EMN
Dimapur, May 22
Winners of the second India Biodiversity Awards were announced on May 22 May, on the occasion of International Day for Biological Diversity at the ceremony in Port Blair, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
A local community initiative in Peren district called the Joint Forest Management Committee, of Old Jalukie village, has been selected for the India Biodiversity Award 2014 in the category ‘co-management.’ It recognizes efforts by government-supported community institutions such as the joint forest management and eco-development committees to govern biodiversity. Peren Forest Division, Nagaland Forest Department has nominated the committee of Old Jalukie village for dedicated efforts rendered by the community of Old Jalukie for conserving and protection of community forest, a press release received here Thursday stated.
Old Jalukie community biodiversity reserve was declared by a village council resolution way back in 1986 and managed under joint forest management with the Nagaland Forest department on June 15, 2012
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force M Lokeswara Rao has congratulated the chairman and members of the Joint forest Management committee and village community of old Jalukie community conservation area and officials of the Forest department and district administration for their dedication in conserving the community forests collectively. The good practices implemented by old Jalukie Joint forest Management Committee is one of the good models and examples to other community conserved areas in Nagaland to follow best practices practiced, he said.
The India Biodiversity Awards 2014 received 150 nominations from across the country through a well-publicized call for nominations. The nominations represented diverse and innovative approaches to governing biodiversity. The seven-member jury chaired by Prof. M. S. Swaminathan arrived at a shortlist of 13. A desk review was followed by on-site visits to assess these individual models based on parameters including effectiveness of biodiversity conservation, benefits to local communities and institutional sustainability.
The India Biodiversity Awards instituted by Ministry of Environment and and Forests, and the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), recognizes outstanding models of biodiversity governance and importantly the central role played by communities that are at the heart of any effort to conserve biodiversity
