Chandigarh, Sep 6 — Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Sunday began discussions on strengthening biodiversity governance, showcasing National Biodiversity Authority's (NBA) achievement of sharing Rs 200 crore of benefits with local communities and states.
Speaking at the start of the two-day 16th National Meet of the State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils (UTBCs) organised by the NBA, Union Minister Yadav called for making the more than 2.76 lakh Biodiversity Management Committees functional and effective.
He hailed India's progress in fulfilling its international biodiversity commitments, including the submission of the 7th National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the firsst National Report on the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS).
He emphasised that ABS should deliver tangible benefits to communities while contributing to conservation and sustainable livelihoods, an official statement said.
The event saw the release of knowledge products, including the document on last one year achievements of the NBA, giving an overview of the ABS scheme and efficient distribution of these funds among the stakeholders.
Referring to the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the Union Minister noted that the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023, and the Biological Diversity Rules, 2024, have further strengthened and streamlined the biodiversity governance framework.
He urged states and Union Territories to align their rules, institutional mechanisms and implementation processes with the amended framework.
The Union Minister also talked about India's Updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2024–2030, which is aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
He called for measurable outcomes in ecosystem restoration, species and habitat conservation, agro-biodiversity and climate-resilient landscapes
The two-day National Meet is providing a platform for states and Union Territories to share experiences, innovations and implementation challenges and to deliberate on practical measures for strengthening biodiversity governance.
The deliberations are expected to contribute to stronger institutional mechanisms, improved functioning of Biodiversity Management Committees, better quality and utilisation of People's Biodiversity Registers, enhanced capacity building and more effective implementation of the biodiversity governance framework at the state and local levels.
Earlier, Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria 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.
Other present at the event included Haryana Minister for Environment, Forest and Wildlife Rao Narbir Singh; Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Secretary Tanmay Kumar; Director General of Forests and Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Special Secretary Sushil Kumar Awasthi; Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Additional Secretary Ashutosh Agnihotri; National Biodiversity Airport (NBA) Chairperson Virendra Tiwari and other senior officials of the Union Ministry, the statement said.