By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : M.K Muneer, Kerala’s minister for panchayat and social welfare, said Wednesday the state leads in biodiversity thanks to the active participation of local bodies.
Kerala is the only state in the country to be maintaining the People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) in over 450 panchayats, the minister said. PBR comprises a document that lists the flora and fauna and the traditional knowledge in every village.
Muneer was speaking at the inauguration of the National Biodiversity Expo hosted by the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB).
“We will accommodate the proposals of the KSBB in the next panchayat level project proposal of the department. We can all be proud of the fact that the Human Development Index of Kerala is next to that of Norway and the role of conservation is imperative in maintaining this,” said the minister.
K.P. Laladhas, member secretary, KSBB Kerala, said that Kerala is the first state in the country to set up close to 1,000 biodiversity management committees (BMC) in the local bodies in the state.