Biodiversity action plan

Biodiversity:

Biodiversity encompasses the whole variety of life on Earth. It includes all species of plants and animals, but also their genetic variation, and the complex ecosystems of which they are part. It is not restricted to rare or threatened species but includes the whole of the natural world from the common place to the critically endangered.  The world is losing biodiversity at an ever-increasing rate as a result of human activity. On a world scale the rate of loss is now recognised to be a cause for serious concern, requiring concerted international action to prevent continued loss of the variety and totality of life on Earth. In the UK we have lost over 100 species during the last century, with many more species and habitats in danger of disappearing, especially at the local level. 

Benefits of biodiversity:

Biodiversity brings benefits to local communities through benefiting health, improving the local economy, maintaining environmental quality and ecosystem services and providing recreation and education resources for people of all ages. Therefore biodiversity cuts across many Local Authority activities.

Biodiversity Action Plan:

In situ conservation:

Expand the PA network of the country including Conservation and Community Reserves, to give fair representation to all biogeography zones of the country.  In doing so, develop norms for delineation of PAs in terms of the objectives and principles of the National Environment Policy, in particular, participation of local communities, concerned public agencies, and other stakeholders, who have direct and tangible stake in protection and conservation of wildlife, to harmonize ecological and physical features with needs of socio economic development. 

Establish self-sustaining monitoring system for overseeing the activities and effectiveness of the PA network.

Ensure that human activities on the fringe areas of PAs do not degrade the habitat or otherwise significantly disturb wildlife.

Mitigate man-animal conflicts.

Promote site-specific eco-development programmes in fringe areas of  PAs, to restore livelihoods and access to forest produce by local communities, owing to access restrictions in PAs.

Promote voluntary relocation of villagers from critical habitats of PAs.

Devise effective management and conservation techniques for the forest preservation plots to ensure conservation of representative areas of different forest types.

Strengthen research work on PAs, Biosphere Reserves and fragile ecosystems by involving local research institutions and universities, so as to develop baseline data on biological and managerial parameters, and functional properties of ecosystems.

Strengthen the protection of areas of high endemism of genetic resources (biodiversity hotspots), while providing alternative livelihoods and access to resources to local communities who may be affected thereby. 

Continue to promote inter-sectoral consultations and partnerships in strengthening biodiversity conservation activities.

Strengthen capacities and implement measures for captive breeding and release into the wild of identified endangered species.

Reintroduction and establishment of viable populations of threatened plant species.

Control poaching and illegal trade in wild animals and plant species.

Periodically revisits the norms, criteria and needs of data for placing particular species in different Schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

Promote ecologically and socially sensitive tourism and pilgrimage activities with emphasis on regulated and low impact tourism.

Promote ecologically and socially sensitive tourism and pilgrimage activities with emphasis on regulated and low impact tourism.

Formulate and implement partnerships for enhancement of wildlife habitat in Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves, on the lines of multistakeholder partnerships for afforestation, to derive both environmental and eco-tourism benefits. 

Promote conservation of biodiversity outside the PA network, on private property, on common lands, water bodies and urban areas.

Formulate and implement programmers for conservation of endangered species outside PAs.

Ensure conservation of ecologically sensitive areas, which are prone to high risk of loss of biodiversity due to natural or anthropogenic factors.

Ensure that survey and bioprospecting of native economically important biological resources is undertaken on a priority basis.

Integrate conservation and wise use of wetlands and river basic management involving all stakeholders, in particular local communities, to ensure maintenance of hydrological regimes and conservation of biodiversity.

Consider particular unique wetlands as entities of incomparable values, in developing strategies for their protection and formulate conservation and prudent use strategies for each of these, with participation of local communities, and other stakeholders

On-farm conservation

Identify hotspots of agro-biodiversity under different agro-ecozones and cropping systems and promote on-farm conservation.

Provide economically feasible and socially acceptable incentives such as value addition and direct market access in the face of replacement by other economically remunerative cultivars.

Develop appropriate models for on-farm conservation of livestock herds maintained by different institutions and local communities.

Develop mutually supportive linkages between in situ, on-farm and exsitu conservation programmes.

Ex situ conservation

Promote ex situ conservation of rare, endangered, endemic and insufficiently known floristic and faunal components of natural habitats, through appropriate institutionalization and human resource capacity building. For example, pay immediate heed to conservation and multiplication of rare, endangered and endemic tree species through revitalization of institutions such as Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding. 

Focus on conservation of genetic diversity (in situ, ex situ, in vitro) of cultivated plants, domesticated animals and their wild relatives to support their breeding programmes.

