Naga Amur Falcon Conservation nominated for India Biodiversity Awards

Kohima: Nagaland Forest Department has sent nomination for Amur Falcon conservation in Doyang of Wokha district under ‘co-management category’ for India Biodiversity Awards, 2014.
According to a release issued by Nagaland Principal Chief Conservator of Forest M Lokeswar Rao on Friday night said the nomination said how Government, communities and NGOs have helped in conservation of Amur Falcon which was appreciated in UNEP-CMS and Nagaland is declared as Falcon Capital of the World.
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests also nominated Forest Department of Nagaland for India Biodiversity Awards recognising its outstanding efforts for the conservation of the Amur Falcon.
Rao said that Nagaland Forest Protection Force was already awarded Governors commendation certificate for conservation and safe passage of Amur Falcon on the occasion of the Republic Day, 2014.
India has a rich heritage of biodiversity which provides ecological, economic, social, cultural, spiritual, educational, scientific and aesthetic services to millions of people. These natural resources are facing numerous threats and India’s efforts in conservation have led to diverse models of biodiversity management, ranging from officially managed protected areas to community-led conservation.
With these objectives in mind, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in India announced the first India Biodiversity Awards in 2012.
The winners were awarded by Union Minister of Environment and Forests Jayanthi Natarajan and Rebecca Grynspan, Associate Administrator, UNDP, New York during the High Level Segment of the Eleventh Conference of Parties (CoP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at Hyderabad.
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the UNDP in India called for nominations for the India Biodiversity Awards 2014 that will recognise outstanding contributions toward governance models of biodiversity management.
Two nominations in each of the following four categories will be selected for the award – Community stewardship, Community-led biodiversity management by autonomous community institutions including community conserved areas, sacred groves, species specific conservation efforts by civil society organisations and communities.
The eight finalists will be awarded cash, a memento and citations at the India Biodiversity Awards ceremony to be held on May 22, 2014. The awards will be presented to the winners on the International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22 next. (UNI)