(MENAFN- KNN India) Amaravati, Nov 4 (KNN) The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released Rs 3.00 crore to 199 beneficiaries, including 198 Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) cultivators from Andhra Pradesh and the University of Andhra, under India's Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) mechanism.

The disbursement, facilitated through the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board, supports the sustainable use of biological resources and ensures equitable sharing of benefits under the Biological Diversity Act.

This initiative follows a series of benefit-sharing efforts by the NBA, which previously released Rs 48.00 crore to the Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka Forest Departments and Rs 55.00 lakh to farmers in Tamil Nadu.

Under the current disbursement, each farmer will receive between Rs 33,000 and Rs 22.00 lakh, depending on the volume of cultivated Red Sanders supplied to users amounts that often exceed the sale value of the wood.

The beneficiaries represent 48 villages across four districts of Andhra Pradesh Chittoor, Nellore, Tirupati, and Cuddapah-reflecting the extensive participation of local farming communities in cultivating and conserving this highly valued endemic species.

The initiative stems from the recommendations of the Expert Committee on Red Sanders, constituted by the NBA in 2015, which formulated the Policy for Conservation, Sustainable Use, and Fair and Equitable Benefit Sharing Arising from the Utilisation of Red Sanders.

The policy laid the groundwork for a 2019 relaxation by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), permitting exports of Red Sanders sourced from cultivation, a major milestone in legal and sustainable trade.

The NBA noted that such Access and Benefit-Sharing mechanisms demonstrate how biodiversity conservation can also serve as a viable livelihood option.

By linking conservation with economic incentives, the initiative aims to strengthen community participation, ensures fair compensation to biodiversity custodians, and contributes to the long-term protection of one of India's ecologically significant species.

(KNN Bureau)

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