The proposed Telangana State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan should be prepared in coordination with other related departments — Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Forest — and its implementation should be local community-centric, said former home secretary K. Padmanabhaiah, who is now chairman, Court of Governors, Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI).
“Biodiversity conservation should become a ‘people’s movement’. We cannot afford to wait for another 20 years to implement it as it can affect food production, soil fertility, recycling of nutrients, pollination, etc. A draft plan was initiated eight years ago but was not finalised and the biodiversity board had human resources and funding issues, so it is going to be a difficult task,” he said.
Mr. Padmanabhaiah was addressing scientists, forest officers, voluntary organisations, biodiversity management committees and others at an inception workshop on ‘Telangana State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan’ organised by the Telangana State Biodiversity Board (TSBB) and Centre for Innovations in Public Systems (CIPS) of ASCI here on Tuesday.
Telangana would become the 10th State to have such an action plan, and it could be dovetailed into the national biodiversity strategy likely to come out next year. But it would require a cross-sectoral approach involving different government departments which otherwise work in silos, said National Biodiversity Authority secretary J. Justin Mohan.
He suggested departments and stakeholders to have a brainstorming session to identify common problems and solutions. The Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) formed across the State could serve as platforms for people’s involvement. A repository can be established in one of the research organisations for issuing vouchers to corporates making use of natural resources for raising funds, he added.
CIPS director C. Achalender Reddy, entrusted with the task of preparing the State biodiversity strategy and action plan by the TSBB, observed that the progress of implementing the biodiversity conservation guidelines has been slow despite law coming into existence in 2002. He called for protecting 20-30 hectares of grasslands for future germplasm in each district.
Stock-taking assessment of biodiversity, stakeholders consultations, reviewing implementation of Biological Diversity Act, post-framework by involving all line departments, aligning with the national targets and so on would be taken up in two phases while making the plan.
TSBB secretary Kalicharan S. Khartade assured that the best practices would find a place in the action plan under preparation, and it would help in mobilising funds from government and non-government sectors.
13,431 biodiversity management committees formed
The TSBB has formed 13,431 biodiversity management committees (BMCs) at all local bodies, and people’s biodiversity registers have been prepared.
District-wise database with GIS mapping of ‘Threatened taxa of Telangana State’ has been documented. A database on tradable bio-resources and bio-sources-based industries with their economic valuation and associated traditional knowledge was published in 2019.
The board has also documented agro-biodiversity of TS in collaboration with the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources and implemented a research project — Conservation of local breeds, registration of native ‘Mannanur’ cattle in collaboration with NGO-Wassan. ‘Thurpu Poda’ cattle breed became the first registered cattle breed of Telangana, recognised by the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources.
An amount of ₹56 lakh was collected as benefit sharing from 2015-20 and distributed to relevant BMCs and 42 agreements have been signed thus far.
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