In the Wildlife Division of the Ministry, the Additional Director General of Forests (WL) and Director, Wildlife Preservation is the head of the Wildlife Wing. The Wildlife Wing has two Divisions, namely, Project Elephant Division and Wildlife Division, each headed by an officer in the rank of Inspector General of Forests. A Deputy Inspector General of Forest (Wildlife) and an Assistant Inspector General and Joint Director (Wildlife) provide administrative and technical support to the Wildlife Wing. In addition, there are three autonomous bodies, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for wildlife research & training, Central Zoo Authority (CZA) for conservation and zoo management and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The NTCA has been constituted by converting the Project Tiger Directorate into an autonomous body for tiger conservation. The National Zoological Park in the capital is also a part of the Wildlife wing of the Ministry of Environment & Forests.

To combat wildlife related crimes, a Wildlife Crime Control Bureau under the Director, Wildlife Preservation has been constituted with 5 Regional Offices viz, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Jabalpur and 3 Sub-regional offices at Amritsar, Guwahati, and Kochi. And 5 Border Units located at Moreh, Nathula, Motihari, Gorakhpur and Ramanathapuram.

Wildlife Division deals with the policy and law matters and knowledge management for facilitating processes and analysis for evolution of policy and law for conservation of biodiversity and Protected Area network.

Wildlife Division of the Ministry provides technical and financial support to the State/ UT Governments for wildlife conservation under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme – Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats and also through Central Sector Scheme – Strengthening of Wildlife Division and Consultancies for Special Tasks, and through Grants in Aid to the Central Zoo Authority and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.