Page 100 - economic review

AGRICULTURE AND ALLIED SECTORS72

` 425.74 lakh. The details of seedlings distributed under these programmes are given in Appendix
2.68. The sustainability of the trees planted has to be ensured.

Section 6
Environment

2.136 All economic activities either affect or are affected by natural and environmental resources.
The productivity of an economic system depends in part on the supply and quality of natural and
environmental resources. Economic activities today affect the stock of natural resources and
environment is undergoing changes. Therefore protection and sustainable management of the
environment is necessary for improving human well-being.

2.137 One important cause of environmental destruction is inequitable consumption of resources
and sharing of responsibility for environmental well-being. Lack of integrated environmental planning
also shares the responsibility for environmental deterioration in the country. Often departments,
municipalities, local authorities and industries use environmental resources according to the
priorities of their individual sectors, without much regard to the overall needs of the state or the
question of sustainability. To proactively manage environmental resources, environmental resource
planning will have to be made a central component of policy making in the state. The fragile nature
of ecosystem in Kerala is a concern and many natural and man-made causes pose a great threat
to its biodiversity. About 159 species of flowering plants are threatened and same is the case with
hundreds of animal species. The major man made causes include collection of firewood, illicit felling
of trees, cattle grazing, encroachments, poaching, illegal sand mining, mass tourism soil, and water
and land contamination.

2.138 Inorder to address various environmental issues the State Government is implementing its
schemes through the Department of Environment & Climate Change, Kerala State Biodiversity Board
and Kerala State Pollution Control Board. Budgeted outlay for various schemes in 2013-14 was
` 20.50 crore and an amount of ` 20.33 crore has been incurred as expenditure during the plan
period.

Biodiversity Conservation

2.139 The Kerala State Biodiversity Board was constituted in 2005 with vision of Conservation of
biodiversity and its sustainable utilization for the benefit of human beings. Peoples Bio Diversity
Register (PBRs) is a comprehensive data base recording people’s traditional knowledge and insight
of the status, uses, history, ongoing changes and forces driving these changes on the biological
diversity resources of their own. PBRs have been prepared in 716 Panchayats and 9 Municipalities of
the State (Total 725 PBRs). The Board has also achieved the constitution of Biodiversity Management
Committees (BMCs) in all the 1043 local bodies in the State.

Pollution Control

2.140 During 2013-14, a system was installed by Kerala State Pollution Control Board for displaying
results of continuous monitoring of water quality in Periyar River for public information. A Continuous
Air Quality display system was installed at Eloor, Ernakulam district. The Board published its 6th
series of Water & Air Quality Directory during World Environment Day celebrations on 5th June 2013
for the compilation of water and air quality in the State. During 2013-14 Environment Status Report
of Ettumanoor Panchayat, Kottayam District was prepared.

Kerala State Planning Board