Tirupati:Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board (APSBB) has announced plans to establish biodiversity parks in all districts of the AP, starting with Tirupati, Amaravati and Visakhapatnam.
The aim of these parks is to bolster environmental conservation and raise awareness about the particular region’s rich flora and fauna, APSBB chairman N. Vijay Kumar announced at a press conference in Tirupati on Thursday.
“This decision is in line with the directives of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, reflecting the NDA government’s commitment to ecological preservation,” Vijay Kumar underlined.
With regard to the Tirupati Biodiversity Park, he said discussions have been held with officials, including the district collector, Tirupati Urban Development Authority vice chairperson and representatives of the Forest Department, Sri Padmavati Mahila Viswa Vidyalayam, IIT, and IISER.
Further, he will meet the TTD chairman as well as executive officer next week to identify a suitable land for the park.
The APSBB chairman revealed that efforts to establish the Tirupati Biodiversity Park date back to 2019, when a proposal had been initiated to allot land. But the project stalled in 2021. He expressed confidence that the project will be fast tracked, as the current government’s focus is on environmental conservation.
“Once the land is allocated, the board will utilise its own funds to develop the park, seeking additional support from the TTD and the state government wherever necessary,” he stated.
Vijay Kumar said the APSBB has recommended to the government that it declare Talakona and Kapila Theertham as biodiversity heritage sites, and Japali Theertham and Kailasa Kona as biodiversity sacred groves. “This will preserve ecologically sensitive areas while promoting eco-tourism,” he pointed out.
The board chairman said Tirupati will host a national-level expert committee meeting on red sanders on Friday and Saturday under the aegis of the National Biodiversity Authority and APSBB. The meeting will dwell on the procedures for auctioning seized red sander logs, benefit-sharing mechanisms for local communities, and release of pending funds from previous auctions.
