Environmental Crimes in India: A Comprehensive Review

Environmental crimes in the recent past have become a major concern in India as many natural resources, health and sustainable development in the country are at risk. This review article discusses the different types of environmental crimes that take place in India such as illicit felling of trees, wildlife smuggling, pollution and disposal of hazardous wastes. It acknowledged the contextual variables that press these activities like poverty, ignorance and weakness in the application of legal provisions. Although the country has developed and adopted appropriate legal and regulatory instruments for environmental compliance, compliance difficulties including corruption, inadequate resources and institutional capacity impede implementation and enforcement. The article moves on to discuss more of the consequences of environmental crimes to the ecosystems and the communities and thus the approach of a multi disciplinary one that is enforcing more stringent laws, education to the public and proper conservation and management of the resources. This review outlines the extent of ECs in India and makes recommendations that will help policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders to rise to the challenge of fighting these crimes in the interest of environmental protection.