India's Sustainability Push: Red Sanders Initiative Disburses Benefits to Andhra Farmers

The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has implemented a significant initiative through which Rs 3.00 crore has been disbursed to 199 beneficiaries, including 198 farmers and an academic institution, in Andhra Pradesh. This initiative aims to promote the sustainable use of India's biological resources under the Access and Benefit-Sharing mechanism of the Biological Diversity Act, according to a statement from the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change.

Previously, the NBA allocated Rs 48.00 crore to local forest departments for conserving Red Sanders and an additional Rs 55.00 lakh to Tamil Nadu farmers. Under the current scheme, farmers receive amounts between Rs 33,000 and Rs 22.00 lakh based on the quantity of Red Sanders wood cultivated and supplied, surpassing the usual sale value.

The initiative encompasses 48 villages across Andhra Pradesh's districts, indicating extensive community involvement in conserving this unique species. An Expert Committee on Red Sanders, formed in 2015, led to policy changes facilitating legal exportation, thus embodying efforts toward legal, sustainable trading and conservation practices.