Partnership between NGOs and Government 1 From the Local to the Global Developing the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan On the east coast of India, in Parangipettai, fisherfolk in 20 boats participated in a boat rally, followed by a meeting, to voice their opinions about the conservation of biodiversity. In Ladakh, 40 amchis (local healers) from different parts of the region got together to discuss how to enrich the traditional health care system, and the conservation of medicinal plants on which it is based. In the Deccan region of the state of Andhra Pradesh, 18,000 farmers from 65 villages, participated with ten bullock carts in a mobile biodiversity festival. In a village meeting in Orissa, 70 people from seven villages discussed issues related to joint forest management, indigenous varieties of crops and medicinal plants. These are some glimpses of the variety of activities taking place across the country as part of the development of India’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). India is signatory to the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) and has been taking steps to conserve the unique and rich biodiversity of the country. As part of India’s commitment to the CBD, the preparation of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan has been undertaken by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), India. It is probably India’s biggest environment and development planning process. It is also unique in another way. For the first time, the government has handed over the responsibility of developing this entire plan to a Non Government Organization (NGO) – Kalpavriksh. In 1999, the Government of India prepared a National Policy and Action Strategy on Biodiversity through a consultative process. That document was a macro-level statement of policies and strategies needed for conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. Subsequent to this, the need was felt for detailed action plans at sub-state, state, regional and national levels, with this framework document as the base. This is the NBSAP now under preparation, the draft of which is expected to be completed by 2002. The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, is in overall charge of the NBSAP process. Its execution is being done by a 15 member Technical and Policy Core Group (TPCG) coordinated by Kalpavriksh, and comprising experts from various professional fields and from different parts of India. Its administration is being coordinated by the Biotech Consortium India Ltd. The NBSAP process envisages the assessment and stocktaking of biodiversity-related information at various levels, including distribution of endemic and endangered species, site-specific threats and pressures, social, political, economic issues, ethical concerns, and ongoing conservation initiatives by various sections of society. The Genesis 1 India is the last natural home of the Asiatic Lion

Towards Sustainability: Stories from India 2 India Ecodevelopment Project The India Ecodevelopment Project was conceived as a pilot project in June, 1994, by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, based on an Indicative Plan prepared by the Indian Institute of Public Administration. The funding partners for this project are the International Development Association, Global Environment Facility, Government of India, Governments of project states and the beneficiaries. The Project is being implemented in seven key sites in seven different states viz. Palamau in Bihar, Buxa in West Bengal, Nagarhole in Karnataka, Periyar in Kerala, Pench in Madhya Pradesh, Gir in Gujarat, and Ranthambhore in Rajasthan. The main objective of the Project is to conserve biodiversity through ecodevelopment. It aims at improved Protected Area management, village ecodevelopment and ecodevelopment support. The process attempts to incorporate existing expertise and information available with the agencies involved, to collate this and then to analyze the information to arrive at specific actions for biodiversity conservation. The NBSAP process lays special emphasis on gender- sensitive decentralized planning, and the use of interdisciplinary working groups to involve all sectors in this process. For the purpose of the Plan, the term ‘biodiversity’ is being interpreted in a holistic sense, to encompass natural ecosystems, wild species and varieties, agricultural ecosystems and domesticated species and varieties, including related ecological and evolutionary processes. It is proposed that the action plan will cover: ! Conservation of biodiversity of all kinds. ! Sustainable use of biological resources, implying their use in such a manner as will not imperil their long-term existence, or will not in other ways threaten biodiversity. ! Social, economic, ethical, cultural, scientific and economic dimensions, including gender relations and equity. The entire process of preparing the NBSAP is participatory, with inputs from almost all stakeholders related to biodiversity in the country. In a radical departure from the established norm, the planning process is being initiated from several independent decentralized sources. There are 18 local micro-planning processes stemming from village and  district levels; 33 state and union territory level processes; and 10 independent planning exercises aimed at ecological regions cutting across states.  Parallelly, national working groups are in the process of preparing action plans on 14 separate themes including culture, agriculture, wildlife and ecosystems, health, technology, laws and policies, education, awareness and training, and Intellectual Property Rights. The use of local languages has been encouraged. The focus is on bringing in a range of area-specific information and perspectives, in an equitable and participatory manner. These processes involve a variety of players: village-level organizations and movements, NGOs, academicians and scientists, government officers from various line agencies, the private sector, the armed forces, politicians, and individuals who have a stake in biodiversity. The inputs to the NBSAP document have been generated through: ! Workshops and public hearings at the districts and taluka levels. Farmers, pastoralists, fisherfolk, and other user communities, who are directly dependent on, or traditionally related to biodiversity, have been major participants in these. ! Coordination and consultative meetings amongst a variety of line agencies of government, at central and state levels. ! Consultation with political decision-makers at various levels. The Scope The Process

