One of the main functions of the BMC is to document & maintain the record of local flora & fauna in the form of People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR). The Register contains comprehensive information on availability and knowledge of local biological resources, their medicinal or any other use or any other traditional knowledge associated with them.
The PBR is ’peoples’ document showcasing the richness and status of biodiversity; and knowledge systems, uses and values ascribed to biodiversity. The PBRs are maintained and validated by the BMCs.
PBRs help the State and the local community to become aware of the valuable resources being available in their area which can be utilized for the overall social and economic development of the State. Furthermore, PBRs also help in conservation of the traditional practices and knowledge of the local community.
The document should be periodically updated with additional and new information as and when generated.
PBR template contains 31 formats of landscape and waterscape diversity which includes Agrobiodiversity, Domesticated biodiversity (fruits trees, medicinal plants, ornamental plants/tree/climbers, domesticated animals, culture fisheries), Wild biodiversity(trees/shrubs/herbs/tubers/grasses/climbers), Urban biodiversity etc.
The preparation of PBRs involves the active support and cooperation of a large number of people who need to share their common as well as specialized knowledge. One of the first steps for preparing PBRs is to organize group meetings to explain the objectives and purpose of the exercise. Different social groups in the village need to be identified for purpose of data collection from those groups. In an urban situation, spots where biodiversity are important need to be identified for the purpose of the study and documentation. The documentation process includes information gathered from individuals through detailed questionnaire, focused group discussion with persons having knowledge and published secondary information.
Documentation of knowledge of individuals with regard to biodiversity and its uses is an important part of PBRs. Every effort should be made to identify the persons with proven knowledge of local biodiversity; special attention should be given to the elderly persons who can also provide information on the biodiversity which was available in the past but no longer seen at present. Information provided by people need to be collated, analysed and crosschecked by the members of the BMCs and Technical Support Groups (TSGs) before documentation.
The document should be endorsed by the BMC and later publicized in the respective Panchayat/ Gram Panchayat/Panchayat Samiti. The document can also be a very useful teaching tool for teaching environmental studies at schools, colleges and university level. It should be periodically updated with additional and new information as and when generated.
