JAMNAGAR: Vantara on Friday announced the full membership of its newly established Governing Council, which will oversee its conservation, rescue and compliance work, take final decisions on future applications to import wild animals, and help shape the organisation’s vision for the next five years and beyond.
The five-member Council, along with one ex officio non-voting member, brings together Indian and international experts in wildlife policy, law, institutional oversight, wildlife crime, human-wildlife conflict, zoo and aquarium standards, veterinary care and community-based conservation.
The Council will be chaired by John E. Scanlon AO, former Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), whose appointment as independent Chair was announced in August.
Other members include Justice Krishna Murari, former Judge of the Supreme Court of India and former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; Craig Hoover, Executive Vice President of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; Subhash K. Malkhede, senior Indian Forest Service officer and former Chief Wildlife Warden of Karnataka; and Greta F. Iori, an Ethiopian-Italian conservation expert.
Dr Kushal Konwar Sarma, wildlife veterinarian and elephant specialist, will serve as an ex officio non-voting member.
Vantara said Council members will serve in an independent personal capacity, and employees of the organisation cannot be voting members.
Scanlon said the Governing Council would play a central role in defining Vantara’s future and ensuring that recently announced reforms become part of its day-to-day operations.
He said the Council combined strong professional credentials and international as well as Indian expertise, and would work towards creating a lasting impact in wildlife conservation.
Vivaan Karani, CEO of Vantara, said the Council’s independent authority was central to ensuring that the organisation meets the standards set out in its commitments to the Indian CITES Management Authority.
Vantara said the Governing Council will act as its peak governing body, supervising conservation, rescue and rehabilitation work, compliance with Indian law, CITES and other international agreements.
Under recently announced governance reforms, no application to import an animal will be made before June 5, 2027.
Thereafter, no such application can proceed without the prior written approval of the Governing Council, following an internal due-diligence process.
The Council will also review progress on commitments made in Vantara’s August 19 letter to the Indian CITES Management Authority.
Vantara said the reforms are intended to strengthen transparency, due diligence and operating practices, while increasing focus on wildlife conservation in range states and prioritising rescue, rehabilitation and conservation within India.
The Council will be supported by a CITES Due Diligence Committee, Advisory Board, Special Director and Office of Compliance and Due Diligence.
Vantara also said the Council will explore ways to create an ongoing dialogue with members of the wider conservation community and gather stakeholder feedback on future conservation priorities.
The newly constituted body brings together expertise ranging from international wildlife regulation and judicial oversight to wildlife law enforcement, veterinary science, human-wildlife coexistence and institutional governance.
