New Delhi, June 26 (IANS) The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Notification of Threatened Species, a major step towards strengthening conservation, an official said on Friday.

The SOP was issued under Section 38 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, to facilitate a uniform, transparent and scientifically robust process for the identification, assessment and notification of threatened species by States and Union Territories, said the official in a statement.

Section 38 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, empowers the Central Government, in consultation with the concerned State Government, to notify any species that is on the verge of extinction or is likely to become extinct as a Threatened Species.

The notification regulates or prohibits its collection and provides for appropriate measures for its rehabilitation and conservation. The Central Government may also delegate these powers to the State Governments, the statement said.

So far, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified 159 plant and 173 animal species as threatened species in 17 States and 3 Union Territories, it said.

The SOP has been developed to assist State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils in identifying threatened species in a consistent, transparent, and scientifically rigorous manner, and in recommending them to the State Government for notification.

It provides a clear, step-by-step framework covering scientific assessment, stakeholder consultations, validation, notification, conservation planning, monitoring, and periodic review, the statement said.

The SOP also emphasises the preparation of species recovery and conservation action plans following notification, along with regular monitoring and periodic review to assess conservation outcomes and emerging threats.

India is one of the world’s megadiverse countries, harbouring a wide variety of plants, animals and ecosystems. However, species are becoming threatened by habitat degradation, overexploitation, pollution, invasive alien species, and climate change.

Conserving these species is essential for maintaining ecological balance, safeguarding ecosystem services and securing biodiversity for future generations.

The SOP promotes the use of the best available scientific evidence, field-based assessments, and traditional knowledge, while ensuring the participation of local communities, Biodiversity Management Committees, the Botanical Survey of India, the Zoological Survey of India, academic institutions, and subject experts.

–IANS

rch/dan