National Biodiversity Action Plan to Cabinet soon: Minister

New Delhi, Jan 4 (UNI) A National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) has been prepared by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and will be placed before the Cabinet soon.

The draft plan, identifying threats and constraints in bio-diversity conservation, has been circulated to various Central Government ministries and departments, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Namo Narayan Meena said here today.

Addressing the thirteenth meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Ministry, he said the bio-diversity was fundamental to the fulfilment of human need and vital for the survival of this planet, offering a broad array of options for sustainable economic activity.

Human activities place severe pressure on biological resources and increasingly lead to fragmentation and degradation of habitats, resulting in the loss of bio-diversity, he added.

Another significant threat to bio-diversity is greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, as biodiversity and global warming are closely linked and each impacts upon the other, he said.

A presentation was made on National Biodiversity Action Plan which explained the values of bio-diversity, convention on biological diversity, measures for bio-diversity conservation in India and Draft NBAP.

The meeting informed that 17 countries, which are rich in bio-diversity and are associated with traditional knowledge, have formed a group of Like Minded Megadiverse Countries (LMMCs).

Members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee expressed concern about degradation of bio-diversity. They suggested creation of awareness through media and launching a campaign involving masses. They also suggested working at global level, saying environment coservation efforts could not be carried out in isolation.

Noting that industrialization, increased population and consumerism were the factors affecting the country's bio-diversity, they, however, agreed that reversing the speed of industrial progress was not possible, so conservation efforts have to be more intensive.

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