West Bengal Biodiversity Board

The West Bengal Biodiversity Board has been formed under the notification of the Department of Environment, Government of West Bengal on September 16, 2004.

1. To advise the West Bengal Government subject to any guidelines issued by the Central Government, on matters relating to the conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of its components and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of biological resources.
2. To regulate by granting of approvals or otherwise requests for commercial utilisation or bio-survey and bio-utilisation of any biological resource by Indians.
3. To perform such other functions as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, or as may be prescribed by the State Government.

1. Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC): A committee at the local level meant for the purpose of promoting conservation, sustainable use and documentation of biological diversity including preservation of habitats, conservation of land races, folk varieties and cultivars, domesticated stocks and breeds of animals and microorganisms and chronicling of knowledge relating to biological diversity. The main function of the Biodiversity Management Committees is to prepare People’s Biodiversity Registers in consultation with the local people. The other functions of the BMCs include giving advice on any matter referred to it by the State Biodiversity Board or National Biodiversity Authority for granting approval, to maintain data about local knowledge holders using biological resources. Presently, the following nine BMCs have been constituted in the under-mentioned Panchayat Samitis and Municipality in West Bengal:



Sl. No.	District	Panchayat Samiti	Municipality
01.	Darjeeling	Matigara	-
02.	Jalpaiguri	Malbajar	-
03.	Hooghly	Goghat-II	-
04.	Murshidabad	Nabagram	-
05.	Murshidabad	Bhagabangola	-
06.	Bankura	Bankura-II	-
07.	Paschim Medinipur	Dantan	-
08.	24 Parganas (S)	Pathar Pratima	-
09.	Hooghly	Ex-Officio Member	Rishra



2. People‘s Biodiversity Register (PBR): The documentation of the knowledge related to the biological resource of the people of any locality is known as the People's Biodiversity Register. The Registers shall contain comprehensive information on availability and knowledge of local bio-resources, their medicinal or any other use or any other traditional knowledge associated with them. The various forms of knowledge of the people that would be included in the PBR are as follows:
a) Knowledge of Landscape
b) Knowledge of Lifescape
c) Knowledge of Peoplescape
d) Knowledge of Timescape



3. Five Sub-Committees have been formed and have started functioning since their inception. The members include experts from the respective fields.
a) Biodiversity Inventory Committee
b) Wetland Biodiversity Committee
c) Agricultural Biodiversity Committee
d) Heritage Site and Sacred Grove Committee
e) Awareness Committee



4. Regular meetings of the Board Members have been held since the inception of the WBBB. The Sub – Committees also meet regularly to discuss their strategies and action programmes.


5. Participation at Paribesh Mela, 2006
   The West Bengal Biodiversity Board participated in the 'Paribesh Mela – 2006' organized by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board at Yuva Bharati Krirangan during 22.02.2006 – 26.02.2006. The Board had set up a stall at the pavilion with an array of interesting exhibits, prepared by the Board officials and also brought on loan from the Zoological Survey of India, Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute and Departments of Botany and Zoology, University of Calcutta. The informative and attractive Posters and the other exhibits won acclaim of the visitors and the media alike and were appreciated by one and all.



Workshop

• A two-day workshop on "Biodiversity Conservation: Current issues and challenges in West Bengal" was held on 10.06.2005 to 11.06.2005 at Paribesh Bhawan, Salt Lake.
• BMC workshops have been held at Champasari Gram Panchayat under Matigara Panchayat Samiti (District Darjeeling); Paschimpara Gram Panchayat under Goghat-II Panchayat Samiti (District Hooghly); Pathar Pratima Gram Panchayat under Pathar Pratima Panchayat Samiti (District 24 Parganas South); Mankanali Gram Panchayat under Bankura -II P.S. (District Bankura); Odlabari Gram Panchayat under Malbajar Panchayat Samiti (District Jalpaiguri); Kamarpukur GP, Shyambazar GP, Bengai GP, Kumarganj GP, Badangunj GP and Mandaran GP under Goghat - II Panchayat Samiti (District Hooghly) The objective of these workshops was to disseminate information regarding the philosophy of the PBR exercise and the procedures adopted thereof.
• The WBBB has organized a number of awareness programmes by giving financial support and providing relevant expertise in undergraduate and postgraduate colleges and Universities of West Bengal and also other organisations. The objective of these workshops was to disseminate awareness regarding biodiversity and to sensitize the students and teachers regarding the issues pertinent to biodiversity conservation, documentation and judicious use of the same. The Board took this opportunity to popularize the activities of the newly formed West Bengal Biodiversity Board among the target group. The details are highlighted:



