Source: The Hindu

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Context

• Raising awareness among the population about endangered species and their preservation, Thazhakara grama panchayat based in Alappuzha district of Kerala updates information filled in People’s Biodiversity Register.

Details

Key Points:

• PBR Publication: Thazhakara is one of the first grama panchayat in Alappuzha and one of the first in Kerala to update and publish a People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) to document biota.
• Community Involvement: The PBR was gazetted with the participation of all the stakeholders with particular focus on participation of the community in the management of the biological diversity of the region.

People’s Biodiversity Register:

• PBR stands for the People’s Biodiversity Register which is a record that captures all the biological wealth – physical environment, topography, and population density, of a particular geographical area right from the village level.
• It is meant to record the information about the biological resources and their uses, medicinal or otherwise, as well as any indigenous information linked to them.
• Legal Framework
• Biological Diversity Act (2002) - Section 41: Mandates that each local body set up a Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) to conserve, use and document biodiversity.
• Biological Diversity Rules (2004) - Rule 22: Makes it a primary mandate of the BMC to coordinate the preparation of PBRs in participation with the local people. Outlines the detailed records that should be incorporated in PBRs such as the local biological resources. National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and State Biodiversity Boards (SBB) offer consultations and technical assistant to prepare PBR.
• Objectives of PBR
  • Documentation: The condition refers to a detailed documentation of the native availability of bio-resources, their genetic materials and derivative items, but excludes value-added products.
  • Conservation: Support the effective utilisation and conservation of biological resources like the endangered species.
  • Traditional Knowledge: Documenting and cataloguing modern indigenous ideas concerning bio-resources and the way they’re utilized.

• Preparation and Maintenance
  • Role of Local Bodies: Gram panchayats, municipalities and corporations are for preparing and maintaining the PBR.
  • Involvement of Stakeholders: Agriculture and government departments, technical support groups, scientists, local communities have to work together for preparing PBR.
  • Survey and Sampling: It is also worthy to note the effects that seasons, some types of animals and fish, and nomadic peoples have on the economy. There are objects and photo and video records that should be gathered for reference.
  • Technical Support: Government departments are expected to come up with secondary data while technical support groups are expected to support in the production of PBRs.

• Issues in PBR Preparation
  • Jurisdiction: Different PBRs for prerogative control at the level of gram panchayats, taluks, districts, corporations, etc.
  • Data Collection: Changes in the population, production and merchandising of products that were dependent on the Wildlife, capture of the use of bio resources by the nomadic communities.
  • Industry Identification: Familiarising with industries which are using bio-resources within the jurisdiction.
  • Community Participation: Engagement of the local communities and cooperation with the authorities.

• Role of PBR in the conservation and management
  • Sustainability: Sustains the utilization of the biological resources as used by the local people.
  • Linkage to Plans: Complements management plans of BMCs and local body planning endeavours.
  • Income Generation: Ascribes to PBR income generation for local people.
  • Threatened Species: Concerns mainly with endangered species and species that are at the verge of extinction.

• Suggestions for Effective PBR Implementation:
  • Beyond Documentation: Engage with PBR to prioritize conservation mainly by drawing on the local knowledge and other systems’ reserves of biological resources.
  • Educational Integration: Include the PBR information into the curricular of schools and other higher education intuitions.
  • Capacity Building: Strengthen the skills and abilities for policy making, policy implementation, policy supervision and policy executing at macro, meso and micro level.
  • Mass Media: Inform the population through the social communication media.
  • Legal Endorsement: PBR was also to be made sure that it is recognized as legal document by the State Biodiversity Board.
  • Bio-Prospecting Standards: They even outlined some of the standards to be used in bio-prospecting depending on the production of PBR data.
  • Impact Assessment: PBR can be used as an assessment tool for impact of the developmental activities and mining on biodiversity.
  • Community Consent: The authorities should require that all those who want to use bio-resources should first seek permission from the local communities.

Sources:

The Hindu

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