Wildlife Week Dialogue on the Biodiversity Act

On 8th October, during Wildlife Week, Kalpavriksh team members – Neha and Mahesh, held
an internal dialogue with the Bhimashankar field team – Subhash, Parvata, Vaishali, Suvarna
and Ganesh to deepen collective understanding of the Biodiversity Act (BD Act). Set in the
rich biodiversity of the Western Ghats, the session explored key provisions of the Act, the
roles of Biodiversity Management Commitees (BMCs), and the concept of Access and
Benefit Sharing (ABS). Participants also engaged with the People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR)
template, discussing its relevance to Forest Management Plans (FMPs), and reflected on
ways the Community Forest Resource Management Commitee (CFRMC) and BMC can
collaborate to strengthen community-led forest governance.