India, Nov. 21 -- In a significant boost to India's biodiversity efforts, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) 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 support the protection and conservation of the endangered Red Sanders. With this release, India's Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) disbursements have crossed Rs 110 crore—one of the country's largest biodiversity-linked ABS allocations to date.
Red Sanders, known globally for its distinctive deep-red timber, grows naturally only in select regions of the Eastern Ghats, particularly across the Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Prakasam, and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh. The Andhra Prade...