Conservation of diversity of flora and fauna of the earth had been in the agenda of environment conscious individuals and organisations for several decades. Since the convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, 'Biological Diversity' has become a catch word

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Ilol. 28 No. 3 Fishing Chimes June 2008 Biodiversity ReN'me: Emerging Challenges and Opporrunities M ~ l s  - + Mangalore : 22 May 2008 been in the agenda. of environment conscious individuals and organisations for several decades. Since the Convention on Biolagloa.1 Diversity (CBD) In 1992 at khe Garth ~urnrnit in &? de Jandro, 'Biological Diversity' has beconl@ a catchword. I As per the obligations as a party to the Oonve~tion. India ' ha$ introduced its domestie legal regwe by enact% the Biological QiversTty Act in 2002. The provisions of this Act, CBD and the ryles Trade Mlated Intellectual Proper@ Rights (TRIPS) haus rendwed the issues pertaining to biological diversity into a serious subject of study and debata Biological diversity i s  no more a topic of bfolw done, as it has acquired various dimensions. There a ~ &  a, multitude of challenges to be tackled regarding biodiversity resaurces. At the 1 same t h e ,  sweral opporb-~itiei'are also emerging: iu the field P i  , , , I . ,  of studies. research, aduocac.. Lra,de. IPR e&. In order to fully = Dr. N.b.n. rllld lighting tht U U J ~ ~ C L ~ U S  inaugural lamp exploit the emergmg oEportu&ties, we need to craae awareness ancl educate the people, wpecially the yo~ulger generatinn about  the various issues. This Seminar wa5 G n c e i v d  with that objective. could not have been appropriate oq any day other than tha 22"" May 2008, as the Intergational Biodiversity Day was observed all aver the world on that  day. R ~ ~ p e c t i n g  the importanae of the subJ'ec4, Canb-a1 Mqrine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) had established a dedicated division for Marhe Biodiversit,y, Mafigalore Research Centre af CIvfFRI M done ~o.mend&le  work in ~e assessment of Maripe; Biodiversity of K w t a k a ,  It is felt rigmy to -Convene a seminar on such an important topic a t  Mangalore, especially for the benefit of ~e people of Kamataka. . .  Inauguration: The inaugural function started at 0950 hours on 22- May wi th  opsnTng remarks by the Convener Dr. K. Vjayakumaran. He mentioned that biod!versity has emerged as an interdisciplinary area and this is no more a subject of biology alone. He focused o n  t h t  urgent need for sensitising the s~lreholdess4 academTcs and students on  different facets and dimensions of biodiversity regime. Following a silent prayer, Dr. A. P. Dinesh $abu, Scientist- in-Charge .knd chairman of the Seminar welcomed the par t tc ipants .  Dr. N.G.K Pillai, Director, Central Marine Fisheries R w ~ z ~ r ~ h  Institute, Kochi inaugurated the s m a r  by lighting-the traditional lamp. He also released a CD containingg resources for ;the hemflt of stakeholders and students. In his inaugural address he touched upon tho importance of biodiversiQ and highlighted the r~levance of sensitising the people about consefvation and management. Pointing out' the destructivs,fishing practices, he said tFiat over exploiktion had led to the depletJon of c$msll resources from coastal waters. Efe also mentioned that projects li&e Sethusamudram will have am impact on the biodiversity of Gulf of Mannar and Pa& Bay, adding that  this observation was without prejudice to the developmental imperatives. Qavelopmental ac$fvTHes like &thusamu&m Project are very imp om^, h e  added. The need of the hour is f;o our development activities to minimise the impact on biodiversity and environment he said. Adding that measures should be taken to safeguard the biodtveraity of the area where such development activitie$. are undertaken. w e n t a t i o n s :  The technical session began with the. preentat ion on the Legal Regime on ~ i o d i v e r a t ~ ,  by Dr. 8 . K .  Ravindra, Principal. SDM Law College, Mangalore. He elaborateit on the provisions of the  Convention o n  Biological Diversity (GBR] a ~ d  in the Biological DiverstQ Act. Re mengoned that  these laws, the relevant rules and the institutions established for implamanting them were n r y  comprehensive to achieve the objeatives of conservabon and equitable benefit sharing of biodiversity. He pointed to the  n&d for educating.  people and  Dr. H: Sivananda &fwQy, Director of Iihtehsion, Kqmataka Veteriptary, Animal Sciences and Fisheries University and Dr. B.R.  Vedatesh, Director, Geological Survey of India spoke on the occasion, highlighting the need for biodiversity conserva.tion, Dr. P.S Swathilekshrnt proposed a vote of thanks and the session clbsed with the National Anthem at  1055 hrs. I stakaholders :%in the legal :wpXt& : B ~ & y f r r r t ~ -  C~nservat ion .  CgF . .- IF, , - .a_----- -. , <-:x-- 4 - = =  dl. 28 No. 3 k%i Fishina Chimes The second presentation was on the Biodiversity in Ayurveda by Dr. T. Sridhara Bairy, Head of the Department of Dravyaguna, SDM Ayurveda College, Udupi. Taking the audience to a treasure trove of the use of diverse flora and fauna in ayurveda, and highlighting the rich heritage of traditional medicine, he emphasised the need for conserving biodiversity, popularising the traditional knowledge and protecting the same from exploitation by others. Dr. Ramachandra Bhatta, Professor and Head of the Department of Fisheries Economics spoke on the  issues of Economic Valuation of Biological Diversity and ecosystem services. He highlighted the difficulty of economic valuation of non-market commodities, especially related to our cultural and traditional t value systems. The need for promoting research in the field was emphasised. The fourth presentation was on Climate Change and Biodiversity by Dr. E. Vivekanandan, Principal Scientist and Head, Demersal Fisheries Division, CMFRI, Kochi. He presented an outline of the emerging issues related to global climate change and focused on the impact of climate change on marine biodiversity. Apart from species loss, the shifting of fish population distribution, coral bleaching, impact on turtles etc., were touched upon by the speaker. This . presentation attracted a lot of questions I - and a discussion. Concluding the , presentation, Dr. Vivekanandan stressed on the need for changing our lifestyle to mitigate the impact of climate change. The presentation on Marine Biodiversity of Karnataka unraveled a wonderful world of marine life along the coastal