The Tamil Nadu Government has announced the establishment of a first-of-its-kind Tamil Nadu Endangered Species Conservation Fund (TNESCF) of ₹50 crore. The fund, announced by Tamil Nadu finance minister Thangam Thennarasu, will aid in the conservation of species, particularly those native to the state. The state will also contribute a seed fund of ₹5 crore, with additional funds pooled from CSR contributions.
Supriya Sahu, the state’s additional secretary of environment, climate change and forests, in an interview with CNBC-TV18, stated “We have been doing work in the conservation of lesser-known species in Tamil Nadu, including the Nilgiri Tahr, which also happens to be the state animal.”
She added, “The fact remains there are many more endangered species on the verge of extinction that people aren’t aware about. So, we felt we ought to set up a fund involving corporates and those outside the forest department to aid in their conservation.”
Over the past two years, the Environment and Forest Department has launched several conservation initiatives for both lesser-known and endangered species. This includes the establishment of the first Dugong conservation centre in the Gulf of Mannar, two new bird sanctuaries, and two conservation centres for the slender loris in Dindigul and Karur.
The main objective of TNESCF is to aid species recovery. Sahu explained, “Activating the fund would involve studying habitats and learning the factors threatening the existence of a species. We learnt, for instance, that the slender loris, lives on specific trees. So, our conservation activity would then include enumerating these trees, and planting more of them.”
The government will now work on registering the fund, either as a trust fund or a society. A governing body will then be established to decide on the conservation projects to support. Members of the public will be allowed to contribute, with contributions subject to 80G exemptions on income tax.
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Sahu revealed that several corporate entities have expressed interest in contributing to the fund. She said, “Given that this is a first-of-its-kind conservation fund in India, we will prepare an SOP on how it will work. We need to also remind our supporters than species recovery is a long-drawn process and results won’t come overnight.”
The state’s efforts are encouraged by its experience in conserving the Nilgiri Tahr, which involved conducting a baseline estimation, removing invasive species, and other scientific steps. Corporate entities interested in mobilising CSR funds towards TNESCF are welcome to contact the Tamil Nadu Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department.
Sahu concluded, “We will have a dedicated email towards the fund starting next week. Our efforts will be directed towards guiding companies and giving them all the information they need about the conservation efforts that they are aiding.”
(Edited by : Vivek Dubey)
First Published: Feb 22, 2024 5:02 PM IST
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