Chandigarh, Sep 6 (IANS) With the call to make more than 2.76 lakh biodiversity management committees across the country, the two-day 16th national meet of the State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils (UTBCs) began here on Sunday. 

Organised by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), the summit brings together chairpersons and member secretaries of SBBs and UTBCs from across the country, along with senior officials, experts and scientists. 

The inaugural session was presided over by Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria amid the presence of Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and Haryana Minister for Environment, Forest and Wildlife Rao Narbir Singh. 

Addressing the gathering, Governor Kataria highlighted India's rich biological heritage and traditional environmental ethos. 

He emphasised that ecological security is closely linked with food and water security, livelihoods and sustainable development, and underlined the importance of combining traditional knowledge and community participation with contemporary approaches. 

The Governor drew attention to the ecological significance of the wetlands, riverine ecosystems and agricultural biodiversity. 

He stressed the importance of strengthening biodiversity management committees and People's Biodiversity Registers and called for stronger coordination among biodiversity institutions and local communities. 

In his address, Union Minister Yadav highlighted India's long-standing environmental ethos and referred to initiatives under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi like Mission LiFE, Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam, Amrit Sarovar and the Green Credit Programme. 

"India takes along its scientific prowess as well as traditional community wisdom together in this conservation journey," he said. 

Referring to the Biological Diversity Act of 2002, the Union Minister said the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023, and the Biological Diversity Rules, 2024, have further strengthened and streamlined the biodiversity governance framework. 

He urged the states and Union Territories to align their rules, institutional mechanisms and implementation processes with the amended framework. 

Union Minister Yadav appreciated India's progress in fulfilling its international biodiversity commitments, including the submission of the seventh national report to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the first national report on the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS). 

Emphasising implementation at the grassroots, Bhupender Yadav called for making the more than 2.76 lakh biodiversity management committees functional and effective. 

He also called for People's Biodiversity Registers to evolve into dynamic planning instruments for local bodies, enabling information on local biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge to contribute to local planning and sustainable development. 

On access and benefit sharing, the Union Minister noted that the National Biodiversity Authority has shared more than Rs 200 crore of ABS funds with farmers, local communities, biodiversity management committees, state biodiversity boards, Union Territory biodiversity councils and research institutions. 

He emphasised that ABS should deliver tangible benefits to communities while contributing to conservation and sustainable livelihoods. 

The event saw the release of knowledge products, including the document on last one year achievements of the National Biodiversity Authority, giving an overview of the ABS scheme and efficient distribution of these funds among the stakeholders. 

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Rao Narbir Singh highlighted Haryana's efforts towards conservation and restoration and emphasised the importance of strengthening biodiversity governance at the state and local levels. 

He highlighted the role of biodiversity management committees in the state in conserving local biodiversity and called for enhanced training and capacity building of local communities.

--IANS