Workshop on implementation of Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and Access and Benefit Sharing Mechanism

09 Feb, 2018

The Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Board in collaboration with GIZ organized a workshop on the implementation of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and the Access and Benefit Sharing mechanism at the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu on February 9th, 2018. The aim of the workshop was to create awareness on the key provisions of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, which include the establishment of Biodiversity Management Committees and the documentation of People’s Biodiversity Registers in Tamil Nadu. The 48 participants in the workshop included district level officers from agriculture, animal husbandry, horticulture, forests, fisheries and sericulture from the districts of Coimbatore, the Nilgiris and Tiruppur. Representatives of some environmental organizations involved in biodiversity related work and representatives from local farmer producer cooperatives were also present.

The District Collector, Thiru. T.N Hariharan IAS, highlighted the importance of the Act in protecting biodiversity and traditional knowledge. He has also extended his support for future activities in the district. Thiru. A. Udhayan IFS Secretary, Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Board, informed the participants about the government’s initiative to establish BMCs in the state. An order has been issued to constitute 385 block-level BMCs reaching all corners in the state. The senior officials from Tamil Nadu Forest Academy, Thiru Yogesh Dwivedi IFS, Director Thiru Thirunavakarasu IFS, CCF & Additional Director and Thiru. A. Ganesan IFS, CCF & Director, Annamalai Tiger Rerserve Tamil Nadu Forest Department emphasized the need of implementation of the Act and need for creating awareness among local people in Tamil Nadu.

The key provisions of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and related notifications were elaborated during the workshop. Technical sessions on steps involved in documentation of People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) and a participatory exercise on identifying the possible ways of creating awareness about the Act was conducted. Apart from presentations, various training tools were used for group work during the workshop. Participants expressed interest in a longer training session to gain better understanding especially with regard to their role in implementation of the Act & constitution of BMCs.

Find our media report here