30 committees on biodiversity formed during 2023-24: Report

Gandhinagar: A report from the Gujarat Biodiversity Board (GBB) submitted during the ongoing assembly session stated that during 2023-24, 30 biodiversity management committees (BMCs) were formed.
Of these, 30 were established at the village panchayat level, 6 at the taluka level, 2 at the district panchayat level, and 9 at the municipality level. BMCs are to be constituted at the local body level according to the Act.
The report mentioned that there are 14,265 village panchayats, 248 taluka panchayats, 33 district panchayats, 157 municipalities, and 8 municipal corporations in the state.
BMCs are to be constituted in each local body in accordance with Section 41(1) of The Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and Rule 22 of The Biological Diversity Rules, 2004, within their area of jurisdiction for the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources and documentation of biodiversity.
The report stated that each BMC consists of seven persons, which include one president and six nominated members by the local body. "By constituting the BMCs, the Board aims to spread awareness about biodiversity for promoting conservation and documentation of biodiversity, including the preservation of habitats, conservation of land races, folk varieties, and cultivars, domestic breeds of animals, and documenting the traditional knowledge about biodiversity," the report said.