India releases updated National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plans at Cali

 By Malini Shankar

Digital Discourse Foundation

Cali, Colombia 30.10.2024

While the juggernaut rolls on towards the curtains, India today unveiled its updated National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plans at the Asia Pacific Pavilion in the 16th Conference of Parties of the United Nations' Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) in Cali today. India’s Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Ecology, Forests and Climate Change, Kirthi Vardhan Singh presented to the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Executive Director Astrid Schumacher the updated targets under National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plans.

These include:

1.       Integrated Land and Sea Use Planning

2.       Ecosystem Restoration

3.       Conserve Biodiversity in all ecosystems

4.       Manages species and genetic diversity

5.       Sustainable trade and harvest of wild species

6.       Manage invasive alien species

7.       Reduce Pollution Risks

8.       Mitigate Climate Change Impacts

9.       Sustainable use of wild species

10.   Sustainable management of agriculture and fisheries

11.   Enhance ecosystem services and regulate quality.

12.   Increase access to green and blue spaces.

13.   Access and Benefit sharing

14.   Mainstream Biodiversity

15.   Sustainable Production and Risk disclosure

16.   Promote sustainable consumption

17.   Strengthen biosafety regulations

18.   Repurpose harmful incentives

19.   Resource mobilisation

20.   Capacity Building and Cooperation

21.   Enhance Communication and Awareness

22.   Equitable participation in decision making.

23.   Promote gender equality in decision making

Speaking on the occasion Secretary of (CBD) in Ministry Of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Tanmay Kumar said India is a mega diverse country with four Biodiversity Hotspots and India hosts 8% of the recorded species. Kumar said India ratified the CBD back in 1994, barely two years after Rio Earth Summit; that India has pioneered legislation and policy guidelines as well as implementation. The Biodiversity Act, Biodiversity Action Plan, Biodiversity Committee have all been put in place as per the CBD. Kumar also announced that “India has established Traditional Knowledge Digital Library” … which complements state biodiversity registries and conforms to Digital Sequencing Implementation mandate of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Executive director of the Convention on Biological Diversity Ms. Astrid Schumacher said “the world will look forward to learning from the traditions documented by the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library”.

Dr. Balaji a senior scientist at the National Biodiversity Authority said “ Biodiversity conservation being a multi-disciplinary domain involves various line ministries and departments …”Agriculture, Science and Technology, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj…are all part of the NBSAPs”. Director of WWF India Mrs. Vishesh delivered the keynote address.   

 

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