Why in the news?

• The Supreme Court has upheld the order of Allahabad High court regarding granting immunity from investigation and prosecution if one declared illegal acquisition or possession of exotic wildlife species between June and December.
• The recent declaration of the acquisition of exotic species was done under a new amnesty scheme of the central government.

What are exotic species?

• An exotic species refers to a plant species or an animal species that is non-native. It is introduced into an area where it does not occur naturally. The introduction of the species may be deliberate or accidental.
• The presence of an exotic species may have a significant effect on the local ecosystem. The ecological impact varies; it may generally bring adverse effects to the ecological balance in an ecosystem or it may be beneficial.

Wildlife Trade

• The global illegal trade in wildlife is worth up to US$ 19 billion annually, being the fourth largest illicit market after drugs, counterfeit, and human trafficking.
• Wildlife trade also poses the second-biggest direct threat to the survival of species after habitat destruction.

What was the government’s voluntary disclosure scheme? 

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has put up an advisory on a one-time voluntary disclosure scheme which allows owners of exotic live species that have been acquired illegally, or without documents, to declare their stock to the government between June and December 2020.
• According to the advisory, the exotic species are defined as species which are “the animals named under the Appendices I, II and III of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora” for the purpose of this advisory and does not include species from the Schedules of the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972.
• It excludes exotic birds. 
• It is just an advisory not a law.

What is the benefit of this scheme?

• It will help the government to tackle the challenge of zoonotic diseases
• Regulate their import and 
• Develop an inventory of exotic live species for better compliance under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

What is the process of declaration?

• The disclosure has to be done online through MoEFCC’s Parivesh portal. 
• The owner of the animal(s) will have to declare the stock as on January 1, 2020 to the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) of the concerned state or Union Territory. 
• This will be followed by a physical verification of the animals. 
• The CWLW will have to issue an online certificate of possession of exotic live species within six months of the date of the voluntary disclosure. 
• After the registration, it is mandatory for the owner to allow the CWLW with free access to the exotic species declared on any day for verification.

References:

1. https://www.biologyonline.com/dictionary/exotic-species
2. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/declare-exotic-pets-avoid-prosecution-how-one-time-scheme-works-7101504/
3. https://wildlifesos.org/chronological-news/exotic-pet-trade-threatens-indias-endangered-species/
4. https://vikaspedia.in/energy/policy-support/environment-1/advisory-for-dealing-with-import-of-exotic-live-species-in-india-and-declaration-of-stock