India's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan process in 2000-2003 was possibly the world's largest such exercise, involving over 50,000 people from all walks of life. It resulted in over 70 action plans at local, state, thematic, ecoregional, and national levels. Several methods were used to elicit participation and get inputs, including from local communities. This presentation describes the process used, and the end results.

1. UNDPMoEF
National BiodiversityNational Biodiversity
Strategy and Action PlanStrategy and Action Plan
(NBSAP) - India(NBSAP) - India

2. Produce an implementable action plan to:
 Conserve India's biodiversity;
 Use biological resources sustainably;
 Achieve equity in access to and benefits
from biodiversity
MAIN OBJECTIVE

3. SCOPE and PROCESS
Full range of biodiversity: natural and
agricultural ecosystems, wild plants, animals,
micro-organisms, crops, livestock
Full range of values and issues:
biological/ecological, economic,
ethical, cultural, political

4. MAIN OUTPUTS
33 STATE / U.T. ACTION PLANS
18 LOCAL (SUBSTATE) ACTION PLANS
10 ECOREGIONAL (INTER-STATE) ACTION PLANS
13 THEMATIC ACTION PLANS
33 SUB-THEMATIC REVIEW PAPERS
NATIONAL ACTION PLAN built on above,
and on lessons from several hundred public hearings,
workshops, yatras, festivals, and other events

5. Outputs:Outputs: 61 action plans61 action plans at State,at State,
Substate, and Inter-stateSubstate, and Inter-state
(Ecoregional) levels(Ecoregional) levels

6. OUTPUTS: 13 THEMATIC
ACTION PLANS
 Natural ecosystems and wild species
 Domesticated ecosystems and species
 Livelihoods, lifestyles, and biodiversity
 Culture, Health, Education
 Economics and valuation of biodiversity
 Policies, laws, and institutions
 Access, benefit-sharing, and IPRs

7. SUB-THEMATIC REVIEW PAPERS
 Mining and Biodiversity
 Community Conserved Areas in Gujarat
 Tree Plantations and Biodiversity
 Biodiversity in the Media
 Biodiversity in EIAs
 Natural Dyes and Biodiversity
 Nomadic Pastoralism and Biodiversity
 Urban biodiversity
 Home Gardens and Biodiversity
 Thermal Power and Biodiversity
 Tourism and Biodiversity Dams and
Biodiversity

8. SUB-THEMATIC REVIEW PAPERS (contd…)
 Pesticides/ Toxics and Biodiversity
 Remote Sensing
 Non-pastoral Nomads
 Community Based Monitoring
 Important Bird Areas
 Customary Laws and Biodiversity
 Conventional Technologies
 Agricultural Biotechnology and Globalisation
 Eco-friendly and Alternative Technologies
 Integrated Biodiversity Information Systems
 Conventional Technologies
 Wildlife Human Conflicts

9. SUB-THEMATIC REVIEW PAPERS (contd…)
 Non-Timber Forest Products
 Indigenous Knowledge
 Public Distribution System
 Exotics and Indigenous Biodiversity
 Research on Agricultural Biodiversity
 Paper Industry and Biodiversity
 Humanized Natural Landscapes
 Climate Change
 Ecological Impacts of NTFP Collection in West
Bengal
 Environmental Education and Persons With
Disabilities


10. Ecological Security: integrity of
ecosystems and species, protection of
critical ecosystem values and services
Livelihood Security: sustaining the
survival and livelihoods of those directly
dependent on biodiversity and
bioresources
TWIN FOCUS

11.  Elaborate planning phaseElaborate planning phase , with about 30, with about 30
guiding papers and methodological notesguiding papers and methodological notes
 Building onBuilding on past/existing planspast/existing plans andand
informationinformation
 Use ofUse of local languageslocal languages
 Participation ofParticipation of all relevant sectorsall relevant sectors
 Transparent processTransparent process , all documents public, all documents public
 Open platformOpen platform for people to usefor people to use
THE PROCESS

12. Public hearings

13. Mass participation events- boat and cycle rallies, foot
marches, street theatre

14. Festivals- mobile seed display on bullock cart

15. Technical workshops

16. OUTREACH IN PRINT

17. Special outreach- for children, youth, women

19. KEY STRATEGIES of NATIONAL ACTION
PLAN
Overall framework:
1. Local to national land & water use planning,
earmarking areas critical for ecological and livelihood
security, keeping these off-limits to large-scale
‘developmental’ and commercial processes
2. Ecosystem approach, integrating conservation and
livelihoods across large landscapes and seascapes
3. Governance model, starting at smallest decision-
making unit and moving upwards at larger levels keeping
ecological boundaries in mind

20. STRATEGY CLUSTERS of NATIONAL ACTION PLAN
1. Understanding biodiversity: research, databases
2. Biodiversity conservation: in situ and ex situ
3. Sustainable use and livelihoods
4. Equity in access, use, and benefits, esp. of most
disprivileged groups
5. Building capacity: education, training, awareness
6. Inter-sectoral integration
7. Legal and policy measures
8. Financial and economic measures
9. Technological measures
10. International initiatives

