Developing People’s Biodiversity Registers for 10 Villages in Goa
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Project Summary
ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, South Asia has been selected as the Technical Support Group (TSG) by Goa State Biodiversity Board to support the development of People’s Biodiversity Registers. ICLEI South Asia has been appointed as the TSG for the Biodiversity Management Committees of the following villages- Alorna, Ambaulim, Kirlapal-Dabal, Siridao-Palem, Parcem, Mandrim, Morjim, Kalay, Cumburjua and Agarwada- Chopdem.
For centuries, indigenous and local communities have maintained virtual databases or registers of traditional knowledge, passing this on through oral traditions, without which their knowledge would have disappeared. The CBD has acknowledged that the traditional knowledge related to medicinal plants, agricultural practices, animal rearing, has a crucial impact on sustainable development , community progress and overall wellbeing (Laird,2002). Biopiracy is another factor for the need to protect traditional knowledge.
However, a lot of this knowledge is being lost due to factors like loss of control over education and health, promotion of inappropriate marine and agricultural extension programs, adverse influence and frequent intolerance of organized religion, reluctance of elders to transmit traditional knowledge to uninitiated youth, and disenchanted youth seeking solutions to their needs from foreign science instead of traditional knowledge (Tobin and Swiderska, 2001).
Within this context the concept of PBRs were conceived. Under Section 22(6) it is stated that the Register shall contain comprehensive information on availability and knowledge of local biological resources, their medicinal or any other use or any other traditional knowledge associated with them.
In this context, ICLEI South Asia will conduct the following:
- Support development of People’s Biodiversity Registers in each village
- Build capacity of the Biodiversity Management Committees to develop and update the PBRs.
- Support the validation of the PBR