The Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) has drawn up a three-pronged strategy with a decentralised action plan to address the impact of the recent floods on the ecology and biodiversity of the State.
Board Chairman S.C. Joshi told The Hindu that the crux of the exercise would be on strengthening the panchayat-level Biodiversity Management Committees and equipping them to take up a rapid assessment of the extent of biodiversity loss caused by the floods in the initial phase. This would be followed by a chain study to understand the impact of the floods on diverse ecosystems.
The third part of the strategy, Dr. Joshi said, would focus on developing a long-term action plan for ecological restoration. “The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the UN has offered to help the board in carrying out this programme.”
The move comes after the KSBB found itself sidelined in the government’s scheme of things to carry out a rapid assessment of the biodiversity loss. Dr. Joshi said the devastation caused by the floods offered a good opportunity to activate the BMCs, many of which were dysfunctional.
“We envisage a major role for BMCs at the grassroots level intervention for restoration of damaged ecosystems and conservation.” The board has written to the department of Local Self government seeking its support to mobilise BMCs.
In 2012, the State government had formally declared the constitution of BMCs in all the grama panchayats, municipalities and Corporations in the State.
However, most of the committees were dysfunctional and remained only on paper, mainly due to the lack of awareness of their mandate and responsibilities. BMC meetings were seldom convened by local bodies and very few of the committees had taken up meaningful grassroots-level biodiversity conservation projects.
The working group on biodiversity under the State Planning Board envisages a key role for BMCs in conservation and sustainable development. It has recommended steps to equip the committees for protection of fragile ecosystems, eco restoration of degraded areas, and management of invasive species. “We plan to utilise the services of our district coordinators and biodiversity experts to prepare a broad methodology for post-flood biodiversity impact assessment. Subsequently, the KSBB will join hands with the Kerala Institute for Local Administration (KILA) to train the BMCs in assessing the biodiversity loss at the local level,” Dr. Joshi said.
The Board has also convened a meeting of experts and heads of various research institutes here on September 4 to discuss the preparation of an action plan for biodiversity impact assessment and strategies for mitigation.
The meeting is expected to discuss the biodiversity impact mapping of districts, ecosystems and key species and identify thrust areas.
