2 September 2020.

Introduction:

The Jammu and Kashmir government has set up a 10-member council for conservation of biological diversity and sustainable use of its components in the Union territory. General Administrative Department (GAD), has sanctioned the constitution of the Jammu and Kashmir Biodiversity Council.

Highlights:

• The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests will be the chairman of 10-member panel, which will include five non-official members.
• The director of the Forest Research Institute, Jammu and Kashmir, will serve as the member secretary of the council.
• Other members include the chief wildlife warden, a representative of the Department of Forest and others.
• Non-official members include former IFS officers Dr. C.M. Seth, Dr Om Prakash Sharma, professor Geeta Sumbli, Dr. Anzar Khuroo and Dr Sushi Verma.
• The term of office of the non-official members of the council shall be for a period of three years.
• The council shall constitute a fund, after concurrence of the Finance Department, which shall be known as “Jammu and Kashmir Biodiversity Council Fund” and all the fees, charges and benefit sharing amount received by the council shall be credited to it.
•  The council shall perform the functions within the jurisdiction of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and it shall, in consultation with the National Biodiversity Authority, notify the format and procedures for seeking approvals with regard to biodiversity issues.

About National Biodiversity Authority:

• The National Biodiversity Authority is a statutory autonomous body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and climate change, Government of India established in 2003 to implement the provisions under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, after India signed Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992.
• The NBA headquarters – Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Biological Diversity Act:

• It is an act passed by the Parliament to regulate access to biological resources of the country equitable share in benefits arising out of the use of biological resources.
• It aims at to respect and protect knowledge of local communities traditional knowledge related to biodiversity.
• It is in line with India’s international commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (Nagoya protocol).
• It set up National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), State Biodiversity Board (SBB) and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC’s) to conserve and sustainable use of biological diversity.

The Biological diversity Act (2002) 

• It mandates implementation of the provisions of the Act through decentralized system with the NBA focusing on advice to the Central Government on matters relating to the conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of its components and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of biological resources and Advice the State Government in the selection of areas of biodiversity importance to be notified as heritage sites and measures for the management of such heritage sites