Appendix III:      Mecanopsis regia

                       Cycas pectinata

        CITES and TRAFFIC provide the means for an international control of trade in the listed organisms but trade in them within a country is the responsibility of the respective Governments.

ACTS OF GOVERNMENT

        Every country, based on the recommendations of the international organisations concerned with biodiversity and conservation, have enacted Laws to protect their biological resources. The following Acts of the Government of India are meant to regulate the natural resources:

Forests Acts:

a) The Indian Forest Act, 1927

b) The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980

c) The Forest (Conservation) Rules, 1981

Wildlife Protection Acts:

a) The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended upto 1993

b) The Wildlife (Transactions and Taxidermy) Rules, 1973

c) The Wildlife (Stock Declaration) Central Rules, 1973

d) The Wildlife (Protection) Licensing (Additional matters for consideration) Rules, 1983

e) The Wildlife (Protection) Rules, 1995

f) The Wildlife (Specified plants—conditions for possession by License) Rules, 1995

There are also Environment Protection Acts.

       These Acts are the basis for the protection of the flora and fauna of the country. Within the framework of the legislation, 75 National Parks and 421 Wildlife Sanctuaries, which are the protected areas, have been organised in the country. Joshi (1993) and Tewari (1993) have provided the details of some of the preservation plots and protected areas in India. Unfortunately, the emphasis in these National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries is on the megafauna such as the tiger, lion, elephant, bison, etc. Plants have had a very raw deal. In fact, in some of the protected areas, damage to the vegetation by the inhabiting animals, is much more than in the area outside the protected premises. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, in the amendment of 1991, listed only one gymnosperm and five angiosperms for protection, for the first time, that too in Schedule VI which affords the least protection (Mohanraj and Veenakumari, 1996). The fault lies not with the Government of India, but with the scientific community of the country which failed to impress upon the Government on the need for a rational, scientific and realistic approach to the issue.

       We need to specify the areas and/or particular species to be protected. Before any habitats or plant species are recommended for inclusion in the Schedules of the Wildlife Protection Act, we should study the concerned species in detail, as once the stringent Laws clamp down protection on the habitats/species, no manipulative studies can be conducted on them.

        We urgently need to draw up a list of plant species that require protection through legislation. In some western countries, nothing can be collected from notified areas and in some others collection of certain species is prohibited. Legislation should be made to provide such protection to selected habitats and species.

       It is certainly not enough if a legislation is merely enacted. The public should also show awareness of the situation and be vigilant and participate in protecting the notified areas/species, as happens in the western countries. Probably it is too much to expect from a largely illiterate population and a self-centered and corrupt rest.

MONITORING BIODIVERSITY

       Monitoring biodiversity means repeated recording with clear objectives, using a standardised approach and rules, not only for monitoring but also for stopping such recording. Monitoring biodiversity is a part of conservation packages. Procedures for monitoring have been discussed repeatedly (Goldsmith, 1991, 1993a, 1993b). The following aspects of monitoring were suggested to be priorised:

a) to record the integrity of sites such as nature reserves and national parks, a process called Site Integrity Monitoring;

b) to ensure that the quality of such sites is maintained (Site Quality Monitoring);

c) record the long term ecological effects of climatic change;

d) detect the effects of over-grazing, pollution, irrigation, salinisation, etc.;

e) record the changes in the numbers and distribution of species, particularly the rare ones, such as endemics, orchids, etc.; and

f) to keep a tally of richness or diversity of the biotopes which we value.