Karnataka. This presentation, by Dr. P.U. Zacharia Senior Scientist of Tuticorin RC of CMFRI and Principal Investigator of Karnataka Marine Biodiversity Project, was studded with a generous supply of colourful photographs of flora and fauna. The speaker revealed that this study for the &st time reported the unique, rich and diverse reef ecosystem around Netrani Island and ., hightlighted the need for protecting the -  same as  a biodiversity heritage site. He also mentioned the need for taking up further studies especially on little known areas such as ecology of marine birds. The sixth presentation was by Dr. K.K. Vijayan, Head of the Division of Marine Biotechnology, CMFRI on Biotechnology in Biodiversity Research and Conservation. The speaker gave an  overview of the latest developments in the biotechnology and molecular genetics and explained the possibilities of its application in the  conservation of biodiversity. He clearly explained the use of DNA fingerprinting in identifying the species even from a small bit of body part of the animal or plant. He expressed confidence that biotechnology would revolutionise human life in the coming . Sensitise the stakeholders about our rich years, provided adequate measures woulz traditional knowledge in flora and fauna, be taken to promote HRD and research especially in traditional medicine, in the field of biotechnology. promote their documentation and equip the communities with knowledge and The seventh presentation was On capacity to safeguard their knowledge Bioinformatics tools for Biodiversity from exploitation by outside agencies. Conservation by Dr. Santhosh J Eapen, Senior scientist and coordinator of . Initiate research for validation of the Bioinformatics Division of Indian Institute concepts of our traditional systems of of Spices Research, kozhicode. He medicine in the context of modern presented lucidly the emerging world of scienti6c methods of clinical testing and bioinformatics and the enormous scope protocols. for bioinformatics in biodiversity regi&e. The need for developing database on b i ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ y r ~ ~ ~ ~ s , " ~ ~ l ~ , " ~ ~ ~  P: various aspects of our rich and diverse develop standard methods to suit the biological resource is a daunting task and value system. there is tremendous scoue for research and development in that-area, he said. . Sensitise the people on climate change and i t s  impacts with outreach The eighth presentation on Trade programmes for making them adapt to the Related Aspects of Biodiversity by Dr. K.S. situation. Embark on education Mohamed, Principal Scientist and Head, programmes to change the lifestyle of Molluscan Fisheries division, CMFRI, people to mitigate the climate change Kochi was one of the key presentations scenarios. pertinent to the Biodiversity Regime. The speaker explained the in&cac>es of the . Promote conservation of unique marine trade barriers and provisions under the biodiversity hot spots such as  Netrani Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights Island by declaring them as biodiversity (TRIPS). Touching on the provisions of heritage sites and take up studies on UNCLOS, the role of WTO and the marine birds on which there is very little dispute settlement mechanisms, he gave information. the example of how disputes on trans- boundary resources like swordfish were settled. Emphasising the need for understanding the rules of the trade to take advantage of the global trade opportunities properly, he cautioned that there would be need to embark on capacity building on this aspect. The last presentation was on the Challenges and Opportunities of Biodiversity Regime by Dr. , K. Vijayakumaran, Senior Scientist Mangalore RC of CMFRI. He said that the emerging Biodiversity Regime i s  another inconvenient truth and urged all members of the society to play a key role transforming the game to a winning situation. Training and capacity building, restructuring and expanding the WRD scenario a i d  partnership among government, research organisations, civil society organisations and other stakeholders were identified as urgent needs of the time. ~onclwion: The seminar came to a close with a brief summing up  of the  proceedings by Dr. S.M. Siva Prakash, College of Fisheries, Mangalore and a concluding remark by Dr. N.G.K Pillai, Director, CMFRI. Based on the subjects presented a t  the Seminar and the deliberations that followed, the following recommendations were read out by Dr. K. Vijayakumaran, the Convener of the Seminar, were made. Recornmendationa . Initiate programme to educate public on the biodiversity Act, CBD, and the provisions under the law to safeguard the interests of the community. . Evolve exclusive criteria for listing of marine organisms in Red List. . Promote research in bioactive compounds, bioinformatics and database creation for facilitating the country to exploit the resources in a judicious way. . Promote research in molecular genetics, to take advantage in the field of disease diagnosis, gene transfer technology etc and strengthen the country's stake in biotechnology globally. - - . Initiate programme to revise and restructure the school and college curriculum and introduce new courses to sensitise the importance of biodiversity among young generation and cater to the needs of Biodiversity regime. . Promote partnership between different organisations for sharing resources and working together for meeting the challenges of Biodiversity Regime. The Seminar was attended by students and faculty from College of fisheries, Mangalore University, St. Aloysius College, SDM Law College, SDM Ayurveda College and several other institutions in the city. Members of civil society organisations from various parts of Karnataka, fishermen's associations, government departments and a large number of media persons also participated in the Seminar. The seminar was organised by the funding from the institute. School Book Company partially sponsored the Seminar kit. The Seminar attracted a lot of media attention and was appreciated a s  a n  excellent event in terms of content a s  well a s  the style of conducting it. 999 

Report of the National Seminar on Biodiversity Regime: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities. Mangalore : 22 May 2008

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Report of the National Seminar on Biodiversity Regime: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities. Mangalore : 22 May 2008

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