The Chorao People’s Biodiversity Register: First results presented

24 Jul, 2017

Under the umbrella of the CMPA Project, a meeting was held at the Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB) to inform about actions taken – and first results obtained – with respect to the preparation of a People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) for Chodan-Madel Village on Chorao, Goa.

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), which has been mandated by the GSBB to provide technical and scientific support to the establishment of PBR, presented its capacity-building activities for the Chorao Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) and other members of the village, especially the student volunteers involved in data collection. In this way, the BMC had been able to develop for each village ward resource maps, using Participatory Rural Appraisal techniques. The maps served as a basis for collecting field data on the existing fauna and flora in the area. TERI also used these maps to provide some suggestions for the establishment of Biodiversity Heritage Sites.

Besides staff from TERI and GIZ, the meeting was attended by officials from Goa’s Forest Department and State Biodiversity Board. From Chorao, members of the Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) and the Sarpanch had joined the meeting, as well as the village Biodiversity Conservation Corps and students who volunteered with primary data collection.

Mr Pradip Sarmokadam, GSBB Member Secretary, expressed his appreciation of the work undertaken by TERI and the BMC. He felt that the process was very useful for this kind of undertaking and expressed his intention to share this experience with other BMC in Goa. He also confirmed his support for conserving certain areas of Chorao by way of designating them as Biodiversity Heritage Sites.