Coastal Protected Areas

• The primary objective is to safeguard and preserve natural marine ecosystems in their untouched, original state. 
• According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a Marine Protected Area (MPA) is defined as “any region of intertidal or subtidal terrain, along with the overlying water and associated flora, fauna, historical, and cultural elements, that is protected by legal or other effective measures to ensure the conservation of all or part of the contained environment.”
• In India, Marine Protected Areas are broadly grouped into three main categories, based on their ecological and conservation priorities within the marine realm.
• Category-l This covers National Parks and Sanctuaries and having entire areas in intertidal/sub-tidal or mangroves, coral reefs, creeks, seagrass beds, algal beds, estuaries, lagoons.
• Category-ll This includes Islands, which have major parts in marine ecosystem and some part in terrestrial ecosystem.
• Category-lllA  This includes sandy beaches beyond intertidal line but occasionally interacting with the seawater.
• Category-lllB This includes ever green or semi ever green forests of Islands

Sacred Groves of India

Sacred groves comprise of patches of forests or natural vegetation from a few trees to forests of several acres that are usually dedicated to local folk deities.

• In India, sacred groves are found all over the country and abundantly along the western ghats in the states of Kerala and Karnataka

Export – Prohibited Goods

Items listed as prohibited are strictly forbidden for export, and no export licenses will be granted for them. Prohibited items in the flora and fauna category include:

• All wild animals, their articles, and derivatives (except with ownership certificates or for education, research, and management under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972).
• Beef of cows, oxen, and calf, including offal.
• Buffalo meat (both male and female) in fresh, chilled, and frozen forms.
• Peacock Tail Feathers and related handicrafts.
• Shavings and Manufactured Articles of shed antlers.
• Seashells.
• Wood and wood products, including fuel wood and wood charcoal.
• Sandalwood in any form (excluding finished handicrafts, machine-finished products, and sandalwood oil).
• Red Sanders wood and its value-added products.
• Mechanical, chemical, and semi-chemical wood pulp.