Wildlife Act, 1976

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PART VI

Miscellaneous

Inspection of land.

68.—(1) Any person appointed in writing by the Minister under section 11 of the Act of 1946 to be an authorised officer for the purposes of that section (which person is subsequently in this section referred to as an authorised officer) may at any reasonable time enter on, inspect and survey any land for the purpose of ascertaining whether there are fauna on the land which are in need of protection under section 17 of this Act, or for any other purpose (apart from the purpose mentioned in subsection (2) of this section) in connection with the performance by the Minister of his functions under this Act.

(2) An authorised officer may at any reasonable time enter on and inspect any land to which a recognition order relates to ascertain whether or not the objectives indicated in the order are being, or have been, attained, or, where attained, are being maintained.

(3) An authorised officer entering on land under this section may do thereon all things reasonably necessary for the purpose for which the entry is made.

(4) Before an authorised officer enters under subsection (1) of this section on any land, he shall either obtain the consent, in the case of occupied land, of the occupier, or, in the case of unoccupied land, of the owner, or shall give to the owner or occupier, as the case may be, not less than fourteen days' notice in writing of his intention to make the entry.

(5) A person to whom a notice of intention to enter on land has been given under this section by an authorised officer may, not later than fourteen days after the giving of such notice, apply, on notice to such officer, to the Justice of the District Court having jurisdiction in the district court district in which the land is situate for an order prohibiting the entry, and, upon the hearing of the application, the Justice may, if he so thinks proper, either wholly prohibit the entry or specify conditions to be observed by the officer making the entry.

(6) Where a Justice of the District Court prohibits under this section a proposed entry on land, it shall not be lawful for any person to enter under subsection (1) of this section on the land, and where a Justice of the District Court specifies under this section conditions to be observed by persons entering on land, every person who enters under the said subsection (1) land shall observe the conditions so specified.