Karnataka biodiversity board to launch biodiversity management panels

Mysuru: Karnataka Biodiversity Board chairman Vadnal Jagadish said the board is establishing Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) in every gram panchayat and preparing People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) to strengthen biodiversity conservation.He was speaking after inaugurating the two-day Desi Beejotsava (Native Seed Festival) organised by Sahaja Samrudha with the support of the Karnataka Biodiversity Board and Sahaja Seeds here on Saturday.He urged the citizens interested in biodiversity conservation to actively participate in protecting local knowledge and biological resources and emphasised the need to give greater importance to biodiversity conservation at the village level.“Indigenous seeds are not merely a part of agriculture; they are symbols of our food culture, biodiversity and cultural heritage. For centuries, local crop varieties have nourished our communities, and it is our collective responsibility to conserve them and pass them on to future generations,” he said.Board executive officer Vijayalakshmi said that in earlier times it was customary to gift indigenous seeds, and farming communities maintained agricultural diversity by freely sharing seeds.

Native seed conservator Kanagalu Padmamma, having conserved more than 150 indigenous seed varieties over several decades, highlighted the importance of seed exchange among farmers.The Traditional Seed Conservator Award-2026 was presented to six farmers who have dedicated decades to conserving indigenous seeds, managing community seed banks, reviving rare varieties and creating awareness among farming communities.

The awardees were Kamalamma E Khanannavar of Malali village in Kundgol taluk, Parvathi of Machur Hadi in Nagarahole Forest, Mahadevappa Uppar of Thimmapur village in Haveri district, Manjula, Prabhakar B of Tondahalli village in Mulbagal taluk, and B P Ravishankar of Hudur village in Ponnampet tTaluk of Kodagu district.On Sunday, a special training programme on 'Seed Conservation and Organic Seed Production’ will be held for farmers at 12.30pm. A drawing competition for children aged 5 to 12 years will be organised at 10.30 am, followed by a seed exchange programme.