National Biodiversity Authority sets up Expert Committee on Invasive Alien Species
Acting on National Green Tribunal directions, the National Biodiversity Authority has constituted an Expert Committee on Invasive Alien Species, chaired by Dhananjai Mohan, to prepare a consolidated national list and recommend control strategies, PIB reported on 21 March 2026.
Summary
Following a suo motu NGT proceeding (O.A. No. 162/2023) that flagged the threat of invasive alien species to native biodiversity, ecosystems, agriculture, food security and health, and an advisory from MoEFCC, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) constituted a multi-disciplinary expert committee under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (as amended in 2023). The committee will prepare a consolidated national list of invasive alien species from State-wise inputs, identify and prioritise high-risk species, and recommend management strategies, ecological restoration and national guidelines for prevention, control and eradication. It is chaired by Dhananjai Mohan, former PCCF and Head of Forest Force, Uttarakhand, with Prof. A. Biju Kumar, Vice Chancellor of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, as Co-Chair. Members include ZSI, BSI, ICAR bureaus, ICFRE, WII, FSI, the forest departments of Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Maharashtra and Assam, and IUCN.
Key facts
- Body
- Expert Committee on Invasive Alien Species
- Constituted by
- National Biodiversity Authority
- Trigger
- NGT suo motu case O.A. No. 162/2023; MoEFCC advisory
- Law
- Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (amended 2023)
- Chair
- Dhananjai Mohan, former PCCF & HoFF, Uttarakhand
- Co-Chair
- Prof. A. Biju Kumar, VC, KUFOS
- Task
- National list of invasive species; prioritise high-risk ones; control guidelines
Practice MCQs 3 questions
Which body constituted the Expert Committee on Invasive Alien Species in March 2026?
Show answer
Correct answer: D — National Biodiversity Authority
The National Biodiversity Authority constituted the committee following NGT directions.
Who chairs the NBA's Expert Committee on Invasive Alien Species?
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Correct answer: A — Dhananjai Mohan
Dhananjai Mohan, former PCCF and Head of Forest Force, Uttarakhand, chairs it; Prof. A. Biju Kumar is Co-Chair.
Consider the following about the NBA's Expert Committee on Invasive Alien Species: 1. It was constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. 2. It followed a suo motu proceeding of the National Green Tribunal. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: B — 2 only
The committee was constituted under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (as amended in 2023), so statement 1 is wrong; it followed NGT's suo motu case O.A. No. 162/2023.