.