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Democratizing Biodiversity Conservation

The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 was passed with the objective of conserving biology, ensuring its sustainable use and fair and equitable sharing of benefits that arise from the use of bio-resources. A key provision of the Act was the formation of a Biodiversity Management Committee in every local self-governing institution.

Kerala has one of the highest compliance rates among Indian states in formation of Biodiversity Management Committees and is regarded as a success story in the overall implementation of the Act. This research uses primary data to assess the implementation of the Biological Diversity Act in Kerala and note the factors that affect it. Survey method has been used to collect data from 17 panchayats of Idukki district, which have been analysed to produce this paper. In-depth interviews of various biodiversity experts have also been taken as part of the primary research work.