Indian Biodiversity Congress

Biological diversity- the rich tapestry of life and its intricately interlaced phenomena, processes, and relationships- underpins the basic fabrics for the sustenance of life and the essential pillars for sustainable development. The fabric of interdependent and mutually reinforcing strands of biological, cultural, linguistic, and institutional diversities has frayed primarily because of human-induced changes, leading to mass extinction of species and loss of ecosystem functions and services. There is a growing recognition that humankind, as Albert Einstein observed, “cannot solve problems in the same way of thinking that led to their creation.”A new way of thinking, a paradigm shift, is required to keep the web of life in tact so that it can continue to provide the essential raw materials for sustainable development. United Nations declared the period 2011– 2020 to be the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity (DOB), with a view to contributing to the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity for the period 2011-2020. The Decade is intended to be a vehicle to support and promote implementation of the objectives of this synergistic Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and to mainstream biodiversity issues into broader development planning and in the economic sectors. . CISSA is the partner of Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) for the DOB celebrations.

IBC is the largest get together of scientists, conservationists, environmentalists, civil society groups and local communities in India, a platform to discuss the current status of biodiversity in India, an inclusive colloquium to forward strategies, and policies to conserve the rich biodiversity heritage of the country.The major objective of IBC is to formulate a vision and alternate strategic plan for the conservation of biodiversity in the context of prevailing concept of “development at ANY cost”.