12 Panchayats in J-K to get Biodiversity Management Committees

Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) would be set up in 12 Panchayats of Jammu and Kashmir to document biological resources and chronicle traditional knowledge in the respective areas.
Jammu and Kashmir State Bio-diversity Board (JKSBB), met under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary, B R Sharma, and approved setting up of Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) in 12 Panchayats in first instance, an official spokesperson said.
"These Committees will document biological diversity and richness and chronicle traditional knowledge which will be later consolidated and put on GIS biodiversity database," Sharma said.
The BMCs would be set up in Panchayats at Jammu, Udhampur, Kupwara, Leh, Kargil, Anantnag, Pulwama, Kishtwar, Bandipore and Kathua districts, the spokesperson said.

The BMC will have six members nominated by the Panchayat and shall be mandated to prepare People's Biodiversity Register (PBR), list biological resources and associated traditional knowledge available within the jurisdiction of BMC, he said.
JKSBB has approved the Territorial DFO to be the nodal officer for constitution of BMCs in their respective jurisdiction, the spokesperson said.

The Chief Secretary stressed on generating public awareness regarding conservation of biodiversity and asked the Member Secretary of JKSBB to ensure that establishment of BMCs is fast-tracked.
The Board also approved constitution of Expert Committees and roping in field experts and NGOs interested in biodiversity activities to facilitate and supplement the efforts of JKSBB, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, it was informed in the meeting that a list of threatened plants and an animal has been already submitted to the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) for notification.
Similarly, the list of items of biological resources normally traded as commodities is being updated further and shall be taken up with the NBA, he added.