Chennai, 28 October (H.S.) : In a significant boost to sustainable farming and biodiversity conservation in Tamil Nadu, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released ₹55 lakh directly to farmers cultivating Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) in the state.

This landmark initiative, channeled through the State Biodiversity Board, is the first-of-its-kind benefit-sharing model specifically targeting farmers and cultivators, marking a major step towards inclusive conservation.

The funds were distributed among 18 farmers and cultivators of Red Sanders, all of whom belong to eight villages within the Tiruvallur District. The beneficiary villages include Kannabhiran Nagar, Kothur, Vembedu, Siruniyum, Goonipalayam, Ammambakkam, Alikuzhi, and Thimmaboopola Puram.

This financial assistance falls under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) framework, which promotes the sustainable use of India's biological resources. Red Sanders, though an endemic species of the Eastern Ghats primarily found in Andhra Pradesh, is also cultivated in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Odisha.

The move not only supports the livelihoods of farmers in Tamil Nadu but also helps to meet the growing market demand for Red Sanders through legally sourced and sustainably grown means, thereby relieving pressure on the wild populations of this valued tree species.

This benefit-sharing model reinforces the critical role of community participation in conservation, ensuring that those who safeguard biodiversity, like the farmers in Tiruvallur, are duly compensated.

The initiative follows the 2019 policy relaxation by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), which permitted the export of cultivated Red Sanders, further encouraging farm-based conservation and trade.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary