Ongoing Initiatives and their Major Actors

The primary objectives of the BSI include survey of plant resources of the country; taxonomic studies of all the flora; enlisting endangered species; undertaking measures for effective conservation; and collecting and maintaining germplasm and gene banks of endangered and vulnerable species. [...] The purpose is to prepare illustrated accounts of important plants and animals found in the country, to encourage the use of first- hand field observations in the teaching of biology, and to encourage the participation of undergraduate and post-graduate students and teachers in documenting and monitoring of India’s biodiversity ( ). [...] In Pune, the Ecological Society and Research and Action in Natural Wealth Administration (RANWA) have published an assessment of species diver- sity of various zones of the city, and one of the country’s first detailed reports on the range of urban biodiversity from plants and invertebrates to birds and mammals (www.ranwa.org/punealive). [...] The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), as part of formulating the Management Plan of the Lakshadweep Coral Reefs, has set in place a system of participatory monitoring for the area for the years 1999-2000, along with the local community in the area. [...] The core of this project here was to increase the economic stake of the Soligas in the biotic resources of the sanctuary, by generating additional income through the processing and sale of a few non-timber forest products.