Biodiversity & Environment
Invasive Weeds Threatening Tiger Habitats
- 11 Oct 2019
- 3 min read
The spread of invasive weed species like Hyptis, Cassia Tora and Parthenium has been detected in environmentally-sensitive areas like Adilabad district of Telangana.
- These invasive weeds do not allow the grasslands to grow, which in turn leads to a decrease in the population of herbivores, which are prey to the Tigers.
- The decrease in the numbers of herbivores may threaten the existence of the tiger population in the area.
- The Rio de Janeiro Convention on Biodiversity (1992) had recognised the biological invasion of alien species of plants as the second-worst threat to the environment after habitat destruction.
International Instruments and Programmes on Invasive Species
- Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (2000)
- The Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by Living Modified Organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.
- Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
- It was one of the key agreements adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
- Article 8 (h) of the Convention calls on Parties to prevent the introduction of, control or eradicate those alien species which threaten ecosystems, habitats or species.
- Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) or Bonn Convention (1979)
- It is an intergovernmental treaty that aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range.
- It also aims to control or to eliminate already present invasive alien species.
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
- It is an international agreement adopted in 1975 that aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
- It also consider the problems of invasive species when it is involved in trade and threatens the survival of live animals or plants.
- Ramsar Convention (1971)
- The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.
- It also addresses the environmental, economic and social impact of invasive species on wetlands within their jurisdictions and to take account of the methods of control and solutions for combating invasive species.
