By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 28 Nov: “The Biodiversity Act 2002 is the first law that gives rights to local communities. The main objective is to systematise and legalise the trade of bioresource in the state,” said SS Rasaily, Member Secretary, Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board, on the occasion of a workshop for Bioresource Traders of Uttarakhand on the Biodiversity Act 2002 and Access & Benefit Sharing (ABS) organised by German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board.
“It’s important to understand the need for legal compliance with the act. Intellectual Property Rights and patents are important when it comes to biodiversity conservation and access and benefit sharing,” declared Dr DP Uniyal, Senior Scientific Officer of UCOST, during his inaugural address.
Traders from various parts of Uttarakhand such as Haldwani, Uttarkashi, Dehradun, Tehri, Rishikesh, and Vikas Nagar participated in the workshop. They discussed the main issues involving cultivation and marketing of medicinal and aromatic (MAP) plants. Different issues like marketing, lack of infrastructure, registration process, lack of awareness and technology, standardisation of prices, lack of standards, non-recognition of MAP as crop, no crop insurance of MAP, etc., were taken up.
The participants were briefed on the provisions of ABS for the traders, in which the small traders are not being included. After two brain storming sessions with the traders, the following outcomes were decided: documentation and publication of farmers’ list (district and species wise); species samples at forest check posts for easy identification; state level meeting of important stakeholders; two regional meetings of traders; documentation of issues related to MAP trade; and standardisation.
Anil Joshi and Dr Pradeep Mehta (GIZ, Technical Experts) facilitated the discussions. LM Kaul, Dr RP Kala, Dr Dinesh Chandra, Dr Satish Semwal, PN Gautam of UBB, Dr JS Butola, Swarn Singh, Arjun Singh, Ashutosh Pokhriyal, Raghubir Singh Rawat, and Bhuwan Murari, traders from different parts of the state participated.
