42 local bodies identified in Kannur, Idukki and Alappuzha districts to get financial assistance of ₹2 lakh each
42 local bodies identified in Kannur, Idukki and Alappuzha districts to get financial assistance of ₹2 lakh each
A decade after the preparation of People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR), local bodies of the State are moving towards updating the document and formulating biodiversity-based local action plans.
The Kerala Biodiversity Board will fund the efforts in select 42 local bodies identified in Kannur, Idukki and Alappuzha districts. The local bodies will also get a financial assistance of ₹2 lakh each for the process.
The updated version of the earlier PBR will also be prepared shortly.
The last decade witnessed a sea change in the biodiversity concerns of the State with new challenges coming up. Invasive species have emerged as a serious challenge in the past decade, which was not a matter of concern when the PBR was first prepared. The Board is in the process of supporting the local bodies to come up with a revised and updated version of the document. The challenges posed by climate change and such concerns will have to be reflected in the document, said A.V. Santhosh Kumar, member secretary of the Board.
Earlier, 1,034 local bodies of the State, including 941 grama panchayats, 87 municipalities and six corporations had prepared the document, which records traditional knowledge and provides insight into “status, uses, history, ongoing changes, and forces driving these changes on the biological diversity resources” of each local body.
The document will also provide information on the current utilisation patterns of biodiversity and its economic benefits to the local communities, according to the website of the Board.
Earlier, around 100 local bodies of the State had earmarked funds for the revision of the document. Guidelines and a manual for the revision of PBR is being finalised. The documents of the local bodies will be refined at a few levels using the manual. Training programmes will also be organised for these local bodies for the purpose, he said.
The manual for the local bodies for the preparation of the biodiversity-based local action plan is also being finalised. Athirappally village panchayat was the first local body in the State to come up with such a document. All the local bodies in the State may have to come up with such a document in next few years, he said.
