Kathmandu, May 2 The International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Control Act-2016 authenticated by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari last week prohibits the sale, purchase, possession, reproduction, import and export of endangered species. This has paved the way for the Government of Nepal to implement the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora-1973 to which Nepal is a party. Endangered wild flora and fauna means any species or sub-species of wildlife or flora or parts thereof referred to in Apendix-1 of the convention. The Act allows officers from national parks, wildlife reserves, conservation areas and hunting reserves to probe into involvement of any person in activities prohibited by the law. The main objective of the Act is to protect wildlife against over-exploitation and to prevent international trade in species threatened with extinction. Any Nepali citizen who commits wildlife crime in any country outside Nepal will also be put on trial as per this Act. The law has also provisioned a 12-member Endangered Wildlife and Flora and Fauna National Coordination Committee headed by a secretary at the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation to recommend to the government necessary policy, legal and institutional measures to curb wildlife crimes. The Act prohibits the sale, purchase, possession, reproduction, import and export of endangered species. However, any person or organisation may be permitted to do so by obtaining licence from Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation or Department of Forests. “If any person or organisation wishes to obtain any wildlife, flora or fauna for study, research, test, training, exhibition, conservation education, bio-resource protection, educational activities and for any other purpose, they shall be required to get them registered with the agencies concerned,” reads the Act. Anyone found guilty of committing wildlife crime would be liable to up to 15 years jail sentence or a fine of up to Rs 500,000 or both, along with confiscation of the wildlife or flora and fauna or parts thereof.