Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: PIB
Context: The National Campaign for Updation and Verification of People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) was launched in Goa, by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Aim: It is aimed to document and preserve India’s rich biological diversity.
About PBR:
The People’s Biodiversity Register serves as a comprehensive record of locally available Bio-resources including the landscape and demography of a particular area or village. It is prepared by Biodiversity Management Committees (under Biodiversity Act 2002) in consultation with local communities.
About Biodiversity Management Committees
BMCs are local bodies created under the Biological Diversity Act 2002, with the mandate to ensure the conservation, sustainable utilization and equitable sharing of benefits from biodiversity.
The act has made it mandatory for every local self-governing institution in rural and urban areas to constitute Biodiversity Management Committees within their area of jurisdiction. BMC must prepare a PBR in consultation with local people.
Kolkata was the first major metropolitan city in India to make a detailed People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR). Previously, the Forest Survey of India’s report had flagged the West Bengal Capital for the least greenery among all metro cities.
