NEW DELHI: The National Biodiversity Authority has released Rs 38.36 crore to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department and Rs 1.48 crore to the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board to protect and conserve the iconic Red Sanders, an official said on Friday.
With this fund release aimed at boosting biodiversity conservation efforts, the total Access and Benefit Sharing disbursements in the country have crossed Rs 110 crore, said the official in a statement.
Red Sanders, renowned worldwide for its deep red timber, grows naturally only in selected pockets of the Eastern Ghats, particularly in the Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Prakasam and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh.
An amount of Rs 87.68 crore was generated through regulated access to auctioned or seized Red Sanders wood by the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department as a benefit-sharing amount.
So far, the NBA has released over Rs 49 crore to Forest Departments of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and to the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board for Red Sanders conservation, protection and research, said the official statement.
In addition, Rs 3 crore has been distributed to 198 farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Rs 55 lakh to 18 farmers in Tamil Nadu.