In what is the first for a city in Kerala and the second in the country, a biodiversity index has been prepared for Kochi.
The index took into account 18 biodiversity indicators that measure the city’s native biodiversity, the ecosystem services provided and biodiversity governance to give the city a score of 45 out of 72.
“In terms of ensuring sustainable development, an index like this is significant in evaluating where we stand now and what more needs to be done. Now that we have a score, if the process is repeated a few years from now, it would tell us to what extent the city’s biodiversity has changed,” said Rajan Chedambath, executive director, Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development (C-HED).
In order to prepare the index, C-HED, which functions under the Kochi Corporation, has been working with ICLEI-South Asia, an international network of governments working towards sustainable development. The process was part of a German-funded project called the Integrated Subnational Action for Biodiversity (Interact-Bio) being implemented in the city.
A report on the index was launched by Mayor Soumini Jain on Friday. The preparation of the index was mentioned in the corporation’s 2019-20 budget.
The Mayor said in a press release, “while the city’s score is good, the report points out that serious interventions are to be made to protect biodiversity, and increase the green cover in the city.”
Tree cover
An illustrated natural asset map of the city, prepared earlier as part of the same project, was also launched on the day.
The report on the index says that the total tree cover in the city is only 6.655 sqkm, which is less than 10% of the total terrestrial area of 78.31 sqkm and suggests plantation of native trees and community participation in restoring green spaces.
Budget allocation
Only about 1.8% of the city’s total budget allocation for 2019-20 was for biodiversity. This includes canal rejuvenation and fisheries and animal husbandry projects.
The report also notes that the city needs to strengthen mechanisms in biodiversity governance and management, though concrete steps such as the development of a local biodiversity strategy and action plan, and inclusion of biodiversity in the municipal budget were already being done.
The city also needs to take greater ownership for the protection of the backwaters, the report notes.
