CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has approved a policy for freeing the State from invasive plant species which dominate and threaten the native ecosystems and biodiversity. Additional Advocate General (AAG) J Ravindran made the submission before a larger bench headed by Madras High Court Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari, when a batch of petitions seeking removal of prosopis juliflora came up for hearing.
He said the government decided to approve the policy on ecological restoration of forest areas infested with invasive plant species in Tamil Nadu after careful examination of the recommendations of the committee constituted for this purpose and a GO was issued.
The AAG claimed that Tamil Nadu was the only State to have such a policy for the removal of not only prosopis juliflora but also all exotic invasive weeds and said the work for their removal has been progressing.
He informed that the government would approach corporate firms to fund the exercise under the CSR scheme.
The GO dated July 13, 2022, issued by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forests, stated that the draft policy evolved by the expert committee was hosted in the public domain to invite public response and also been mailed to different scientific/research organisations to elicit suggestions/remarks.
The policy will address highly invasive, habitat-degrading plant species in the forest areas of Tamil Nadu for removal and management simultaneously.
The principal focus is laid upon developing/elaborating strategies, methodologies and protocols for management of the most problematic weeds in forest areas to start with, on a priority basis which needs immediate attention to restore the habitat health in the wildlife habitat to support wildlife survival as well as to avoid straying out of wild animals.
The AAG also informed the bench that biochemical and mechanical methods would be adopted for weeding out the invasive species.
Only State with such a policy
The AAG claimed that Tamil Nadu was the only State to have such a policy for the removal of not only prosopis juliflora but also all exotic invasive weeds and said the work for their removal has been progressing