Protected Areas and Wetlands Certification Standard
India is recognised as one of the mega biodiversity country amongst the 17 globally identified countries.
With just 2.4% of the land area, India accounts for nearly 7% of the world’s recorded species (flora and fauna). The existing protected area network of 764 Protected Areas in India constitutes 4.93% i.e. an area of 16.2 mha with respect to the total Geographical Area of India.
With many negative elements affecting the biodiversity and its habitats comprising various categories of conservation areas, it is imperative that a mechanism to monitor the health of a protected area (PA) as a net result of the impact of management practices, vis a vis, the pressures of poaching, encroachment and degradation of the habitat of the PA, is in place and functional. This health monitoring mechanism could be regularly applied to a PA to assess the impact and efficacy of the government funding, management practices, and that of latest government policies and directives on the functioning of the PA.
Keeping in view, the importance of maintaining the health and vitality, and quality of conservation and ecosystem services of the Protected Areas and Wetlands of India, NCCF has embarked on an initiative to develop Certification Standard for Protected Areas and Wetlands (PAWs) through a multi stakeholder Standard Development Group (SDG) under the Chairmanship of Dr Jagdish Kishwan, IFS (retd), Former Addl. Addl. DG Wildlife, MoEF&CC, New Delhi, India.
For more details and /or Interested stakeholders can participate in the process by sending their EoI to paws.mail@nccf.in