J&K Biodiversity Council initiates digital documentation of Biodiversity

 JAMMU, March 03: Jammu & Kashmir Biodiversity Council has initiated digital documentation of biodiversity in the Union Territory. A five day training programme from 27^th February to 03^rd March, 2023 has been launched on “Migration to Electronic People’s Biodiversity Registers (e-PBRs)” in association with National Biodiversity Authority.

The concluding session held today was presided over by Dr. Mohit Gera, PCCF & HoFF / Chairman J&K Biodiversity Council here in the Forest Information Centre, Bikram Chowk.

Speaking at the concluding session of the training programme attended by the DFOs, Range Officers, Foresters, and Forest Guards, besides the representatives of the stakeholders departments, Dr. Gera gave an overview of the initiatives taken up by the J&K Biodiversity Council & Forest Department towards preparation & updation of PBRs. He informed that J&K is among first few States/UTs in the Country to have formulated City Biodiversity Indexes for the cities of Jammu & Srinagar. He also informed that the Local Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plans (LBSAPs) for Jammu & Srinagar cities shall soon be rolled out which shall bring the U.T of J&K among the few pioneer States/U.Ts in this field.

He informed that the Peoples Biodiversity Register is a document which contains the existing information on all Bio-resources, traditional knowledge and folk practitioners of a particular Village Panchayat.

This documentation shall go a long way to conserve and preserve not only bio-resources but also associated traditional knowledge. He further informed that moving towards e-PBR shall be a step forward to convert the PBR in its existing format to a dynamic electronic-document having the ease of accessibility on digital platform and a scope for its updation by the Biodiversity Management Committees. There shall be one electronic PBR each for 4366 Biodiversity Management Committees of J&K.

The programme was inaugurated on 27^th February, 2023 by Asaf Mahmood Sagar, PCCF/Director J&K Forest Research Institute/Member Secretary JKUTBC. He informed about the objective of the training and its relevance to Conservation of Biodiversity in keeping with the provisions of Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

He informed that the J&K Biodiversity Council is hosted by J&K Forest Research Institute and is supported by J&K Forest Department headed by PCCF & HoFF and the JMC and the Departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Fisheries, Floriculture, Urban Local Bodies & Rural Development and Panchayati Raj are the major stakeholders.

The training programme was structured and conducted by nominated experts of National Biodiversity Authority, Dr. Vishwas Chavan and his team including Dr. Amit Setiya & Dr. Asmita Pawar. This programme also included on-site field interaction with the Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at village Kana Chadgal of Nagrota block & village Ambaran of Akhnoor block.

 The training programme was attended by different stakeholder departments viz. Department of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Department of Urban Local Bodies, Department of Horticulture, besides different wings of Forest Department.  Rakesh Abrol, DFO, Research Forest Division, J&K Forest Research Institute, Jammu coordinated the whole programme.