Lok Sabha Question No. 219 (STARRED), answered on 2022-08-01
Subject: Initiatives/Plans for Conservation of Biodiversirty
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sunil Kumar Mondal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.219*

TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.08.2022

## Initiatives/Plans for Conservation of Biodiversity

- *219. SHRI SUNIL KUMAR MONDAL:

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be  pleased  to state:

- (a)   whether the Government has taken any initiative or launched any plan to address the lack of biodiversity for better protection of environment during this year; and
- (b)   if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise along with future initiative in this regard and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BHUPENDER YADAV)

- (a) & (b) The statement is laid on the table of the House.

***

## Statement refer to in reply to part (a) and (b) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 219* due for reply on 01.08.2022 regarding Initiatives/Plans for Conservation of Biodiversity by Shri Sunil Kumar Mondal

The Government of India has taken several steps for conservation of biodiversity of the country which include survey, inventorization, taxonomic validation and threat assessment of floral and faunal  resources;  assessment  to  develop  an  accurate  database  for  planning  and  monitoring  as well  as  conservation  and  protection  of  forests;  establishment  of  a  protected  area  network  of National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, conservation and community  reserves; designating Biosphere  Reserves  for  conservation  of  representative  ecosystems;  undertaking  of  species oriented  programmes,  such  as  Project  Tiger  and  Project  Elephant;  complemented  with  ex-situ conservation efforts.

For  ensuring  protection  of  flora  and  fauna  within  protected  areas,  management  plans  are prepared by State Forest Departments which inter alia include a schedule of activities to be taken up over a period of ten years. The Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972 provides for diligence to be taken before approval of any activity is accorded by the State Government within a protected area to ensure conservation and protection of biodiversity.

In addition, the Central Government provides financial assistance to States and Union Territories under  Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes  such  as:  Integrated  Development  of  Wildlife  Habitat; Project Tiger, and Project Elephant for better protection and conservation of wildlife and their habitat.

The National  Afforestation  &  Eco-development  Board  of  the  Ministry  promotes  afforestation, tree planting, ecological restoration and eco development activities in the country, with special attention to degraded areas as well as ecologically fragile areas.

Furthermore, the Biological Diversity Act 2002 has also been enacted with the aim to conserve biological resources of the country and regulation of access to these resources to ensure equitable sharing of benefits arising out of their use, under which a National Biodiversity Authority and State Biodiversity Boards in all States have been set up for implementing the provisions of the Act.

Some of the measures taken towards implementation of the Biological Diversity Act include: formation  of  State  Biodiversity  Boards  (SBBs)  and  Union  Territory  Biodiversity  Councils (UTBCs)  in all States and UTs, declaration of 23 Biodiversity Heritage Sites (BHS), notification of  threatened  species  which  are  on  the  verge  of  extinction  for  18  states  (Assam,  Bihar,  Goa, Himachal  Pradesh,  Jammu  and  Kashmir,  Karnataka,  Kerala,  Madhya  Pradesh,  Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Orissa, Punjab,  Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh,  and  West Bengal),  establishment  of  2.76  lakh  Biodiversity  Management  Committees (BMCs) and preparation of 2.67 lakh People's Biodiversity Registers in 28 States and 7 UTs.

The  Government  of  India  has  taken  several  initiatives  for  protection  of  biodiversity  and conservation  like  National  Action  Plan  for  Climate  Change  (NAPCC);  National  Mission  on Sustainable  Habitat;  National  Water  Mission;  National  Mission  for  Sustaining  Himalayan

Ecosystem;  Green  India  Mission;  National  Mission  for  Sustainable  Agriculture;  Progressing Adaptation  Actions,  National  Wetland  Conservation  Programme;  National  Lake  conservation Programme; Soil and Water Conservation in the Catchment of Rivers; Watershed Development Project in Shifting Cultivation Areas; Water Resources programme for Repair,  Renovation & Restoration of Water bodies with  Domestic/External Assistance.

