Biodiversity And India

India and its Biodiversity

India is a mega biodiverse country. More so, India is one of those countries, who take their biodiversity responsibilities very seriously. There are legal compliances with regard to biodiversity, rules and regulations related to the environment, forest, wildlife, coastal zone and green cover. India has a National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) in place. India marked the beginning of super year of Biodiversity with the hosting of the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), an environmental treaty under the aegis of United Nations Environment Programme, in February 2020 in Gujarat, with a commitment that 2020s will be a decade of rapid action on climate and environment.

As the global environment issues include marine plastic litter, plastic pollution and microplastics, the national level campaign of Swachh Bharat Mission launched by the Government of India is also a major step towards the protection of degrading environment and eventually the biodiversity. India has also committed to cut greenhouse gas emissions intensity of its gross domestic product 33% to 35% by 2030, under the Paris climate agreement, making the planet more habitable for all the species. On the environment, India’s efforts are highly compliant with the requirements under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Kyoto Protocol also. Above all, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has said that protecting the environment is a matter of faith for India.

National Highway 44 is India’s longest highway from Srinagar to Kanyakumari. As it passes through the country’s most important wildlife corridors, between Kanha and Pench tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, it takes the underpass route, to allow the wildlife to flourish without being disturbed or hurt. As many as nine ‘animal underpasses’ (including 5 animal underpasses & 4 minor bridges) were built in this corridor. These underpasses are some of the examples of India’s ‘wildlife mitigation measures’ to mitigate the impact of infrastructure on wild animals.

Some of the more and recent examples include India’s largest producer of aluminium, Vedanta Aluminium, announcing its resolution to intensify efforts towards nurturing biodiversity in the areas of its operations in Odisha and Chhattisgarh, as part of its sustainable development agenda on 22nd May 2022, the International Day for Biological Diversity.

Vedanta Aluminium has started conservation projects for indigenous bird species. It is constructing birdhouses, artificial nests, and bird baths at multiple locations inside its plants and townships. It is also reviving butterfly parks, and undertaking several other initiatives. Vedanta Aluminium also undertakes extensive annual plantation drives, deep cleaning of ponds and local aquatic bodies in the summers so they can be naturally recharged and rejuvenated during monsoons.

The latest of such examples of India’s corporate sector taking up its environmental and biodiversity protection responsibilities is the issuance of  renewed Biodiversity Policy 2022 by NTPC Ltd, which is India’s largest integrated energy producer.

This Biodiversity Policy is an essential part of NTPC’s Environmental Policy. The policy is designed in a manner to boost all the professionals of the group to contribute towards the achievement of the targets.

NTPC deliberately avoids operations in areas with the highest biodiversity value and selects project sites very judiciously. The company has set a ’no net loss’ of biodiversity at all of its currently operating sites as its target.

The NTPC was the first PSU to issue a Biodiversity Policy in 2018. In the same year, NTPC became a member of the India Business & Biodiversity Initiative (IBBI). NTPC is also raising awareness among local communities, employees, and its associates across the supply chain about biodiversity through project-specific and national level training in collaboration with experts.