Invasive species
Note
Non-native organisms — including Lantana camara, water hyacinth, and Suckermouth catfish — spread under conditions of habitat loss, agricultural expansion, and climate change, suppressing native biodiversity, disrupting food webs, and degrading ecosystem services. Competitive exclusion and niche displacement give invasive species disproportionate ecological advantage as native habitats shrink. The framework spans the Biological Diversity Act 2002, CBD's Kunming-Montreal targets, and India's National Biodiversity Action Plan. Controlling invasive species is essential to reversing biodiversity loss across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
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Questions on this topic
Consider the following statements regarding India's policy framework for managing Invasive Alien Plant Species (IAPS) in forests:
- The National Forest Policy, 1988 aims to maintain environmental stability, restore ecological balance, and increase forest/tree cover through plantations using native species.
- The National Working Plan Code, 2023 provides for ecosystem-based forest management, including prioritisation of site-specific native species in regeneration and restoration activities.
- The responsibility for removing invasive alien plant species from reserved forests and other protected forest areas rests primarily with the Central Government through the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
The National Forest Policy, 1988 explicitly aims at maintaining environmental stability, restoring ecological balance, and expanding forest cover through plantations and regeneration using native (local) species — Statement 1 is correct. The National Working Plan Code, 2023 introduces ecosystem-based forest management that includes invasive species management, restoration of degraded forest areas, and prioritisation of site-specific native species in regeneration and restoration — Statement 2 is correct. Statement 3 is conceptually incorrect: the responsibility for removing invasive alien plant species from reserved forests and protected areas is with the respective State Governments and Union Territory administrations (and their agencies), not with the Central Government or MoEFCC directly. This reflects the constitutional division of powers over forests (Concurrent List) and the operational reality that forest management on the ground is a State subject. The Centre sets policy and provides frameworks; actual removal and restoration work is done by States/UTs.
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