India submits national reports to Convention on Biological Diversity

(UNI) India on Saturday submitted its sixth national report (NR6) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The report was submitted online to the CBD Secretariat by the Union Environment Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, during the inaugural session of the 13th national meeting of the State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) organised by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in the national capital.
The Minister also released the document ‘Progress on India’s National Biodiversity Targets: A Preview’ on the occasion.
Speaking at the inaugural session, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that India is among the first five countries in the world, the first in Asia and the first among the biodiversity rich mega diverse countries to have submitted NR6 to the CBD Secretariat.
“While globally, biodiversity is facing increasing pressure on account of habitat fragmentation and destruction, invasive alien species, pollution, climate change and over use of resources, India is one of the few countries where forest cover is on the rise, with its forests teeming with wildlife”, said the Minister.
Submission of national reports is a mandatory obligation on parties to international treaties, including CBD.