Village biodiversity panels to get funding from national board

Panaji: Village biodiversity management committees (BMC) in Goa are set to benefit from the new funding to the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) earmarked specially for distribution to BMCs across the country.

The Union environment ministry on Monday said that to conserve biodiversity and ensure equitable sharing of monetary benefits from the use of biological resources, the NBA will disburse Rs 45 lakh.


The payouts will benefit more than 90 BMCs across 10 states and two UTs, including Goa, the ministry said.

It also said that the amount being disbursed has been collected as part of benefit-sharing generated from the use of various biological resources, including certain insects, and microorganisms in soil and water.

“These resources were used to develop a range of products, showing how biodiversity supports scientific innovation and the bio-economy. Through the access and benefit-sharing mechanism, a share of the commercial benefits gained by the companies is returned to the communities, helping improve livelihoods and encouraging communities to actively protect and conserve biodiversity,” the environment ministry said.

It said that the beneficiary BMCs represent a range of diverse ecological and institutional settings, including rural villages, urban local bodies, mangrove areas and industrial vicinities.

The NBA was formed to advance India’s obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity at both national and international levels. Accordingly, state biodiversity boards were formed and under them, the village level BMCs. Goa’s BMCs have also prepared a People’s Biodiversity Register in most villages, where the villagers themselves have recorded the biodiversity available in their locality.