Towards the conservation of Wetlands, as of July, 2022 the number of Ramsar sites (Wetlands of International Importance) in India have increased from 26 to 54. India has the largest number of Ramsar sites in South Asia i.e. 54.

India added 540 species to its faunal database in 2021 taking the total number of animal species to 1,03,258 and 315 taxa to the Indian flora during 2021, taking the number of floral taxa in the country to 55,048. The details of state/UT wise initiative/schemes can be seen at Annexure 1.

***

## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  PART  (a)  AND  (b)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA  STARRED QUESTION NO. 219* DUE FOR REPLY ON 01.08.2022 REGARDING INITIATIVES/PLANS FOR CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY

|   Sl. No. | State/UT             | Initiatives                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
|-----------|----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Nagaland             | Revised State Biodiversity and Action plan was launched on 22 May 2022. Implementation of project for conservation and preservation of 7 Landscapes spread over 12 Community Conservation Areas.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
|         2 | Assam                | State Biodiversity Board prepared the 'Assam State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2017-2030 in the year 2017, with technical assistance for conservation of biodiversity in the state of Assam.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|         3 | Manipur              | Operationalization of Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at District, Zilla Parishad, Gram Panchayat, Urban Local Body levels for promoting conservation, sustainable use and documentation of Peoples' Biodiversity Registers(PBRs) to cover the constituted BMCs.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|         4 | Uttar Pradesh        | The Uttar Pradesh State Biodiversity Board has prepared the second generation "Uttar Pradesh State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (UP-SBSAP-2021- 2030)''. The Plan envisaged extensive consultative processes involving sectors, agencies, professionals, practitioners, communities, NGOs and BMCs.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
|         5 | Mizoram              | Constitution of BMC in all local bodies and preparation of PBRs all BMCs and field validation as well as updating of PBRs is being carried out.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
|         6 | Meghalaya            | Functionalization/ operationalization of BMCs. The documentation of State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2017-2030 has been completed and the Board has started working for the implementation of the MBSAP. First BHS declared as the Khlaw Kur Syiem Kmielng Biodiversity Heritage Site.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|         7 | Himachal Pradesh     | Three sites namely i) Hudan Bhatori, Pangi valley in Chamba District, ii) Sural Bhatori, Pangi valley in Chambal District & iii) Nain Gahar village, Gram Panchayat Mooring, Lahaul valley having unique, threatened and endemic biodiversity components, have been declared as BHS.. Documents on Biodiversity or State have been prepared namely Status of Biodiversity in Himachal Pradesh; Traditional Food Grain Crops of Himachal Pradesh; Wild Edible Fruits of Himachal Pradesh; Fish Diversity in Himachal Pradesh; Tradable Bioresources of Himachal Pradesh. Studies on important aspects or Biodiversity carried out through R&D Institutions include Population Assessment of 11 Highly Traded and High Value Endemic Medicinal Plant Species in collaboration with HFRI Shimla. |
|         8 | Punjab               | Conducted Water Bird Census at internationally recognized Ramsar Wetland site "Keshopur-Miani" in collaboration withWWF India on 12th February2022 under Asian Water Bird Census- 2022.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
|         9 | Maharashtra          | The Maharashtra Gene Bank Project prepared by Rajiv Gandhi Science and Level research institutions, grassroots NGOs and network of rural communities &aligned departments in 27 of the 36 Districts Technology Commission.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|        10 | Andaman& Nicobar Is. | The UT Administration has issued intention notification for creation of 3 more Wildlife Sanctuaries namely Leatherback Turtle Sanctuary at Little Nicobar                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |

| Sl. No.   | State/UT   | Initiatives                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|-----------|------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|           | (UT)       | Islands, Megapode Sanctuary at Menchal Island and Coral Sanctuary at Meroe Island to protect and conserve the critical taxa of Leatherback turtle, Nicobar Megapode and Coral Reefs and their habitats. |