M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation

Biodiversity

M S Swaminathan Research Foundation's Biodiversity Programme was started in the year 1990 with the goal of recognizing the importance of Biodiversity with a commitment to achieve the major objectives laid in relevant conventions like Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Biodiversity Programme aims at concurrently optimizing conservation and livelihoods with an explicit emphasis on poverty reduction, social and gender justice of the rural and tribal poor. The focal sectors chosen for biodiversity conservation and action are Agro-biodiversity, the chief source of livelihood sustenance to majority of people, particularly the tribal communities living in hilly regions and Endangered Plant Species of the Western Ghats a global 'biodiversity hotspot'.

The activities in the above mentioned thrust areas are streamlined into three initiatives: (i) Integrated management of biodiversity resources in partnership with communities that aim at conservation and sustainable utilization of traditional varieties of rice and millets; research such as participatory plant breeding; bio-resource and knowledge based village development; and improving food security of tribal and rural communities. (ii) Conservation and threat status assessment of Rare, Endemic and Threatened (RET) plant species, and (iii) Capacity building in Legislations pertaining to Biological Diversity and Farmers' Rights that aims at training Panchayath Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Farmers' Groups and Grass root leaders of a few select districts of Tamil Nadu. A Community Gene Bank and a Community Herbarium meant for the long-term storage of farmer conserved varieties and their voucher samples and field gene banks, seed banks and grain banks that contribute the revitalisation of community conservation traditions are some unique attempts under this programme. The most evident area of its work however, remains in the policy domain. The MSSRF led process of drafting two most important pieces of legislation in the conservation and sustainable use of India's biodiversity that resulted in the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act 2001 (PPV&FR Act 2001), and Biodiversity Act 2002. It is considered getting an integrated legislation covering both farmers' and breeders' rights through PPV&FR Act is a major policy achievement. The approach adopted in achieving the targets of the programme is largely partnership building, which helped in establishing linkages with the national and individual state governments, national and international non-governmental organizations and, private organizations such as banks and associations. Currently the Biodiversity programme employs 43 staff members who work in partnership with different governmental and non-governmental members to focus on the issues in the conservation and sustainable and equitable utilisation of biodiversity.