! Seeking inputs from a wide range of expert and experienced individuals and organizations working on various aspects of biodiversity, including scientists, social activists, academics, students, industrialists, cultural leaders, politicians, etc. ! Using the media, in almost all forms, including folk, print, electronic, and audio-visual, with the twin purposes of awareness generation and seeking widespread participation Channels feeding into the plan Several innovative methods have been adopted to reach to a large number of people in the NBSAP process. A media campaign is playing a critical role in the process. National and regional newspapers and journals are covering many biodiversity-related issues. A newspaper supplement (The Hindu Folio) with a special focus on biodiversity has also been released. Advertisements have been published in NGO and government periodicals, and programmes broadcast on radio and television. Children are also part of this process. NBSaanp (saanp means snake) is a character in a regular column on biodiversity-related stories introduced by Chandamama, a popular children’s magazine. A special supplement on biodiversity has also been brought out by this magazine. In the last two years and a half, the process has already resulted in different levels of plans. By mid-2002, about 65 draft action plans were ready. The first local level action plan of the NBSAP was released at a village near Zaheerabad in Andhra Pradesh. Significantly, it was a ‘people’s plan’, put together after a mobile biodiversity festival organized in 70 Reaching Out to Stakeholders The Plans National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan Mobile festivals Consultations Cycle and boat rallies Expert meetings Public hearings Exhibitions Yatras (Marches) Workshops Media campaign

Towards Sustainability: Stories from India 4 The Diverse Heritage India is endowed with rich biodiversity due to the variety of geographic and climatic conditions found in the country. It has ten biogeographic zones: Trans-Himalayan, Himalayan, Indian Desert, Semi-arid, Western Ghats, Deccan Peninsula, Gangetic Plains, North-East India, Islands and Coasts. Each biogeographic zone has its own climatic conditions and supports a unique ecosystem. There are over 45,000 identified plant species in India, with around 15,000 of them being flowering plants. One-third of these flowering plants are found only in India. There are 81,000 identified species of animals found in the country. Out of the 1,228 species of birds found, some 14 per cent are unique to India. Similarly, 32 per cent of its 446 reptile species and 62 per cent of its 204 amphibians are also unique to the country. Just as rich is India’s people-diversity. According to the People of India Project of the Anthropological Survey of India, there are 91 eco-cultural zones in India inhabited by 4,635 communities, speaking 325 languages or dialects. villages, largely conducted by women from marginalized sections of society. About 18,000 farmers participated in this 45-day festival. Ten decorated bullock carts carrying traditional seeds were also part of this festival. The plan discusses how sustainable agriculture, seed diversity, secure livelihoods, locally sensitive markets, and cultural aspects can be tied together. The Aravallis ecoregion BSAP working group has attempted to make the planning process a widespread one. The methodology includes a fairly detailed questionnaire in Hindi, which has been circulated to over 100 villages in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana. This has been done with the help of the state forest departments, NGOs and students. Several village meetings have been organized to seek greater participation. For the Punjab state BSAP, the state nodal agency has organized a series of public hearings in the state with farmers and other groups. The team has looked at and compiled information from almost all academic theses related to biodiversity, for the state action plan. As a follow up to the BSAP process, sensitization workshops have been conducted with representatives of different government departments whose activities are related to biodiversity. In Karnataka state, the action plan process has involved the participation of a large number of school and college students. The proposed action plans have now been endorsed by the state government. In the states of West Bengal and Goa too, such endorsement is expected soon.   India’s NBSAP is as much a process as a final product. It is essentially the power of this message and the combined efforts of scientists, government officials, communities and activists in putting together a comprehensive plan for biodiversity that intends to make a difference. Emperor Ashoka ( 272-232 B.C.) The Beloved of the Gods, King Priyadarshan, spoke thus: (When I am ) crowned twenty six years, these various (animals) are declared by me inviolable: Parrots, mainas, wild ducks, bats…..and all quadrupeds which are neither useful nor edible. Forests are not to be burnt, either uselessly or for killing (animals).