The Centre has decided to earmark $50 million to strengthen the institutional mechanism for biodiversity conservation in the country beside allocating an equal amount for similar purpose in developing countries in the next two years.
Announcing this at the Conference of Parties (COP), a biennial international event on biodiversity conservation here on Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said despite global efforts, the 2010 biodiversity target set under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) had not been fully met.
“This situation needs to change. The critical issue really is how to mobilise the necessary financial, technical and human resources, particularly the incubation, sharing and transfer of technology,” he said. The $100-million fund is a part of the ‘Hyderabad Pledge’, which will be utilised during India's presidency of the COP to the CBD for capacity building in this respect.
“The diversity of life forms on earth is the culmination of millions of years of the productive genius of nature. It is nature’s insurance against extreme events that may disturb the delicate balance of life on this planet. We need to work together and act before a catastrophe is upon us,” Singh appealed to the international community while reiterating India’s commitment to work with all parties.
The Prime Minister also sought to counter the challenge of climate vulnerability to the food security for the world by devising solutions based on biodiversity.
Despite the pressure on land in the densely populated India, the country has designated a total of 605 protected areas, covering around 4.74 per cent of the total geographical area of the country, in a network of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and conservation reserves, he said.
