A year after it hosted the biggest-ever biodiversity conference, Hyderabad on Thursday became the venue for the launch of a special publication on Valuation of Biodiversity .
It contains the methodology for evaluation of bio resources, a prerequisite for the realisation of bio resource potential.
“This will provide a win-win situation for both produ-ct suppliers and end-users,” said National Biodiversity Authority chairman P. Balakrishna. It would help eco-nomic valuation of biodiversity for the purpose of access and benefit-sharing at the local, State and national level. It would now be tested in the field. Tests in Andhra Pradesh would be followed by similar ones in Gujarat, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim, where the NBA is implementing the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Mayor Majid Hussain, appreciated the commitment of the NBA and the State Biodiversity Board in involving local bodies in its conservation agenda. As chairman of the local biodiversity management committee, the biodiversity agenda was ‘high on my mind’, Mr. Husain said and felt proud to see the announcements made during the CoP 11 being transformed into action.
Mr. Hussain urged Dr. Balakrishna to take advantage of the GHMC’s infrastructure and abilities to test the new programmes in Hyderabad. The GHMC had created a full-fledged biodiversity wing with an Additional Commissioner for the subject. Despite financial constraints, the civic body had earmarked sufficient funds for the wing. Besides, 13 new biodiversity parks were developed and a programme was in place to develop 35 city lakes on an ecosystem basis. The city had also compiled the species inventory and published it twice.
“These achievements are the first-of-its-kind in the country,” Mr. Hussain said.
