Biodiversity Management Committees – UPSC Prelims

  • As per the Biological Diversity Act 2002, BMCs are created for “promoting conservation, sustainable use and documentation of biological diversity” by local bodies across the country.
  • Composition:
    • It shall consist of a chair person and not more than six persons nominated by the local body, of whom not less than one third should be women and not less than 18% should belong to the Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes.
    • The main function of the BMC is to prepare People’s Biodiversity Register in consultation with the local people.
People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBR):
  • The Registers entail a complete documentation of biodiversity in the area plants, food sources, wildlife, medicinal sources, etc.
  • Advantages of PBR:
    • A good PBR will aid in tracing how habitats are changing, and to understand and estimate parts of our forests.
    • Prevent Biopiracy: The indigenous and local community are a repository of traditional knowledge and their knowledge and practices help in conservation and sustainable development of biodiversity.
    • Being a bottom-up exercise, it is also a means of understanding the overlap of cultural and natural biodiversity.
    • It envisages a decentralised way through an inclusive approach.

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