16th National Meet of State Biodiversity Boards and UT Councils Inaugurated in Chandigarh

Key facts

• The 16th National Meet of State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils (UTBCs) was inaugurated in Chandigarh on 6 September 2026.
• The two-day event, organised by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), was held from 6–7 September 2026 and brought together chairpersons and member secretaries of SBBs and UTBCs from across India.
• The inaugural session was attended by Governor of Punjab and Administrator of UT Chandigarh Gulab Chand Kataria, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, and Haryana's Minister for Environment Rao Narbir Singh.
• Senior MoEFCC officials present included Secretary Tanmay Kumar, Director General of Forests Sushil Kumar Awasthi, and Additional Secretary Ashutosh Agnihotri, with NBA Chairperson Virendra Tiwari representing the authority.
• Governor Kataria emphasised the links between ecological security and food, water security and livelihoods, and called for integrating traditional knowledge with modern conservation strategies.
• Union Minister Bhupender Yadav stressed the need for cohesive policy and institutional coordination among biodiversity stakeholders.
• Participants were urged to strengthen local conservation mechanisms, notably Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) and People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRs), to enhance cooperation between institutional bodies and communities.
• The agenda focused on practical measures to conserve and sustainably use biological resources, capacity-building for local biodiversity governance, and sharing best practices across states and union territories.