Invasive Alien Species In India: A Quest For an Effective Legal Regime

Abstract

The issue of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) is recognized as the second most severe threat to biodiversity loss, next only to habitat destruction. As human mobility has increased as a result of developments in technology, transportation, and globalisation, Invasive Alien Species have continued to have a significant impact on many countries and regions. Human beings are mostly responsible for this problem since they transfer and introduce species from one part of the globe to another, either purposefully or unintentionally. Invasive Alien Species are those species that have been introduced from a variety of outer habitats, and may constitute a threat to biodiversity by competing with native species, modifying habitat, or introducing pests and diseases. There is no universal definition of “Invasive Alien Species”. Instead, a variety of names have been used to characterise these undesirable species, depending on how the species and the damage it may do are viewed. Activities such as escape of restricted species including plants, animals and other organisms to other alien environments, discharge of ballast water through ships, and similar such events leads to the introduction of IAS in India. It creates a disruption in the natural habitat by gradually leading to ecological imbalances which threatens climate change and disrupts the life and health of the native biodiversity at large. IAS also threatens the socio-economic well-being of human societies. To deal with these problems, the legal and policy response to the spread of IAS threatening India’s biodiversity is inadequate and fragmented. Thereby, these inadequacies persuade the research to explore such gaps and analyse if these problems could be addressed through a sui-generis legal regime in India.