Team Herald
VASCO: The Biodiversity committee’s of Chicalim and Sancoale villages were shocked to learn that the waters of Chicalim and Sancoale bay are yet to be officially declared or notified as biodiversity heritage hotspot.
The waters of Chicalim and Sancoale bay are rich in marine biodiversity and are also breeding grounds for the endangered spices including windowpane oysters.
The shocking revelation was made by the member secretary of Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB) Pradip Sarmokadam during a cluster meeting of Biodiversity Management Committee’s (BMC) of all panchayats under Mormugao Taluka on Friday.
The meeting was convened to create awareness among the BMCs about the importance of completing peoples biodiversity registers (PBR) and to explain to them that the role of BMCs is conservation, sustainable utilisation and sharing of biodiversity resources.
“Regarding Chicalim and Sancoale bay, I want to clarify that so far these sites have not been declared as biodiversity heritage hotspot. However, efforts have been initiated in this regard. If the BMCs of these villages want these sites to be declared as biodiversity heritage hotspot, then, the efforts have to be properly organised as per the protocol,” Sarmokadam said.
“To get these sites declared as biodiversity heritage hotspot proper public consultation has to be done and before that BMCs have to come out with 12 member committees like the way we have done at Curtorim. Once all these are completed, the proposal backed by the resolution of BMC has to be sent to the State government and the same will be forwarded to national authority which then will notify the same.” he added.
