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New Delhi, Oct 28 (IANS) In a move to promote fair benefit-sharing and sustainable use of biodiversity, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released Rs 55 lakh to 18 farmers/cultivators of Red Sanders (Pterocarpus Santalinus) in Tamil Nadu, an official said on Tuesday.
The funds, released through the State Biodiversity Board under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) framework, are meant for farmers from eight villages Kannabhiran Nagar, Kothur, Vembedu, Siruniyum, Gonipalayam, Ammambakkam, Alikuzhi and Thimmabupola Puram in Tiruvallur district, an official of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said.
The official said the benefit sharing initiative for farmers/farmers is a step towards inclusive biodiversity conservation. This is based on the earlier issuance of ABS shares worth Rs 48 crore by NBA to Andhra Pradesh Forest Department, Karnataka Forest Department and Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board for the protection and conservation of Red Sanders.
The initiative stemmed from the recommendations of an expert committee on red sanders formed by the NBA in 2015. The statement said it has prepared a comprehensive report titled ‘Policy on conservation, sustainable use and fair and equitable benefit sharing arising from the use of red sanders’.
One of the major outcomes of the committee’s recommendations was the relaxation of the 2019 policy by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), allowing export of red sanders from cultivated sources. This is a significant boost to agriculture-based conservation and trade.
Red sanders, an endemic species of the Eastern Ghats found alone in Andhra Pradesh, have ecological, economic and cultural importance. It is also cultivated in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha and other states.
Promoting the cultivation of Red Sanders not only supports farmers’ livelihoods, but also helps meet the growing market demand through legally sourced and sustainably grown Red Sanders, thereby reducing pressure on wild populations of the species.
This benefit-sharing model strengthens community participation in conservation while ensuring that those who protect biodiversity are fairly compensated.
The statement said the NBA is committed to linking conservation with livelihoods, strengthening community management and ensuring that custodians of biodiversity get a fair share of the benefits by protecting one of India’s most valuable and endemic tree species for future generations.
–IANS
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