State biodiversity board dysfunctional without chairman, non-official members, says forest minister

The nodal body to promote, plan, and implement biodiversity conservation issues in Maharashtra has been dysfunctional for the past four months. The Maharashtra State

The nodal body to promote, plan, and implement biodiversity conservation issues in Maharashtra has been dysfunctional for the past four months. The Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board (MSBB) has been functioning without a chairman and non-official members and has major decisions regarding the declaration of biodiversity heritage sites (BHS) across the state pending.

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The details were revealed on the International Day for Biological Diversity (May 22) proclaimed by the United Nations to increase awareness on biodiversity issues.

Earlier this week, HT reported that the state board for wildlife (SBWL) had not met in 17 months resulting in key development projects, wildlife mitigation measures, and other crucial decisions being stalled.

State forest minister Sanjay Rathod said he was aware about the matter. “We will be taking up the issue of both boards before the chief minister soon as he is the final authority to sanction their reconstitution. These are crucial bodies that enhance environment protection, but owing to the Covid-19 pandemic there has been a delay,” he said.

Established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the state biodiversity boards advise respective states on the status of biological resources, overlook the functioning of biodiversity management committees at the municipal or panchayat level, grant approvals for commercial use of resources, and identify biodiversity heritage sites based on proposals and submit them for final declaration to the Centre. State boards function under the larger ambit of the National Biodiversity Authority under the Union environment ministry.

The tenure of the last board ended in September 2019, while the previous chairman retired during the last week of January. On January 30, MSBB official members from the forest department had published advertisements calling for applications for the appointment of chairperson and non-official members.

“The application submissions were received by our Nagpur office by March 2 and the documents are currently pending with them,” said Vikas Jagtap, officer-in-charge, MSBB. Senior forest officials of the board, based out of Nagpur, refused to comment on the matter.

“MSBB is an extremely important body that the state requires, especially to assess the ecological services, protection of water resources, and climate stability among other factors,” said Vilas Bardekar, former chairman, MSBB.

Meanwhile, final declaration of five biodiversity heritage sites in Maharashtra — Anjarle and Velas beaches in Ratnagiri district, Ganeshkhind in Pune, Landorkhori Reserve Forest in Jalgaon, and Wardham in Sironcha, Gadchiroli — have been pending since 2018. The first and the only BHS in Maharashtra at present is the six-hectare forest patch, Glory of Allapalli, Gadchiroli. It was notified in July 2014. “While final documentation for some sites is pending, a few proposals are awaiting final nod from the Centre,” said a senior state government official.

Declared and Proposed Biodiversity Heritage Sites in State

Biodiversity heritage sites are locations with biological, ethnic and historical value that have fragile ecosystems. To strengthen biodiversity conservation, these areas are marked as heritage sites under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

1. Glory of Allapalli, Gadchiroli

Status: Declared (2014)

Area: 6 hectare

Reason: Preserved as a natural forest having biological and historical value

2. Velas Beach, Ratnagiri

Status: Proposed (2017)

Area: 0.98 hectare

Reason: Officially declared as a turtle nesting site along the west coast

3. Anjarle Beach, Rantangri

Status: Proposed (2017)

Area: 0.74 hectare

Reason: Turtle nesting site

4. Ganeshkind Garden, Pune

Status: Proposed (2017)

Area: 58.6 hectare

Reason: Botanical garden started in 1873 by GM Woodrow of East India Company. Peshwas planted the first mango tree that still exists in the garden.

5. Landorkhori Reserve Forest, Jalgaon

Status: Proposed (2018)

Area: 266 hectare

Reason: Reserved forest with 190 species of birds and 24 mammal species

6. Wardham in Sironcha, Gadchiroli

Status: Proposed (2018)

Area: 8 hectare

Reason: Home to at least 150-million-year-old fossils

(Source: MSBB)