Develop cost effective and situation specific technologies for medium and long term storage of seed samples collected by different institutions and organizations.

Undertake DNA profiling for assessment of genetic diversity in rare, endangered and endemic species to assist in developing their conservation programmes. 

Develop a unified national database covering all ex situ conservation sites. 

Consolidate, augment and strengthen the network of ex situ centers of zoos, aquaria etc.

Develop networking of botanical gardens and consider establishing a Central Authority for botanic gardens to secure their better management,on the lines of Central Zoo Authority.

Provide for training of personnel and mobilize financial resources to strengthen captive breeding projects for endangered species of wild animals.

Strengthen basic research on reproduction biology of rare, endangered and endemic species to support reintroduction programmes.

Encourage cultivation of plants of economic value presently gathered from their natural populations, causing their decline. 

Promote inter-sectoral linkages and synergies to develop and realize full economic potential of ex situ conserved materials in crop and livestock improvement programmes.

Economically effective and socially viable incentives for conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity are being encouraged.  These include use of wood substitutes, alternative energy sources (biogas, wind mills, solar cookers, wave energy, fuel efficient stoves, etc.), establishment of nurseries, tree planting; stall feeding, water harvesting and pollution abatement measures.

The forestry sector in India is being re-defined with a growing emphasis on poverty alleviation and livelihood opportunities, while at the same time ensuring sustainable management and use of forest resources.   The current trend in forest management is towards greater participation and involvement of all stakeholders dependent on the forests.

In forest:

Production of wood and non-timber forest products, first for meeting subsistence needs and then the surplus for commercial purposes.

Protection and setting aside of areas to be managed as wild life reserves or plantations for recreational and environmental purposes.

Regulating the conversion of forest lands for non-forestry uses.

Regeneration of wastelands and degraded forests.

Functional and land capability classification of forests and land use planning to ensure healthy and sustainable land use systems with acceptable, safe minimum standards.

Protection of adequate extent of natural forests for their long-term contributions, including conservation of biodiversity.

Management and utilization of forest resources for maximizing their sustainable contribution and value addition towards improved welfare of society. 

Promotion of efforts for producing forest goods and services outside forest areas (e.g. agroforestry plantations, home gardens) and development of potential substitutes for wood from non-forest sources (e.g. rubber wood,coconut wood)

Waste reduction and waste recycling programme.

Feasible medium for encouraging participation of people and the private sector.

A proper and realistic system for cost, values and benefits attributable to forestry to ensure a strong ecology – economy interface.

Honey Bee Network is an important example to illustrate the measures taken to protect and encourage customary use of biological resources in India. 

Action Points:

Secure integration of biodiversity concerns into inter-sectoral policies and programmes to identify elements having adverse impact on biodiversity and design policy guidelines to address such issues. Make valuation of biodiversity an integral part of pre-appraisal of projects and programmes to minimize adverse impacts on biodiversity.

Promote decentralized management of biological resources with emphasis on community participation.

Promote sustainable use of biodiversity in sectors such as agriculture, animal husbandry, dairy development, fisheries, apiculture, sericulture, forestry and industry.

Promote conservation, management and sustainable utilization of bamboos and canes, and establish their living collections in the form of bambusetum and canetum for maintaining species diversity and elite germplasm lines. 

Promote best practices based on traditional sustainable uses of biodiversity and devise mechanisms for providing benefits to local communities.

Build and regularly update a database on NTFPs, monitor and rationalize use of NTFPs  ensuring their sustainable availability to local communities.

Promote sustainable use of biological resources by supporting studies on traditional utilization of natural resources in selected areas to identify incentives and disincentives and promote best practices. 

Encourage cultivation of medicinal plants and culture of marine organisms exploited for drugs to prevent their unsustainable extraction from the wild.

Promote capacity building at grassroot level for participatory decision making to ensure eco-friendly and sustainable use of natural resources.

Develop sui generis system for protection of traditional knowledge, and related rights including Intellectual Property Rights.

Encourage adoption of science-based, and traditional sustainable land use practices, through research and development, extension of knowledge, pilot scale demonstrations, and large scale dissemination, including  farmer's training, and where necessary, access to institutional finance.

Promote reclamation of wasteland and degraded forest land, through  formulation and adoption of multistakeholder partnerships, involving the land owning agency, local communities, and investors.

Promote sustainable alternatives to shifting cultivation where it is no longer ecologically viable, ensuring that the culture and social organisation of the local people are not disrupted.

Encourage agro-forestry, organic farming, environmentally sustainable cropping patterns, and adoption of efficient irrigation techniques.