'Developing nations will play key role in biodiversity issues'

"The international biodiversity meet held in Hyderabad recently has been significant as it showed that developing countries led by India could set targets," Pisupati told reporters today.

"For long, developing countries looked at developed countries for financial support. Naturally, those who have money would dictate in policy making. But developing countries have now realised that they can also raise money and demonstrate good models in biodiversity issues," he said here.

Developed countries had also begun to realise that they would no more have an upper hand in decision-making in such matters, Pisupati said.

By 2015, there would be doubling of financial resources by countries world over to realise biodiversity targets, he said.

India's role as a leader in dealing with biodiversity issues had been demonstrated well when the country took over the presidency of the UN Conference of Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity for two years, he said.

On the strain between environment conservation and development issues, Pisupati said a balanced approach is necessary to take them together.

"Issues of environment and development are always debatable topics. Unless there is a balanced approach, it will be challenging to deal with," Pisupati, who has more than 20 years of experience in dealing with issues of conservation, development, policy and law making and their implementation at the national and global level, said.

He said Kerala Biodiversity Board is one of the best institutions in the field and the first to establish biodiversity management committees at all local district and municipal levels.