Team Herald
PANJIM: Almost three years after it being drafted, the State Government on Thursday notified the Goa Biological Diversity Rules 2017 that aim at ensuring effective management of biological resources, sustainable use of its components and fair and equitable sharing of benefits and transparence and accountability to people on the biodiversity funds.
The rules, notified under the Biological Diversity Act 2002, empowers the Goa Biodiversity Board (GBB) to restrict or prohibit any activity related to access to biological resources in consultation with local bodies, if such activity is detrimental or contrary to the objectives of conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
The Board also has the power to devise methods to ensure protection of rights, including intellectual property rights over biological resources and associated knowledge. Here, the Board has to maintain a database of the biological resource.
After conducting a detailed exercise in consultation with several stakeholders, the Environment Department in 2014 drafted the rules, which were approved by GBB and recently vetted by the Law Department.
As per the new rules, the Board has to ensure that biodiversity-dependent livelihood are integrated into all sectors of planning and management and at all levels of planning from local to State, to enable such sectors and administrative levels to contribute effectively for conservation and sustainable use of biological resources.
The rules that outline powers, duties and responsibilities of the Board said that the term of the Chairman would be for a period of three years and is eligible for re-appointment. No person above the age of 65 can be appointed as Chairman.
It calls for transparency and accountability while making provisions for setting up of the Goa Biodiversity Fund. There is also a separate provision for setting up a Local Biodiversity Fund.
The rules also provide for the appointment of a consultant for a period of three years for providing technical assistance to the Board for the effective discharge of its function.
