Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs)

Section 41 of Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and Rule 23 of Rajasthan Biological Diversity Rules, 2010 provide for formation of Biodiversity Management Committee at the level of every local body i.e. Gram Panchayat, Municipality, Municipal Council, Municipal Corporation, Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad for the purpose of promoting conservation, sustainable use and documentation of biological diversity including preservation of habitats, conservation of land races, folk varieties and cultivars, domestic stocks and breeds of animals and micro-organisms and chronicling of knowledge relating to biological diversity within their area of jurisdiction. The functions of BMCs are as follows:

1. Prepare, maintain and validate People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) in consultation with the local people. The BMC has to maintain a register giving information about the details of access to biological resources and traditional knowledge granted, details of the collection fee imposed and details of the benefits derived and the mode of their sharing.

2. Advise on any matter referred to it by the State Biodiversity Board or Authority for granting approval, to maintain data about the local ‘vaids’ and practitioners using the biological resources.

National, State and local level biodiversity funds, for channeling benefits to benefit claimers, conservation and promotion of biological resources or knowledge associated and socio-economic development of these areas, are respectively established under Sections 27, 32 and 43 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and Rule 18 and 24 of the Rajasthan Biological Diversity  Rules, 2010.

Public awareness activities towards need for conservation of Biodiversity have been taken up in different eco-sensitive areas. Basic spade work has been completed and sound footing has been established for formation of BMCs. On the basis of secondary data Eleven Thousand Eight Hundred Eighty Two Biodiversity Management Committees have been constituted at Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, Zila-Parishad and Municipal levels.

On the basis of seconday data the latest position of BMCs and PBRs till date 30.05.2022 (PDF)