Sl. No.	Name of College/ University
01.	Acharya Prafulla Chandra College, 24 Parganans (N)
02.	New Alipore College, Kolkata
03.	Jalpaiguri Pharmacy College, Jalpaiguri
04.	Scottish Church College, Kolkata
05.	Maharajadhiraj Uday Chand Women’s College, Burdwan
06.	Sripat Singh College, Jiaganj, Murshidabad
07.	Asutosh College, Kolkata
08.	Bankura Sammilani College, Bankura
09.	Brahmananda Keshabchandra College, Belghoria
10.	Krishnanagar Govt. College, Krishnanagar
11.	Vidyasagar College, Kolkatay
12.	Viswabharati University, Birbhum
13.	Rishra Municipality
14.	Berhampore, Murshidabad District



• The WBBB celebrated the International Day for Biological Diversity (IBD) on 22nd May, 2006 at Paribesh Bhawan, Salt Lake to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues pertaining to documentation and conservation of biodiversity in West Bengal. When first created by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly in late 1993, 29 December (the date of entry into force of the Convention of Biological Diversity), was designated The International Day for Biological Diversity. In December 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted 22 May as IBD, to commemorate the adoption of the text of the Convention on 22 May 1992 by the Nairobi Final Act of the Conference for the Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The one day seminar was aptly named 'Biodiversity of West Bengal – Conservation & Documentation'. The Seminar was inaugurated by Sri Mohanto Chattopadhyay, Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, Deptt. of Environment, Govt. of West Bengal and presided over by Prof. A. K. Sharma, Chairman, WBBB. Dr. Renu Swarup, Director, Deptt. of Biotechnology, Govt. of India delivered the key note address. The dignitaries who participated in the seminar and also delivered their views include the Principal Secretary, Deptt. of Environment, GoWB, the Chairman, WBPCB and the Member Secretary, WBPCB & Ex officio Member, WBBB. The others to deliver lectures included experts in the field of biodiversity of West Bengal. The programme was attended by over 150 participants from different Universities, Colleges, Schools, Govt. Departments and NGOs.
• A two day "Workshop on PBR activities" was organized at Budge Budge College on 18th and 19th September, 2006 as an effort on the part of the WBBB towards creation of a pool of resource persons with Prof. M. Gadgil, Ecologist and Dr. A. K. Ghosh, NBA Member as the Key Speakers on the occasion.
• One day programme on 'Awareness cum discussion on the Biological Diversity Act, 2002' was organized by the WBBB with representatives of different Departments/Institutions and policy makers as participants on 6th March, 2007.
• The WBBB organized a Training programme at State Institute for Panchayat and Rural Development (SIPRD), Kalyani on 13th March, 2007 on request from the Panchayat and Rural Development Department, Government of West Bengal.
• The WBBB along with the Wildlife Wing, Directorate of Forest, Govt. of West Bengal celebrated the International Day for Biological Diversity (IBD) on 22nd May, 2007 at Nandan, Kolkata. The central theme this year was ‘Biodiversity and Climate Change’. The Seminar was inaugurated by Sri Sailen Sarkar, Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, Deptt. of Environment, Govt. of West Bengal and presided over by Prof. A. K. Sharma, Chairman, WBBB. An exhibition was also set up at Nandan with the joint efforts of WBBB, Wildlife Wing, Directorate of Forests and Ramakrishna Mission, Narendrapur and was opened for public viewing. The WBBB released five books and a CD on the occasion. The titles include – ‘Jibabaichitra’ in Bengali, ‘Rice Diversity of West Bengal’, Field Identification Manuals of ‘common wetland plants’ and ‘fish species of lower Bengal’ both in Bengali and the first PBR to be completed by the WBBB – ‘People’s Biodiversity Register of Gurulia – Bhatshala’. Also a CD of an audio visual programme on biodiversity in Bengali was released on the day. The important speakers who delivered their lectures included Dr. S. K. Sarkar, Director, TERI, New Delhi who spoke on ‘Climate Change: Challenges to Biodiversity Conservation’ and Dr. M.S.R. Murthy, Head, Forestry Division, Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad who spoke on ‘Mapping Biodiversity through Remote Sensing’. A Panel Discussion was also organized with eminent participants including Shri. M. L. Meena, Secretary, Dept. of Environment, Sri V. K. Yadav, Conservator of Forest, Dr. Silanjan Bhattacharyya, Ecologist, Shri Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Writer, Shri Harsh Neotia, Industrialist and Representative of the Ramakrishna Mission, Narendrapur. The programme was attended by over 200 participants from different Universities, Colleges, Schools, Govt. Departments and NGOs.

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