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In a major boost to India's biodiversity conservation efforts, the National Biodiversity Authority has released Rs 38.36 crore to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department and Rs 1.48 crore to the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board to protect and conserve the iconic Red Sanders, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said.
With this, India's Access and Benefit Sharing disbursements have crossed an impressive Rs 110 crore, marking one of the country's largest biodiversity-linked ABS releases. According to the ministry, Red Sanders, renowned worldwide for its deep red timber, grows naturally only in selected pockets of the Eastern Ghats, particularly in the Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Prakasam and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh. An amount of Rs 87.68 crore was generated through regulated access to auctioned or seized Red Sanders wood by the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department as a benefit-sharing amount. So far, the NBA has released over Rs 49 crore to forest departments of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and to the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board for Red Sanders conservation, protection and research. In addition, Rs 3 crore has been distributed to 198 farmers in Andhra Pradesh and 55 lakh to 18 farmers in Tamil Nadu, a release stated. The present release of Rs 38.36 crore to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department will further empower frontline forest staff, enhance protection measures, encourage scientific management of Red Sanders forests, create livelihood opportunities through Biodiversity Management Committees, and strengthen the long-term monitoring programme, marking a significant step toward securing a vibrant future for this iconic species. Apart from this, the NBA has also approved a major initiative to raise one lakh Red Sanders saplings by the Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board at a cost of Rs 2 crore. An initial amount had been released earlier, and the remaining Rs 1.48 crore has now been transferred to the Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board. These saplings will later be supplied to farmers, boosting the Trees Outside Forests (ToF) programme and helping to conserve this rare species outside its natural habitat. This landmark initiative shows how Access and Benefit Sharing can directly support India's achievements by highlighting leadership in operationalising global biodiversity principles, ensuring that conservation-linked benefits reach local communities, farmers and biodiversity custodians. (ANI)
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