India, GEF, UNDP launch 5-Year Biodiversity Conservation Project

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) have launched a landmark five-year project titled ‘Strengthening Institutional Capacities for Securing Biodiversity Conservation Commitments’. This project is a joint initiative of the Government of India, Global Environment Facility (GEF), and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with a grant of USD 4.88 million for the period 2025–2030.

Project Landscapes

The project is rooted in two ecologically significant landscapes:

• Tamil Nadu — Sathyamangalam Landscape: Located at the confluence of the Western and Eastern Ghats, encompassing the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve. Forest-fringe communities’ ecological knowledge will be channelled into Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs).
• Meghalaya — Garo Hills: Comprising Nokrek Biosphere Reserve, Balpakram National Park, and Siju Wildlife Sanctuary — community-led conservation integrated into Village Employment Councils (VECs) (equivalent of gram panchayats).

Key Objectives

1. Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Local Development Plans: Strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs), building landscape-level multi-stakeholder platforms to produce community-owned biodiversity plans.
2. Promoting Innovative Financing: Activating Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) arrangements, CSR co-financing, and green micro-enterprises creating sustainable livelihoods as direct rewards for conservation stewardship.
3. Knowledge Management & Capacity Building: Capturing innovations from both landscapes for nationwide replication through NBA and MoEFCC platforms, with dedicated focus on advancing the economic and governance roles of women, Scheduled Castes, and tribal communities.

Governance & Policy Framework

The project follows a bottom-up approach with PRIs playing a key managerial role. It advances implementation of:

• India’s Updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP 2024–2030)
• Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s 30×30 target
• India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement
• Tamil Nadu Vision 2030 and Meghalaya Vision 2030
• The project adopts a ‘Whole-of-Government’ and ‘Whole-of-Society’ approach.