Biodiversity Board explores implementation of action plan

National Biodiversity Authority Secretary B Balaji said stressed on financial support from corporate under the Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.

Hyderabad: After becoming the first State agency to come up with a Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, the Telangana State Biodiversity Board is now exploring different financial resources and mobilization for effective implementation of the plan.

Accordingly, experts and representatives of different companies discussed strategies to be adopted for financial mobilization at a workshop held here on Monday.

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The State-level workshop on the implementation of BIOFIN-Finance Solutions in Telangana: Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Public Finance, Access and Benefit Sharing and Corporate Social Responsibility, experts suggested different options saw presentations by different experts.

Centre for Innovations in Public Systems Director Valli Manickam in her presentation said seed production, medicinal plants, drugs and pharma, agro-based and food and ayurveda companies use bio-resources in the State.

But they hardly contribute considerably for biodiversity initiatives. Strengthening Biodiversity Management Committees, monitoring team to check the violators and getting them under the Biodioversity Act, documenting economically important bioresources through E-PBRS with GIS interface were a few recommendations she suggested for tapping the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS).

National Biodiversity Authority Secretary B Balaji said stressed on financial support from corporate under the Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.

In Japan, conservative vehicle number plates were being issued for interested individuals with special animal logos on payment of extra fee.

The same amount was being used for biodiversity measures, he said. UNDP Project Officer J Soundrapandi gave a presentation on mainstreaming, ABS and CSR with a special focus on voluntary certificate scheme for incentivisation of ABS.

Telangana Principal Secretary Vani Prasad said farm residue burning was increasing in the State and suggested the companies to explore biomass fuel generation through farm residue.

She also recommended adoption of BMCs by corporate companies to strengthen their activities at the field level. National Biodiversity Authority Chairman C Achalender Reddy also spoke on the occasion.