NEW GUIDELINES FOR IMPORT OF EXOTIC SPECIES

NEW GUIDELINES FOR IMPORT OF EXOTIC SPECIES

Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) has issued an advisory saying people importing “exotic live species” will have to make a voluntary disclosure

Move comes as the outbreak of COVID-19 has raised global concern about illegal wildlife trade and zoonotic diseases

“Exotic lie species” shall be construed to mean only “the animals named under the Appendices I, II, and III of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora”

Species covered by the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 cannot be traded

For new “exotic live species”, the importer should obtain a no-objection certificate from the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) of the State

For existing species, stocks “shall be declared by the owner/ holder (stock, as on 1 January 2020) to the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) of the concerned State or UT”

Exotic species: Also known as alien species, invasive species, non-indigenous species, and bio invaders, are species of plants or animals that are growing in a non-native environment

Introductions of non-native species can be planned, incidental, accidental, or unintentional. They can also be caused by a natural disaster

Non-native species are not always harmful

However, many non-native species do enormous environmental damage

Thousands of invasive species worldwide are notorious for their distinctive habits, destructive potential, or ecological damage. Other invaders seem to be having little environmental impact

Many scientists think that the spread of exotic species is one of the most serious, yet largely unrecognized, threats to our environment.