BBMP forms committee for management & conservation of biodiversity

BENGALURU: In accordance with the Bio Diversity Act 2002, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has formed a Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC). The Bio Diversity Act 2002 mandates the setup of BMCs at the local body level across the country.

BMC is a seven-member committee with five nominated members. Bengaluru Mayor will be the ex-officio Chairman of the committee and BBMP Commissioner will be the member-secretary.  

The committee setup by the BBMP will work towards conserving biological diversity. The core work of the BMC includes documenting biological diversity, preserving natural habitats, conserving local and regional flora and fauna. One of the major responsibilities of the BMC will be to prepare a Public Biodiversity Register (PBR). The register will contain in-depth information on local flora and fauna and also essential information on the associated species.   

HS Ranganathaswamy, Deputy Conservator of Forest, BBMP, said, “As far as city corporations are concerned, the BBMP is now the first corporation in the State of Karnataka to have formed the committee.” The action was overdue for a longtime, Ranganathaswamy added.

Karnataka Biodiversity Board and National Biodiversity Authority will be the authorities under governing the BMC. The PBRs would provide significant inputs to the overall biodiversity information nation-wide, he added.

“Most of them are not even aware of how rich the city is in terms of biodiversity. Bengaluru is home to a wide variety of species – both animal and plant. Such committees will play an important role in bringing it to the notice of people and conduct more research on them,” Vijay Nishanth, urban conservationist said.