21. Key strategies on poverty,
livelihoods, and biodiversity
• Diagnosis
–Poverty = resource deprivation (not
necessarily financial…redefine “poor” people)
–Key factors: alienation from resource
base, lack of access to decision-making
–Key forces: Ecologically insensitive
‘development’ model, and livelihood
insensitive conservation policies

22. Key strategies on poverty,
livelihoods, and biodiversity
• Fully evaluate and recognise contribution
of biodiversity to local communities
–ecosystem values/services, esp. water
–survival, livelihood, health resource for
nature-dependent communities

23. Key strategies on poverty, livelihoods, and
biodiversity (contd)
• Review and modify macro-economic and
development policies and programmes:
–trade and import-export
–taxation and tax breaks
–poverty
–employment
–liberalisation
–investment/disinvestment
–‘single-window’ clearances

24. Key strategies on poverty, livelihoods, and
biodiversity (contd)
• Integrate biodiversity into poverty eradication
and employment schemes and programmes
• Integrate livelihoods into biodiversity
conservation schemes and programmes, e.g.
protected areas
– continuing livelihoods that are
within conservation values
– providing alternatives for
unsustainable livelihoods

25. Key strategies on poverty, livelihoods, and
biodiversity (contd)
• Introduce biodiversity into food security
schemes and strategies, e.g. local grains in
–Public Distribution System
–Food for Work
–Mid-day Meals
Why only wheat and rice? Why not millets?
Why only one variety of rice?

26. Key strategies on poverty, livelihoods, and
biodiversity (contd)
• Link health, food/nutrition, and biodiversity
– Strengthen traditional health systems and access to
medicinal plants
– Encourage nutrition from traditional foods as preventive
health measure, esp. for children and women (link
agriculture, health, and food programmes)
– Promote home and roof-top gardens for health and food
security

27. Key strategies on poverty, livelihoods, and
biodiversity (contd)
• Provide incentives to communities, for
conservation across the land/waterscape:
– Community conserved areas and species
– Biodiversity-friendly cropping, pastoral, and
fisheries systems
– Home gardens (rural and urban)
– Urban parks and roof-top gardens
Incentives: social, financial, tenurial (CPRs)…
is state ready to give over control?

28. Key strategies on poverty, livelihoods, and
biodiversity (contd)
• Support sustainable livelihoods based on
biodiversity and bioresources
– Non-timber forest produce
– Herbal produce
– Aquatic produce
– Organic, biodiverse agricultural produce
– Undervalued foods
– Community managed, ecologically sensitive tourism
– Special focus on nomadic peoples, shifting cultivators

29. Key strategies on poverty, livelihoods, and
biodiversity (contd)
• Move towards greater equity in natural resource
management
– Tenurial security, common property rights
– Empowerment of disprivileged (within and outside
communities) in NRM decision-making
– Women’s empowerment at all levels
– Challenge consumerism of the rich

30. Key strategies on poverty, livelihoods, and
biodiversity (contd)
• Empower local governance bodies to raise
and control funds:
–fees for bioresource and knowledge use by
outsiders
–grants from central/state budgets
–savings by user groups,
self-help groups

31. TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION
• Government commitment
•Committee under National Biodiversity Act
•State Biodiversity Boards and Acts
• Citizens’ commitment and empowerment
•Empowering village institutions
• Policy changes
• Capacity building
• Resources

32. PROPOSED UNDP CCF2 PROJECT
Community Based Initiatives for
Livelihood Security and
Biodiversity Conservation
Objective
Linking biodiversity conservation with livelihood security of the
poor, particularly women, through strengthened institutions of
local self governance, and initiating or strengthening advocacy
processes for appropriate state and national policy changes

33. Local level activities
 10-15 field sites, demonstrating sustainable livelihoods
based on biological resources, and enhancing conservation
status of ecosystems and species
•Sustainable use of wild resources (NTFP, med. plants, fish, ecotourism)
•Sustainable agriculture (agrobiodiversity)
•Sustainable pastoralism (indigenous livestock diversity)
 Local documentation, monitoring, policy analysis
 Multi-sectoral dialogues, working groups, activities
PROPOSED UNDP CCF2
PROJECT:
Key Elements

34. National level activities
•Policy analysis and advocacy
•Inter-sectoral coordination
•Community and other stakeholder exchanges
•Participatory monitoring and evaluation
•Process documentation

35. National level activities (contd.)
•Public outreach including information dissemination, media
•Participatory mapping (folk and GIS/RS)
•Biodiversity festivals
•Capacity building
•International representation
•National biodiversity network

36. Note: This presentation was prepared in 2003
Contact
Ashish Kothari, Coordinator, TPCG, NBSAP process
ashishkothari@vsnl.com