ABS mechanism to be extended to marine sector in AP

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board (APSBB) on Wednesday said it is working towards extending the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism to marine resources, with the aim of ensuring that a share of export revenues reaches coastal fishing communities. Addressing a press meet after a workshop on marine ABS in Vijayawada, APSBB chairman Neelayapalem Vijay Kumar said the proposal seeks to recognise fishermen as "guardians of the sea" and ensure that industries utilising marine biological resources share a portion of their revenues with local communities. The workshop was organised in collaboration with the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA). Speaking on the occasion, NBA chairman Veerendra Tiwari said an expert committee has been constituted to prepare a comprehensive inventory of marine species to facilitate the implementation of ABS in the sector. The authority oversees implementation of ABS provisions under the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023. Vijay Kumar said the mechanism aims to transfer a fair and equitable share of marine resource wealth to more than 3,000 coastal Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) in the State. He added that while ABS is already being implemented in sectors such as forestry and agriculture, efforts are now under way to extend the framework to marine ecosystems. Highlighting the State's performance, he said Andhra Pradesh has received ₹97 crore out of the ₹145 crore distributed nationwide under ABS so far, largely from red sanders and agriculture-related resources. Future efforts, he said, would focus on generating similar benefits from marine resources. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board chairman P Krishnaiah flagged concerns over marine pollution and destructive fishing practices, including bottom trawling, which he said are impacting fish stocks.