KOCHI: Kerala is all set to become the first state in the country to have People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBR) in all local bodies.
Preparation of biodiversity registers has already been completed in 845 of the 1,034 local bodies in the State.
According to the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB), preparation of PBRs will be completed in the remaining local bodies soon. As per provisions of the Biological Diversity Act-2002, Biological Diversity Rules-2004 and the Kerala State Biological Diversity Rules-2008, it is mandatory to constitute Bio-diversity Management Committees (BMC) and prepare PBRs. A Local Self-Government Department order - dated February 24, 2010 - had directed all local bodies in the State to prepare PBRs by March 31, 2012. However, the process got delayed as most of the local bodies took longer time than expected to constitute BMCs.
“A couple of years ago, Kerala was declared the first Indian state to constitute BMCs in all local bodies. It is the duty of the BMCs to prepare PBRs in the respective areas. So far, 83 per cent of the local bodies in the State have completed preparation of the register. We hope to complete the process in the coming months, thereby achieving the rare feat of having PBRs in all local bodies,” said KSBB member secretary K P Laladhas.
Laladhas, however admitted there was delay in preparation of PBR in some local bodies, including Corporations. “There are issues in some local bodies. We have provided technical assistance and training to officials who have been entrusted with the task of PBR preparation. We have also urged the local bodies to hasten the process,” he added.
What is People’s Biodiversity Register?
Details with regard to the present status of endemic flora and fauna; traditional knowledge and customs; geography; and natural resources will be recorded in the register. It will act as a baseline data for the management strategies required for sustainable utilisation of biodiversity in a decentralised manner. Apart from PBR preparation, the role of the Biodiversity Management Committee will be to give advice on matters referred to it by the National Biodiversity Authority and the State Biodiversity Boards, while taking decisions on use of biological resources.