The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has constituted a high-level Expert Committee on Invasive Alien Species (IAS) to address escalating risks to India’s native biodiversity, agriculture, and food security. Acting on directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and advisory from the MoEFCC, the NBA exercised its powers under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (amended in 2023) to form this multi-disciplinary body.
Chaired by Shri Dhananjai Mohan, IFS (Retd.), the committee is tasked with creating a consolidated national list of invasive species based on state-wise inputs and recommending science-based management and ecological restoration strategies. The committee’s two-year mandate involves identifying high-risk species and proposing national guidelines for their prevention, control, and eradication.
Key Objectives and Institutional Composition
Consolidated National List: Preparation of a comprehensive list of invasive species by aggregating data from all States and Union Territories.
Risk Prioritization: Identification of high-risk species that threaten key ecosystems, fisheries, and human/wildlife health.
Policy & Research: Documenting best practices and identifying critical knowledge gaps to guide long-term national policy responses.
Diverse Expertise: The panel includes representatives from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and ICAR research bureaus.
State Engagement: Includes senior officials from the Forest Departments of Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Assam to ensure regional representation.
Global Alignment: Features international expertise from the IUCN to align India’s efforts with global biodiversity commitments.
What are "Invasive Alien Species" (IAS)? Invasive Alien Species are plants, animals, or pathogens that are non-native to an ecosystem and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm. They play a role in disrupting local food chains, outcompeting native flora and fauna, and degrading soil health—which can lead to reduced water infiltration and higher flood risks. This issue is supported by the goal of safeguarding agricultural productivity, as invasive pests often threaten food security and increase the vulnerability of rural livelihoods. By establishing a dedicated committee, the NBA reflects growth in "whole-of-government" ecological management, moving from ad-hoc removals to a standardized, science-driven national strategy for restoration.
Policy Relevance: Safeguarding India’s Natural Capital
Scaling Ecological Restoration: The committee’s mandate to recommend restoration measures reflects growth in India's commitment to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and COP30 forest goals.
Internalising Agricultural Resilience: By addressing threats to food security and ICAR genetic resources, the policy plays a role in protecting the rural economy from biological shocks.
Bypassing Knowledge Gaps: The focus on data generation programmes is supported by the need for high-fidelity evidence to guide the NGT's environmental legal proceedings.
Supporting "Viksit Bharat" Sustainability: Controlling invasive species contributes to the long-term resilience of India’s water catchments and forests, ensuring they remain productive assets by 2047.
Leveraging AI for Surveillance: Future integration with the National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS) could allow AI to mechanically detect invasive outbreaks through image-based analysis.
Relevant Question for Indian Policy Stakeholders: What specific protocols will be used to integrate local community knowledge into the state-wise inputs for the consolidated national list?
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