INDIA —India has begun implementing a five-year programme designed to strengthen biodiversity governance across two high-biodiversity landscapes in Tamil Nadu and Meghalaya. The project, titled Strengthening Institutional Capacities for Securing Biodiversity Conservation Commitments, runs from 2025 to 2030 and carries a $4.88 million grant from the Global Environment Facility. GEF records identify the United Nations Development Programme as the implementing agency, while the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) are the executing agencies.
The programme will operate in the Sathyamangalam landscape of Tamil Nadu and the Garo Hills region of Meghalaya. Its Tamil Nadu coverage includes the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, while the Meghalaya component includes the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve, Balpakram National Park and Siju Wildlife Sanctuary. The selected areas combine protected ecosystems with communities and local institutions involved in natural-resource management.
A key focus is to incorporate biodiversity priorities into Gram Panchayat Development Plans and strengthen the capacity of Panchayati Raj Institutions and Biodiversity Management Committees. In Meghalaya, equivalent village-level institutions will also be involved. Landscape-level platforms are planned to bring government departments, elected representatives, communities and civil society organisations into local biodiversity planning.
The programme is relevant to forestry, agriculture, rural development, tourism and conservation-related enterprises because biodiversity objectives will increasingly be incorporated into local development and budgeting processes. For businesses operating around the selected landscapes, this could affect community engagement, resource-use planning and opportunities for biodiversity-linked finance. For public authorities, the project provides a framework for translating national biodiversity objectives into local programmes.
The initiative is also aligned with India's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, the global 30x30 biodiversity target and the country's climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is India's central ministry responsible for environmental and climate policy, while the National Biodiversity Authority is the statutory institution responsible for implementing India's biodiversity framework and supporting conservation and sustainable use.
