GUWAHATI: Assam has now received the first official list of threatened species which will help in drawing up effective short and long-term conservation initiatives to prevent extinction of such animals and plants.
The Assam State Biodiversity Board has prepared the State’s maiden threatened species list comprising seven animals and seven plants. With preparation of the list, collection of such threatened species will soon be prohibited.
The threatened animal species in the list are red-headed vulture, Assamese day gecko, tokay gecko, black soft-shelled turtle, narrow-headed soft-shelled turtle, elongated tortoise and brown tortoise.
The names of seven plant species — Cathcart’s magnolia, Griffith’s magnolia, Magnolia, siya nahar, lady’s slipper orchid, Lanceleaf vatica and cycas — have been mentioned in the list of threatened species.
“Species such as gecko have been included in the list based on media reports and people’s perception. Gecko is facing a threat because of hunting, though studies on population estimation of the species in the wild are not available,” an official in the Forest department said.
The official said permission to collect these species might be applied for only for scientific research, herbariums and museum of scientific and academic institutions, propagation and any scientific investigation.
Under Section 38 of the Biological Diversity Act 2002, the Centre, in consultation with the State Government, may from time to time notify any species that is on the verge of extinction or likely to become extinct in the near future, as a “threatened species”.
The Assam State Biodiversity Board said once such species are brought under the fold of the Section 38 of the Biological Diversity Act 2002, for the state of Assam by declaring them as “threatened species”, protection of these species against illegal access and trade will become possible.
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