Articles features
Telangana takes lessons from Kerala on biodiversity
By
Sanu GeorgeThiruvananthapuram, March 27
If it was Goa
that first decided to replicate the Kerala model of protecting its rich
biodiversity, the newly formed state of Telangana is now following suit.
Kerala
is the only state in the country that has established Biodiversity
Management Committees (BMC) at all panchayats as required by the
Biological Diversity Act and has set up more than 75 percent of the
People's Biodiversity Registers (PBR) in all the local bodies.
On
account of these achievements, the Kerala State Biodiversity Board
(KSBB) has now become a must-visit place for other states as the state
leads from the front in protecting its rich biodiversity through
collective efforts.
C. Suvarana, member secretary of the
Telangana State Biodiversity Board, who was in the city talking to the
KSBB officials, undertaking field visits and meeting the elected
representatives at the grassroots, said that she is excited by what she
has seen and is determined to replicate this in the newly-formed state.
"Following
the division of Andhra Pradesh, the new Biodiversity Board in Telangana
state started functioning on March 1. I was told by officials that the
best way to go ahead with our work is to visit Kerala and study what has
been done. My visit has been hugely fruitful and am returning after
learning what needs to be done," Suvarana told IANS.
Her first task would be to set up 3,400 new BMCs as these exist in just 600 local bodies in Telangana.
The
BMC is a statutory body comprising elected local government
representatives and experts from the village councils, while the PBR
lists out the flora and fauna and the traditional knowledge existing in
every village.
"Allocation of funds is a problem, but I am
returning with lots of Kerala government orders and orders of KSBB on
how funds have been raised from the existing panchayati raj institutions
here. The state government alone will not be able to provide the funds
and the Kerala model will enable me to inform my seniors on how funds
can be raised from other sources for protecting the biodiversity," the
senior Indian Forest Service officer added.
KSBB member-secretary
K.P. Laladhas said that documentation is the key to its success as in
the past four years, a lot of effort had gone into this.
"The
biggest challenge is to ensure that one learns all there is to about
biodiversity and how to protect it. This can be done only if there is
proper documentation," Laladhas told IANS.
(Sanu George can be contacted at [email protected])