Nagpur: The State Government will establish Bank Maharashtra Gene (MGB) to document the original resources, save, and add value to the people who preserve this rich diversity in the state, launching biodiversity conservation as a people’s movement and involving people’s ecologists.
in scientific companies.
Starting in 2014, the MGB project showed the power of conservation activities led by the community.
For this to maintain and continue in mission mode, the state will now include these projects for funding.
This will benefit local communities using traditional and scientific knowledge for sustainable development.
Pravin Srivastava, PCCF & Member of the Secretary of the Biodiversity Board of Maharashtra (MSBB), said a report had been submitted to the state government.
“At least 30 NGOs work on the project and 130 workshops were held since 2014 when the project began,” he said.
The presentation of the Bank Gen report was conducted at a three-day conference at Pune from September 21-23.
Funded by the Rajiv Gandhi Technology & Technology Commission, this is the collaborative work of the Indian Education & Research Institute (IISER), Pune; Oceanographic National Institute (NIO), Goa; National center for cell science (NCSS), Pune; Shivaji University, Kolhapur, and College of Fisheries, Ratnagiri.
It also saw participation of 13 NGOs, where two (Baif and CEE) were pan-Indian organizations.
Srivastava said the project was conceptualized by the leading ecologist Dr.
Madhav Gadgil and brought together grassroots community workers with scientists from academic organizations and research.
“We have produced data on traditional knowledge about the genetic diversity of plants, sponges, livestock, meadow, freshwater fish, original cattle breeds such as Dangi, Lal Kandhari, Galauau, and Sangamneri, besides singing goats and Satpudi Hen, because I identify superior animals for Biak purpose.
Modern genetic tools are also used to identify genetic relationships between different breeds.
The Association of Dangi Farmers has been formed to preserve livestock races, “Srivastava said.
“We take special efforts to reach people and community-based organizations (CBO) at grassroots, combining tools of science and technology and scientific validation.
Providing livelihood and nutritional support for marginal communities and creating field evidence and multi-partnerships Institutions throughout the country, “Dr.
Rao from Iiser, said the project coordinator, to TII.
“In this six years, the project achieved a significant contribution in the documentation of biodiversity and conservation, generation of livelihoods, and the use of sustainable agricultural resources, native livestock breeds, grasslands, forest restoration forests, forest, fresh, water, and ecosystems Sea, “Rao said.
“We developed seed banks at the community level to exchange and preserve these resources, and market relations are provided.
Genuine breeds are both acquirable and adapted to the local hard environment,” Rao added.
PCCF Srivastava said the project won meadow conservation in around 2,000 hectares throughout Maharashtra in Dhule, Hingoli, and Washim Regency.
These include conservation of abiotic resources such as land and water, as a result of increasing grass cover in the area.
The documentation and conservation of 48 grass species is done on these sites.
Efforts to strengthen livelihoods occur in this project process through activities related to animal feed management.
About 4,000 mt of grass that is delicious produced in this area and the availability of this feed supports around 3,000 animal heads, which includes around 1,000 farm families.
Rao said the increase in biodiversity through environmentally friendly restoration activities was implemented in four Maharashtra regencies covering around 1,200 ha of community forest land rights (CFR).
Documentation and validation of ecological knowledge, propagation, utilities, and the properties of 150 crops and animal species chosen by local communities is also carried out.
The project has also documented androgenic and recreational activities along the sea coast which threatened coral species and sponges in the intertidal region.
Under this project more than 2,000 bacteria associated with isolated sponge.
Aquatic habitat restoration activities are carried out for the conservation of native fish diversity in Bhandara under the MGB project.
It continues in 23 tanks in three districts in the 317 hectare area.
Fisherman’s net profit from original fish production rose 2 to 12 times after habitat development.