Hyderabad: CCMB organises one-day consultative meeting

Hyderabad: As a part of the one-week, one-lab programme, CSIR-CCMB organised a one-day consultative meeting on collaborative strategies for managing aquatic biological invasions on Saturday.

According to CCMB officials, the purpose of the consultation meeting was to bring together experts, researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders from India to exchange knowledge, discuss challenges, and explore effective strategies for managing and mitigating the impacts of aquatic invasive species.

Dr Umapathy, senior principal scientist at CSIR-CCMB and the key organiser of the meeting commented, “Studies say that invasive species have cost the Indian economy at least 120-180 billion Indian rupees. Our own studies show the widespread nature of some of the catfish species in India. But there is no comprehensive study bringing together data on aquatic invasive species in India.”

Dr Rajat Kumar, IAS, special chief secretary to the government of Telangana, irrigation and environment and science and technology, and chairman of Telangana biodiversity board said, “The documentation of invasive species, the mechanism of their spread, their impact on environment, food security and health are lacking today. It is very timely to bring out this information.”

Dr Vinay Nandicoori, director, CSIR-CCMB said, “This meeting has helped us to bring collective thoughts on the issues, management solutions, ground-level interventions to monitor and eradicate aquatic invasive species, and also to protect the native biodiversity, safeguard the rural economy and improve sustainable aquaculture practices.

In addition, this meeting has aided in forming a network of stakeholders from various sectors who are committed to mitigating one of the biggest biodiversity threats.”