National Biodiversity Authority Sanctions ₹82 Lakh for Red Sanders Conservation in Andhra Pradesh
SDG 15: Life on Land | SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Institutions: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change | Government of Andhra Pradesh
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has sanctioned ₹82 lakh to the Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board for raising one lakh Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) saplings under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism. The saplings will be supplied to farmers under the Trees Outside Forests (ToF) programme, linking conservation with livelihoods.
The ABS funding comes from benefit-sharing contributions of Red Sanders users and will flow to Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) and local communities. The project will support nursery development, plantation, and long-term care, generating employment and promoting grassroots stewardship.
Red Sanders, native to Andhra Pradesh’s Southern Eastern Ghats, faces severe threats from illegal logging due to its high commercial value. The species is protected under India’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and listed in CITES, restricting global trade. NBA has earlier released ₹31.55 crore for its conservation; this tranche focuses directly on community participation.
This initiative illustrates how ABS provisions under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (amended 2023) are being operationalised to transform conservation finance into local action - aligning national biodiversity targets with India’s commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
What is the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Mechanism? → A framework under the Biological Diversity Act to regulate access to biological resources and ensure fair sharing of monetary or non-monetary benefits with local communities and biodiversity committees. It enables conservation to be both equitable and sustainable.
What is the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)? → An international treaty adopted at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, with 196 Parties including India. It has three main goals: conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of its components, and fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources. The CBD underpins national biodiversity strategies, frameworks like the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism, and global targets such as the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022).
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
Can scaling up ABS-based financing across states make biodiversity conservation more community-driven and financially sustainable?
Follow the full news here: PIB Press Release on Red Sanders Conservation, Sept 2025