If a particular plant species is placed under Schedule VI of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, what is the implication?

Answer: (a) A license is required to cultivate that plant.

Schedule VI listed “specified plants” (e.g. red vanda, pitcher plant); cultivating them needs a licence.

The idea

Some wild plants are in danger because people dig them out for sale: orchids for their flowers, kuth for medicine. A total ban on growing them would not help. The law instead bans collection from the wild and allows cultivation under a licence, so that every plant in trade can be traced to a nursery.

Rare plant has a market → Collected from the wild → Listed as a specified plant → Picking from the wild is banned → Growing and selling need a licence

The trap

Protection sounds like “no growing allowed”. The law allows licensed cultivation.

Elimination technique

Option (b) says “cannot be cultivated under any circumstances”. Absolute words such as cannot, only and all usually mark the wrong statement in Environment PYQs.

Also know

The six plants of the old Schedule VI: Beddome’s cycad, blue vanda, red vanda, kuth, ladies’ slipper orchids and the pitcher plant. The pitcher plant (Nepenthes khasiana) is an insect-eating plant found only in Meghalaya.