World Bank approves $23.5 mn biodiversity grant&loan for India

WORLDBANK-INDIA
From Lalit K Jha
Washington (PTI) The World Bank on Thursday
approved a USD 15.36 million credit and USD 8.14 million grant
for a project to conserve high-value forest areas while
improving the livelihoods of forest dependent communities in
India.
The Biodiversity Conservation and Rural Livelihood
Improvement Project will conserve biodiversity, while
improving rural livelihoods by applying culturally appropriate
and tested participatory approaches to support opportunities
for improving rural livelihoods, the Bank said in a statement.
"India is among the most diverse countries, with up to
47,000 species of plants and some 90,000 species of animal and
the country's biodiversity is fundamental to human well
being," said Malcolm Jansen, World Bank Senior Environmental
Specialist and Project Leader.
"Millions are dependent locally on forests for their
subsistence and livelihood and 70 per cent of India's rural
population depends on fuel wood to meet domestic energy
needs," Jansen said.
Noting that India's rich biodiversity is threatened by
increased population pressures and over-utilisation of
resources along with development that is largely inconsistent
with conservation objectives, the Bank said these threats,
coupled with the country's high incidence of poverty, have
accelerated the speed of degradation.