New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) on Friday released a standard operating procedure (SOP) for identification, assessment and notification of threatened species by states and Union territories.
The SOP promotes the use of the best available scientific evidence, field-based assessments, and traditional knowledge, the Environment Ministry officials said in a statement.
“It also ensures the participation of local communities, Biodiversity Management Committees, the Botanical Survey of India, the Zoological Survey of India, academic institutions, and subject experts,” an official said.
Moreover, the SOP emphasises preparing species recovery and conservation action plans following notification, along with regular monitoring and periodic review to assess conservation outcomes and emerging threats.
The SOP has been issued under Section 38 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. The section empowers the Centre, in consultation with the concerned state government, to notify any species that is on the verge of extinction or is likely to become extinct in the near future as a threatened species.
So far, the ministry has notified 159 plant species and 173 animal species as threatened species pertaining to 17 states and three Union territories.
“The release of the SOP marks another important milestone in India’s efforts to conserve biodiversity and prevent species extinctions,” the official said. PTI ALC APL APL
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