Goa: Data collection underway for biodiversity plan

PANAJI, Goa: Based on the Biodiversity Framework adopted by United Nations, Goa has started to collect data for the draft Goa State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (GSBSAP). Goa is the first state in the country to start this preparation and will document the state’s biodiversity in minute detail along with a strategy to drive the conservation of the resources by linking it to the livelihood of the local populations.  

Scientists and experts are heading various sub-committees formed by the state and are collecting information from gathering inputs from scientific studies related to the state’s biodiversity. The Goa State Biodiversity Board is also collecting data and suggestions from each of the biodiversity management committees operating in every village.

Rajiv Chaturvedi, Assistant Professor, BITS Pilani, KK Birla Goa campus, stated in his presentation that by the year 2050, the mean annual temperatures in Goa may increase by around two degrees Celsius. By 2080s, the temperature may rise by four degrees Celsius under high emission scenarios.

Parag Rangnekar, a researcher, mentioned in his presentation that fires on plateaus and grasslands seem to be an evident threat to butterfly and insect diversity.

The Goa State Biodiversity Board will hold two separate consultations with the people in North and South Goa once the draft GSBSAP is ready.