Towards a Pune Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

DEVELOPING A PUNE CITY BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN

Based on the methodology and format of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan project taken up at the national level in India, it is proposed that a city level strategy and action plan be developed. This is envisaged as a participatory process.

The main elements of the Pune Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan are envisaged as:

- Compilation of information on the extent and nature of biodiversity in Pune and special aspects of biodiversity in urban areas
- Assessment of the values of biodiversity
- Analysis of threats to biodiversity
- Ongoing initiatives (research, education, action for protection, conservation, restoration) by government and other actors
- Gaps (legal, implementation, capacity, etc)
- Suggested measures articulated as a strategy and action plan including
o developing/ strengthening local bye laws on reserved lands, building permissions and development control rules, set backs from water bodies and rivers, mapping and protecting biodiversity ‘hot specks’
o research, monitoring, information systems
o education and awareness efforts
o key conservation and restoration actions, and linkages with civic processes of development planning, budgeting, reporting and review
o identification of suggested actors including municipalities, forest department, research and higher education institutions, industrial estate managers, citizens groups and specialist NGOs/ organizations etc.

Key Activities
The main activities envisaged are:
A. Create a core team for the Pune Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP)
B. Develop a framework for a Pune Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan
C. Communication for inviting participation in developing key elements of the PBSAP
D. Participatory activities towards developing key elements of the PBSAP and ongoing documentation of activities
E. Support to strengthen/ facilitate pilot implementation of known elements of biodiversity conservation with a view to evolving generic city level guidelines and systems
F. Submission of draft PBSAP to the PMC through a city level workshop


These activities are described in detail in the following section.
ACTIVITIES TOWARDS CREATING A PBSAP

A. Create a core team for the Pune Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP)
A Pune Citizens Environment Forum has been recently set up as a partnership between the Pune Municipal Corporation and a group of citizens and NGOs. A Regional Centre of Expertise on Sustainable Urban Development has been recognized at Pune by the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies.

A core team may be drawn from these two bodies and Terms of Reference created for the team in consultation with members of both the PCEF and the RCE.

B. Develop the framework for a Pune Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan
- Study the methodology of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan of UNDP and develop the detailed methodology to be followed for the Pune process
- Make a presentation on the proposed methodology and rationale of the PBSAP process to the PCEF, RCE, and the relevant government authorities including the municipalities, forest dept, district collector, irrigation dept etc with a view to get their buy in and inputs

C. Communication for inviting participation in developing key elements of the PBSAP
Participation is considered a key element in the development of sustainability strategies, especially at the local level. In order for citizens to participate, they need to know what they are participating in, what is in it for them, and how they can contribute. For the PBSAP to be a robust strategy and for it to be implementable, these aspects must be communicated.

Soon after the presentation to the city and other authorities, a communication campaign may be launched to invite participation in the development of the PBSAP.

The communication tools may include
- Press conference and articles in the press
- Letters to citizens groups, NGOs, academic institutions, etc inviting them to hold consultations / events in their own campuses, and with their own members and describing the possible methods of participation in the PBSAP process
- Letters to / meetings with councilors and other influential citizens
- Slide shows
- Web pages/ website for the project
- A PBSAP E-Newsletter
- Nature walks (which have been done earlier by various groups, and are popular, and can be used to invite citizen engagement in strategy development)


D. Participatory activities to develop key elements of the PBSAP

a. Compile available information
A series of events/ discussions can be done with local university departments, research organizations and nature enthusiasts to compile available information about local biodiversity including from research publications and doctoral/ post graduate theses, Pune Alive documentation, interviews etc. This would help in strengthening biodiversity information in Pune.

b. Discuss contentious issues:
Some aspects of biodiversity conservation are likely to be contentious. These include land reservations for biodiversity parks on hill tops and hill slopes, and mandated green zones along rivers and streams. It is very important that legal aspects and correct information are available and understood and different points of view, trade-offs and values underlying certain types of actions are made explicit in the process of arriving at decisions. Discussions should be held with relevant stakeholders (builders association, councilors, citizens groups who have been affected by flooding or landslides) and if appropriate, tools like citizens’ juries or deliberative polls could be used. While the democratic decision makers in the city are the elected representatives, these discussions / tools are expected to help them make more informed ‘official decisions’.

c. Assessment of the values of biodiversity
Discussions should be held with specific groups such as those who
- Use local biodiversity for recreation (morning/ nature walks, boat clubs, bird watchers)
- Use local biodiversity for livelihood such as fisher folk, graziers, fire wood collectors, NTFP harvesters (tamarind, flowers, certain leaves), mobile pastoral groups who pass through Pune)
- Have views on the links between urban biodiversity and human well being.

d. Mapping biodiversity hot specks
While large land reservations are done at the city level, small habitats may get overlooked. These include bat roosting sites, small wetlands with flap-shell turtles, banyan tree groves, rare trees etc. A participatory mapping of hot specks may be done with the help of nature enthusiasts by communication over e-groups (birds of pune, butterflies of pune etc). A preliminary list should be prepared, and then a visit will be made for photo documentation and obtaining a GPS reading. These can be marked on wikimapia.

e. Develop BMC Framework
The Biodiversity Act 2000 mandates setting up of Biodiversity Management Committees at the city level (at all local self govt institutions). Discussions should be arranged at the electoral ward level on the nature of the BMCs in Pune. Draft bye-laws and activity chart for Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC) can be developed through such consultation.

f. Protection of biodiversity rich areas
Open spaces are usually under threat of encroachment and pollution/ garbage dumping. Discussions / events could be held with citizens living around biodiversity rich areas/ biodiversity park reservations, to highlight their role in vigilance and conservation, and also to discuss the BMCs.

g. Linking to the DP 2007 process This should be done at several stages in the next few months through direct submissions to the PMC Planning Authority as well as through meetings and briefing sessions organized by the PCEF.


E. Support to strengthen/ facilitate pilot implementation of selected actions for biodiversity conservation with a view to evolving generic city level guidelines and systems

a. Enhance Information/ Knowledge Base on Pune’s Biodiversity
- Review method and formats for documentation of taxa, use, culture, threat, conservation actions
- Organize training programmes for college students and others interested in documentation work
- Discuss possible monitoring, reporting and information storage systems and linkage with an ongoing initiative on placing articles on Pune’s biodiversity on wikipedia as well as other local sites on Pune’s environment

b. Monitor biodiversity at selected sites
Vetal Hill Complex is a complex of small hills within the city, with a range of land use and management practices ranging from private land, revenue land, forest land, defense land, specialized habitats like old plantations, an abandoned quarry etc.

Systems for long-term monitoring of selected biodiversity rich areas can be set up by taking Vetal Hill as a pilot. The activities can include:
· Identification of taxa and activities to monitor
· Develop methods and format of monitoring
· Discuss monitoring possibilities with different user groups like colleges, tekdi group (youth group with several hundred members interested in protecting the hills of Pune), laughter clubs etc.
· Institution of monitoring, reporting and information storage systems
· Develop long term strategy for monitoring

c. Conservation action
Work with different stakeholders / actors to pilot a range of conservation actions with a view to developing implementation mechanisms, communication and support strategies for conservation work. These could include:
· Enriching biodiversity in municipal gardens
· Home herbal gardens
· Biodiversity backyards in municipal schools
· Developing biodiversity rich areas in housing colonies
· Plantation of indigenous tress along selected roads


F. Submission of draft PBSAP to PMC
This should be done through a city level workshop to which all relevant stakeholders and all those who participate in the process should be invited. Attention should be drawn to key aspects of the PBSAP that need to be integrated into the civic development plan, annual budget, and environmental status reporting processes.