NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

1) NATIONAL BOARD FOR WILDLIFE:

National Board for Wildlife is a “Statutory Organization” constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Theoretically, the board is “advisory” in nature and advises the Central Government on framing policies and measures for conservation of wildlife in the country. However, it is a very important body because it serves as apex body to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries.

COMPOSITION:

The NBWL is chaired by the Prime Minister. It has 47 members including the Prime Minister. Among these, 19 members are ex-officio members. Other members include three Members of Parliament (two from Lok Sabha and one from Rajya Sabha), five NGOs and 10 Eminent Ecologists, Conservationists and Environmentalists.

FUNCTIONS:

Primary function of the Board is to promote the conservation and development of wildlife and forests. It has power to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries. No alternation of boundaries in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries can be done without approval of the NBWL.

NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY AUTHORITY:

• An Autonomous and Statutory Body of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. The NBA with its headquarters in Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Task

• The NBA is a Statutory Body, and it performs facilitative, regulatory, and advisory functions for the Government of India on issues of conservation, sustainable use of biological resources and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of biological resources.
• The Biological Diversity Act (2002) mandates implementation of the provisions of the Act through decentralized system with the NBA focusing on advising the Central Government on matters relating to
  1. The conservation of biodiversity.
  2. Sustainable use of its components
  3. Equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of biological resources.
  4. Advising the State Governments in the selection of areas of biodiversity importance to be notified under Sub-Section (1) of Section 37 as heritage sites and measures for the management of such heritage sites. 

The State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs)

The State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) focus on advising the State Governments, subject to any guidelines issued by the Central Government, on matters relating to the conservation of biodiversity,

sustainable use of its components and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of biological resources

• The SSBs also regulate, by granting of approvals or otherwise upon requests for commercial utilization or bio-survey and bio-utilization of any biological resource by the Indians.

BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES (BMCS) 

• The local level Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs)are responsible for promoting conservation, sustainable use and documentation of biological diversity including preservation of habitats, conservation of land races, folk varieties and cultivars, domesticated stocks and breeds of animals and microorganisms and chronicling of knowledge relating to biological diversity.