Shergaon BMC bags best Biodiversity Management Committee award in Arunachal Pradesh

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ITANAGAR: The Shergaon Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh has been awarded the best committee in India, during the fifth edition of India Biodiversity Award by National Biodiversity Authority under the union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry on Saturday.

The award was given on the occasion of International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) 2021.

Shergaon BMC is first ever from the state to be awarded in this category. The award ceremony was conducted in virtual mode this year, official sources informed here.

Taking to twitter Chief Minister Pema Khandu said, "I congratulate the #Shergaon Biodiversity Management Committee for winning the #IndiaBiodiversityAward2021 in the category of 'Best Biodiversity Management Committee'. Proud to know Shergaon BMC is first in Arunachal to win the Award presented jointly by @UNDP and @moefcc."

The India Biodiversity Awards is a joint initiative by the union Environment, Forest and Climate Change ministry, National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

It is an innovative mechanism to identify and recognize the efforts of individuals, communities and institution working towards biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of biological resources, access and benefit sharing and biodiversity governance.

winners of India Biodiversity Awards carries a memento, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs two lakhs each for individuals and Rs five lakhs each for institutions. The award is given in five categories including, Conservation of Wild Species; Conservation of Domesticated Species: Institution and Individual; Best Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC); Sustainable Use of Biological Resources: Institution and Individual and Replicable Mechanisms for Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)

The BMC award aspires to appreciate Biodiversity Management Committees for the exemplary work in documentation of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge; generating awareness; establishing best practices in biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, social and gender equity and empowerment and equitable sharing of benefts. Shergaon BMC was established on March 15, 2016 in consultation with Senji Blu- Shergaon Village Council. The committee comprises of 5 male members, 2 women members and Range Forest Officer D K Mono as a secretary.

Arunachal Pradesh has 164 BMCs constituted in the state. The BMC Shergaon has worked on documentation of endemic flora and fauna of the village forest. Some of the prominent plants species like Paris polyphylla, Taxus baccata, Swertia chirayita, Rubia cordifolia, Valeneria jatamansi, Quercus sps, Artemesia vulgaris, Rhododendron species and faunas like red panda, flying squirrels, civets, yellow throated morten, Himalayan Asiatic black bear, barking deer etc have been documented.

The Committee has made it compulsory for all the researchers to take prior permission from Shergaon Village Council and BMC for all their activities under their jurisdiction to avoid misuse of biodiversity knowledge of the area.

BMC Shergaon along with Local NGO Garung Thuk has initiated ethno medicinal plant garden, in-situ Rhododendron garden, school nature club, training of nature guide, fish conversation in wild by adopting river. BMC Shergaon Chairman Pem Norbu Thungon dedicated the award to the ancestors for preserving the forest and all the villagers of Shergaon. He also thanked the Shergaon Village Council for consistent support to the BMC activities.

He said he is very happy for the award and would like to thank Arunachal Pradesh State Biodiversity Board, DFO and team of Shergaon Forest Division for their dedicated involvement.

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