Page 79 - DRI ANNUAL REPORT EBOOK

South India, which is under threat owing to indiscriminate felling and smuggling for export, as its timber is highly valued and prized in East Asia. Red Sanders is the only species of Pterocarpus that has been listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). During the Financial year 2019-20, DRI has seized or caused to seize approximately 174.5 MT of Red Sanders while it was being attempted
to be exported to various countries in South East Asia like Taiwan, Malaysia and China. The seizures of Red Sanders indicate that in spite of being sourced from a unique natural habitat in Andhra Pradesh, there is an organized cartel of operators who are involved in the smuggling of Red Sanders and who attempt to export it through all major ports in the country.
Tortoises & Turtles
Tortoises and Turtles have long since been the target of organized crime syndicates, both for satisfying demand abroad and as well as a growing demand within India. Seizures of 7685 Red Eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) being one of the world’s most invasive species [included in the IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group’s 100 Worst Invasive List], from China, signifies the dangers to India’s natural ecosystems.
in areas of northwestern India (Gujarat, Rajasthan) and adjoining southeastern Pakistan; eastern and southern areas from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and eastern Karnataka to Odisha (Orissa), is today much depleted in numbers and range due to illicit trade. The Star Tortoise falls under Schedule IV of Wild Life Protection Act and very recently, during November 2019, have been listed under Appendix I of CITES (highest protection) by full consensus among all member states (of CoP18 with 183 countries), giving it the highest level of international protection from commercial trade.
Similarly the Indian
(Geochelone elegans) is a vulnerable species of tortoise, once upon a time found
Star Tortoise
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