The Planning Commission has finalised an environment performance-linked mechanism for devolution of financial assistance to States during the 12th Plan period, K. Kasturirangan, eminent scientist and Planning Commission member, said here on Thursday.
Delivering the inaugural address on the opening day of the 81st annual session of the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI), he said States would be ranked on an environmental performance index covering parameters such as air and water purity, forest cover, and sustainable livelihood. This ranking, he said, would be taken into account for devolution of funds. A performance monitoring system would also be introduced.
Dr. Kasturirangan, a former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, said India needed a three-pronged national action plan focussing on species recovery, relocation of villagers from critical habitats, and management of invasive species, to ensure sustainable management of biodiversity.
He said there was an urgent need to augment and accelerate efforts for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and for fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilisation of bio-resources.
Pointing out that biodiversity was vital for the survival of the planet, he said the accelerated disappearance of species was a matter of concern. “Sixty per cent of the ecosystems worldwide are in a state of degradation. As many as 1.6 billion people rely on forests for livelihood and 80 per cent of people in developing countries rely on traditional medicines derived from plants. The estimated global cost of biodiversity loss is estimated at $3 trillion,” he said.
Dr. Kasturirangan said policies and programmes developed over the decades had provided a robust organisational structure dealing with biodiversity in India. “There are an estimated 90,000 species of animals and 40,000 species of plants in the 10 geographic regions the country has documented. Nearly 6,500 native plants are used in indigenous health-care systems. Thousands of locally adopted crop varieties and native breeds of farm livestock continue to thrive in diversified farming systems,” he said.
However, he said, over 3,00,000 samples of cultivars kept under long-term storage in national gene banks had gone out of cultivation and many among the 140 native breeds of farm livestock faced threats to their survival.
“In the backdrop of these concerns and threats, the conflicting demands of stakeholders, and with half of the total land under cultivation and another 23 per cent under forests, biodiversity conservation faces challenges. An estimated 40 per cent of the forest cover is degraded, 78 per cent of the forest area is subject to heavy grazing and 50 per cent prone to forest fires, and domestic demand for timber and firewood is well above sustainable level,” he said.
Dr. Kasturirangan said satellite systems were making routine observations to analyse the forest cover and classify degraded forests. The more recent geosynchronous systems could provide a more accurate analysis and help in early detection of forest fires.
He noted that the livelihood of local communities which managed conservation areas was delicately and intricately woven with the resource management and conservation strategies of these areas.
“The fragmentation and degradation of wildlife habitats are adversely affecting the population of many wildlife animal species, leading to increased human-animal conflict. The increased demand for wildlife and wildlife products globally results in poaching, while the increase in livestock population in and around protected areas poses a constant threat for spread of disease into wild animals,” he said.
Dr. Kasturirangan said the Green India Mission to bring five million hectares of land, including degraded land and ecologically sensitive areas, under green cover was one of the important targets of the 12th Plan.
He said India was preparing to showcase its achievements and plans at the next meeting of the committee of parties to the CBD (Convention on Biodiversity) to be held in Hyderabad in October 2012.
A.K. Sharma, president, NASI, presided over the function. M.G.K. Menon, Manju Sharma, A. Jayakrishnan, Vice-Chancellor, University of Kerala, and J.P. Khurana and Krishna Misra, general secretaries, NASI, spoke.
