Kohima: The Nagaland State Biodiversity Board (NSBB) organised a stakeholder consultation workshop for the revision of the State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (SBSAP) at Japfu Hotel in Kohima on Wednesday.
The State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan is a state-specific policy document prepared by state governments and Union Territories in line with the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP).
The NBSAP serves as India’s roadmap for conserving biological diversity and fulfilling its commitments under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The revision of Nagaland’s NSBSAP has been necessitated by the revision of the national document in accordance with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
Nagaland prepared its first NSBSAP in 2005 in line with India’s NBSAP. It was subsequently revised and formally launched in May 2022, incorporating 12 targets drawn from the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
The state is now updating the NSBSAP to align it with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and India’s updated NBSAP.
During the consultation, participants discussed technical aspects of India’s updated NBSAP, which was launched at the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The updated national action plan is aligned with the KMGBF and is intended to serve as a comprehensive framework to address biodiversity loss.
The updated NBSAP includes 23 National Biodiversity Targets covering areas such as reducing threats to biodiversity, sustainable use of biological resources and strengthening implementation mechanisms. Among its goals are effectively conserving 30% of land and water areas and reducing pesticide risks and nutrient loss.
The plan also adopts an ecosystem-based approach, with emphasis on restoring ecosystems, protecting wetlands and managing coastal and marine areas, rather than focusing solely on individual species.
It promotes a three-tier governance structure involving the National Biodiversity Authority at the national level, State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils at the state and UT levels, and Biodiversity Management Committees at the local level. Biodiversity Management Committees are also responsible for engaging local communities and maintaining People’s Biodiversity Registers.
The NBSAP further seeks to mainstream biodiversity considerations into sectors including agriculture, forestry, fisheries and urban planning, while promoting the participation of women, youth, indigenous communities and vulnerable groups.
Resource mobilisation and financial planning, including mechanisms such as the Biodiversity Finance Initiative, are also part of the framework.
The workshop also highlighted the relevance of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, which seeks to conserve biological diversity, promote sustainable use of biological resources and ensure fair and equitable benefit sharing with local and indigenous communities.
The Act was amended through the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023, alongside the Biological Diversity Rules, 2024, to respond to evolving national and international frameworks, including the Nagoya Protocol and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The legislation has particular relevance to Nagaland given the state’s distinctive land ownership pattern, where land and resources are largely owned by communities and individuals.
Nagaland is located within the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot and is home to diverse forests, wildlife, rivers, medicinal plants, orchids and traditional agro-biodiversity. The state also has a longstanding cultural relationship between indigenous communities and nature.
The consultation highlighted the role of customary practices, traditional conservation ethics, village councils and local institutions in protecting forests and water sources. It also stressed the importance of preserving traditional ecological knowledge alongside modern scientific approaches.
The ongoing revision process is aimed at identifying biodiversity challenges, opportunities and state-specific priorities, while developing a shared vision and actionable strategies for integrating biodiversity considerations across sectors.
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The NSBB also seeks stakeholder recommendations to strengthen governance frameworks, build capacity and promote community participation in implementing the revised NSBSAP.
The consultation is expected to provide state-specific inputs and data, actionable recommendations for conservation, restoration and sustainable use, and strengthen collaboration and stakeholder ownership for implementation of the revised action plan.
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