Training Community Resource Persons on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)

22 Nov, 2020

Capacity Development of Trainers and Panchayats in Tamil Nadu

By: Geetha Nayak, ABS Partnership Project

Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC) in India embody the spirit of local self-governance. Currently, there are 2,66,509 BMCs across different states in India. Their main functions include documenting the People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) and promoting the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

The Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Partnership Project took a systematic approach towards capacity development in 12 block-level pilot BMCs in 10 districts of Tamil Nadu. Beginning with a capacity needs assessment, it developed training modules for BMC members. A unique programme to encourage communities to take charge of their BMCs and prepare the PBR was designed. It focused on training Community Resource Persons (CRP) on data collection and conducting interviews of traditional knowledge holders, farmers etc., to prepare the PBR in their own villages.

In partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the National Biodiversity Authority, the ABS Partnership Project has developed six training modules, facilitator’s guide and training methods which will be published in the coming months.

Who are Community Resource Persons?

Community Resource Persons are village-level community or extension workers who support various developmental activities. The National Rural Livelihood Mission, Government of India, developed this concept to mobilise women to join self-help groups and undertake various livelihood activities. Many states have adopted this concept and trained women to become CRPs. The Tamil Nadu State Rural Livelihood Mission has created a pool of resource persons for agriculture, animal husbandry etc. CRPs are categorised master trainers, and resource persons who conduct training at state, districts and blocks. There are hundreds of women in the CRP networks in Tamil Nadu.

Project approach

The ABS project partnered with the State Institute of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (SIRD&PR) in Tamil Nadu to design and implement the Training of Trainers (ToT) programme where 50 trainers from different districts of Tamil Nadu were trained on the aspects of the Biodiversity Act, BMCs, its functions, preparation of PBRs etc. The ToTs used participatory training methods and was conducted over five days in two phases in November 2019.

Field visit organised as part of the training conducted by Mr. M. Paneerselvam at K.Vairavanpatti village,Sivagangai District.

The training of CRPs was conducted in October 2020 by certified trainers trained under the ToT programme organised by the project. Due to COVID 19 pandemic, the number of participants in each training was restricted to 5-8 persons. The sessions covered topics on biodiversity, BMCs, PBRs, ABS and their significance, with field visit to practice filling up PBR formats. 35 certified trainers conducted 3-day training sessions in 21 districts covering 35 villages. A total of 271 persons including CRPs, Panchayat Presidents, members and BMC members in the villages were trained.

The training of trainers and training of CRPs has reached many villages in districts of Tamil Nadu and is one approach to reach BMCs in a state.

Mr. Abhishek Tomar, IFS, DFO Villupuram awarding training certificates to CRPs trained by Mr. T. John Dougless Selvakumar at Avi Kolappakkam,Villupuram district. ©Ranjithkumar A.