UPSC Prelims 2023 Q38: Community Reserves under Wildlife Act — Explained
Consider the following statements:
Once the Central Government notifies an area as a 'Community Reserve'
1. the Chief Wildlife Warden of the State becomes the governing authority of such forest
2. hunting is not allowed in such area
3. people of such area are allowed to collect non-timber forest produce
4. people of such area are allowed traditional agricultural practices
How many of the above statements are correct?
- Only one
- Only two
- Only three
- All four
Answer: (b) Only two
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: incorrect — A community reserve is run by its Community Reserve Management Committee, not by the Chief Wildlife Warden. Under Section 36D of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, the State Government sets up this committee, and the Act names it the authority responsible for conserving, maintaining and managing the reserve. The committee has at least five members nominated by the Village Panchayat or Gram Sabha, plus one person from the State Forest or Wildlife Department. The question's opening is also wrong: under Section 36C(1), the State Government declares a community reserve, not the Central Government.
- 2: correct — Section 9 of the Act bans hunting of scheduled wild animals everywhere in India, and a community reserve is no exception. Section 36C(2) also extends several sanctuary rules to community reserves: Section 30 (no setting fire), Section 32 (no use of chemicals, explosives or other harmful substances) and parts of Section 33. The reserve exists to protect fauna, flora and traditional conservation practices, so hunting does not fit its purpose.
- 3: correct — Community reserves are set up on community or private land where people have volunteered to conserve. They do not shut people out. Section 36C(2) does not apply to them the sanctuary rule in Section 29 that bans removing forest produce. So people can collect non-timber forest produce under the management plan that their own committee prepares and implements.
- 4: incorrect — The Act gives no general permission for agriculture inside a community reserve. Section 36C(3) freezes the land-use pattern once the reserve is notified. Any change needs a resolution of the management committee and approval of the State Government. Under the official key, this statement counts as incorrect because farming in the reserve depends on those controls and is not an automatic right.
How to eliminate
Statement 1 can be ruled out with one idea: community reserves are meant to be run by the community. A Chief Wildlife Warden in charge would defeat that purpose. Watch the trap in the question's opening line too. It says the Central Government notifies the reserve, but in every protected-area category under the Act (sanctuary, national park, conservation reserve, community reserve) the State Government declares it. Statement 2 is safe from basic knowledge, because hunting of scheduled animals is banned everywhere under Section 9. That leaves only statements 3 and 4 to judge, so the answer is either 'only two' or 'only three'. These are not settled by wording clues. You have to know the provisions. Remember: Section 36C(3) freezes the land-use pattern unless the committee passes a resolution and the State approves, so farming is not a blanket right. Section 29 (no removal of forest produce) is not applied to community reserves, so produce collection under the committee's plan fits the model. Statement 4 is the one that splits candidates. Read it as asking whether the Act gives an automatic right, and the answer is no.
Know more
Conservation reserves and community reserves were added to the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 by the 2002 amendment. They created two new kinds of protected area between strict state control and no protection at all.
| Feature | Conservation Reserve (S. 36A–36B) | Community Reserve (S. 36C–36D) |
|---|---|---|
| Who declares | State Government | State Government |
| Land | Government-owned land, especially land next to or linking national parks and sanctuaries | Private or community land not inside a national park, sanctuary or conservation reserve |
| Precondition | State must consult local communities | A community or individual must volunteer to conserve |
| Managing body | Conservation Reserve Management Committee, which advises the Chief Wildlife Warden | Community Reserve Management Committee, which is itself the managing authority |
| Committee head | — | Chairperson elected by the committee, who also serves as Honorary Wildlife Warden |
Key provisions of community reserves
- Composition (S. 36D): at least five members nominated by the Village Panchayat (or the Gram Sabha where there is no Panchayat), plus one State Forest or Wildlife Department representative. On private land, the committee is the owner, a department representative, and a Panchayat or tribal community representative.
- Sanctuary rules that apply (S. 36C(2)): Section 18(2), Section 27(2)–(4) on entry and residence, Section 30 (fire), Section 32 (harmful substances) and Section 33(b)–(c).
- Land use (S. 36C(3)): no change after notification unless the committee resolves it and the State approves.
How it compares: in sanctuaries and national parks, the Chief Wildlife Warden is the authority that controls, manages and maintains the area (S. 33). Community reserves are the only protected-area category where a local body is the managing authority. That makes them a way to protect sacred groves and village-conserved forests, such as many community-protected forests in the North-East.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Conservation reserves and community reserves: The question is entirely about community reserves: who declares them, who manages them, and what people may do inside.
- Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Every statement is tested against provisions of this Act, especially Sections 9, 36C and 36D.
- Wildlife sanctuary: Community reserves borrow some sanctuary rules, so knowing who governs a sanctuary helps you judge statement 1.
- Sacred grove: Sacred groves are a typical community-conserved forest that the community reserve category was designed to protect.
- Joint forest management: Joint forest management is a useful contrast for how local people share in managing and using forests.