MEERUT: As the March 15 deadline set by the Union government to declare possession of exotic species draws closer, not just pet owners but most of the forest department staff is not sure what species are listed in The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The department is now racing against time in trying to train its frontline workers to identify the species.
The ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) had last year issued an advisory asking owners of exotic species to voluntarily disclose information about their pets on the government’s Parivesh portal. Owners were told that if they uploaded the information within the stipulated time, they would not have to produce any documents related to their exotic pets.
According to the advisory the phrase “exotic live species” includes “animals named under the Appendices I, II and III of the CITES. There are approximately 5,800 species of animals which are protected by CITES against overexploitation through international trade
Herein lies the problem. As Rajat Bhargava, ornithologist and former aviculturist, puts it, “People had begun uploading information about their pets on the portal but identifying those species as mentioned in CITES appendices is a big challenge. For instance there are 225 species of Finch but only two – Parson Finch and Java sparrow are listed in CITES. Frontline staff of the forest division need to have clarity on the species identification which we are conducting for them.”
Pet owner Farman Alam shares his confusion. “Government has done a good job in initiating a process to streamline exotic species data in the country but lack of awareness is the biggest bottleneck. There are 400 species of parrots but only three species are not-CITES. Then there is a constant mutation also that takes place. How to identify those listed in the three appendices of CITES? There should be a proper technical knowhow or manual for this.”
Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) is organizing workshops for UP forest division to empower frontline staff with the nitty-gritty of CITES-listed species identification. “We are working on a manual for an easy identification and if any other state is interested and approaches us for detailed study on the subject, we are more than ready to oblige,” said Bivash Pandav, director, BNHS.
Diksha Bhandari, divisional forest officer, Hapur and Ghaziabad, said, “It is for the first time that this complicated subject has come into picture. And, hence it is imperative for our staff to have an exhaustive knowledge of CITES. The workshop came at the right time. They are still in the learning stage but with due course of time expertise will manifest. So far, 19 people have declared their species in Hapur and 66 in Ghaziabad.”