National Biodiversity Action Plan 2008 released today

JANAKI AMMAL NATIONAL AWARD FOR TAXONOMY, 2007 PRESENTED 
 
Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests said that biodiversity is fundamental to the fulfilment of human needs and vital for the survival of this planet itself. Releasing the National Biodiversity Action Plan -2008 here today Shri Meena said an environment rich in biological diversity offers a broad array of options for sustainable economic activity, for sustaining human welfare and adapting to change. This makes sustainable development possible, protecting life from the potential consequence of change, including sudden changes to ecosystems, such as those caused by disasters. Biodiversity thus is truly life insurance of life itself. 

Criticizing human activities of today including consumptive lifestyles, the Minister observed that they are placing severe pressure on biological resources, and increasingly leading to fragmentation and degradation of habitats and resultant loss of biodiversity. These losses are irreversible and are a threat to our own well being. Adding to this he said another significant threat to biodiversity, ecosystems, and the goods and service, they provide, is due to a build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In fact, biodiversity and global warming are closely linked, and each impacts upon the other. Biodiversity is threatened by human-induced global warming, but biodiversity resources can reduce the impacts of global warming on populations and ecosystems. It is believed that ecosystems with undiminished species diversity, and species with their genetic diversity intact, are likely to be in a much better position to face the impacts of climate change. 

India has a long history of conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. India is also a Party to a number of international agreements relevant to biodiversity, including the Conservation on Biological Diversity (CDBD). The Convention calls upon all Parties to prepare national biodiversity strategy and action plan for conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. Accordingly, India in 1999 had developed a ‘National Policy and Micro level Action Strategy on Biodiversity’. The document on prepared through a consultative process by revising and updating the earlier policy, so that it is in consonance with the National Environment Policy, 2006. The NBAP was approved by the Cabinet on 6th November, 2008. 

The NBAP is founded in backdrop in NEP’s cardinal prescription that human begins are at the centre of concern for sustainable development, and they are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature. The NBAP has been prepared in pursuance of Article 6 of the CBD and Section 36 of the Biological Diversity Act. In addition to preparation of the NBAP, two other important activities undertaken by the Ministry are enactment of Biodiversity Act and Capacity building for Taxonomy in the country. 

Presenting the Janaki Ammal National Award for Taxonomy , Shri Meena the study of identification, classification and naming of living organism i.e. taxonomy is a dying science today. Expressing his concern at non-availability of taxonomy expertise either due to aging or retiring, Shri Meena stressed on the need for capacity building taxonomy. He said it is essential and urgent, considering that a sound taxonomic knowledge base is a prerequisite for environment assessment ecological research, effective conservation, management and sustainable use of biological resources. Explaining the initiative taken by the Ministry to address this concern ,he said that a National Award named after the Late Prof. E.K Janaki Amma has been instituted. 

The Janaki Ammal National Award for Taxonomy is bestowed upon Dr. M Sanjappa in recognition of his contributions to the subject of taxonomy. Dr.M. Sanjappa has done outstanding work on the flowering plant families of Leguminosae, Ericaceae. Aristolochiaceae, Iridaceae and Lamiaceae. His contributions have significantly enriched the understanding of these plant groups Dr.Sanjappa’s pioneering work on Legumes ahs formed the basis of the World Legume Database for India and south Asia. As a field botanist he has explored various ecosystems of India and other countries and discovered 36 new species/ varieties and 23 new records of plants of potential value. 

Dr.Y.Ranga Reddy has been given E. K. Janaki Ammal National Award for Animla taxonomy 2007.Dr Reddy is an outstanding taxonomist who has unswervingly devoted his entire lifetime or the cause of taxonomy of crustaceans, especially the freshwater free-living copepods and bathynellaceans. His outstanding contributions to the taxonomy of these aquatic organisms are well known through out the world and have rendered his name synonymous with the Indian copepods bathynellaceans. 

Dr. Reddy has meticulously revised as many as twenty crustacean genera besides discovering about fifty new species, establishing four new genera, tow new families and reporting about twenty new species records for India.During last one year alone, he has discovered 36 new additional crustaceanspecies from hyporheic habitats and borewells in in different parts of the country. Considering the fact that the diversity of crustaceans is far less than that of insects, Dr.Reddy’s discovery of new crustacean taxa form India is very imopressive. He has also resolved several previously intransigent taxonomic problems, particularly concernimg diaptomid copepods.His collaborative research effort with several eminent overseas peers is really commendable and speaks volumes about the niche he has carved out for himself in the area of animal taxonomy .