In a groundbreaking stride towards decentralized conservation, the Kerala government has granted district-level Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) the authority to formally designate locally significant species for priority protection.
An official order from the Environment department now allows BMCs in district panchayats to identify, propose, and notify various flora and fauna – particularly those that are locally threatened, endemic, or hold deep cultural importance – as “official species.” This crucial step aims to provide legal protection and foster conservation efforts that are deeply rooted in local knowledge and community participation.
Under this new framework, traditional crop varieties, vital medicinal plants, indigenous livestock breeds, and their associated ecosystems can all be recognized for conservation. Once a species is officially declared, any activities leading to its destruction, habitat damage, or other threats will be subject to legal action under the provisions of the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023.
According to official sources, this measure imbues local conservation decisions with statutory weight, thereby placing greater accountability at the grassroots level.
Leveraging Traditional Wisdom for Conservation
This forward-thinking initiative, championed by the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB), is designed to protect region-specific biodiversity, revitalize traditional ecological knowledge, and prevent the extinction of local species through a bottom-up governance model. Each BMC will bear the responsibility for continuous monitoring of identified species and their habitats, maintaining up-to-date records, and submitting regular reports to the KSBB regarding their protection status and ongoing threat mitigation efforts.
Experts are hailing this order as a unique and effective model of participatory biodiversity governance, potentially serving as a blueprint for replication across the entire nation.
Currently, the reform is being piloted successfully in the districts of Kasaragod and Kozhikode, where BMCs have already declared several species as deserving urgent protection. “These districts have vividly demonstrated how combining local expertise and community involvement with statutory backing can yield faster, more sustainable results compared to conventional top-down conservation models. This shift represents a paradigm change from purely bureaucratic conservation to a truly community-driven approach,” noted one official.
Following the triumphant pilot phase, this innovative model is slated for statewide expansion, ushering in a new era of biodiversity conservation with a significantly enhanced role for local bodies.