Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC)
As per the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (section 41), every local body shall constitute a Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) within its area of jurisdiction.
These BMCs have been constituted for the purpose of promoting conservation, sustainable use and documentation of biological diversity including preservation of habitats, conservation of land races, folk varieties and cultivars, domesticated stocks and breeds of animals and microorganisms and chronicling of knowledge related to biological diversity.
The Composition of BMC in Jharkhand State :-
As per Rule-20 of Jharkhand Biological Diversity Rules 2007, the Biodiversity Management Committee shall consist of a chairperson and not more than six persons nominated by the local body of whom not less than one third should be women and not less than 36% should belong to Scheduled castes/Scheduled Tribes.
The Chairperson of the Biodiversity Management Committee shall be elected from amongst the members of the committee in a meeting to be chaired by the Chairperson of the local body. The Chairperson of the local body shall have the casting vote in case of a tie.
The function of BMCs :-
The main function of the BMC is to prepare People’s Biodiversity Register in consultation with the local people. The Register shall contain comprehensive information on the availability and knowledge of local biological resources, their medicinal or any other use or any other traditional knowledge associated with them.
The Status of BMCs constitution :-
A total of 4689 BMCs (4351 Gram/Village Panchayat level, 263 Block level, 24 Zila Panchayat level and 51 Nagar Nigam/Parishad/Panchayat level BMCs) have been constituted in Jharkhand State.
| Level of local body | No. of Local bodies | BMC Constituted | Remaining |
| Gram Panchayat Level | 4351 | 4351 | NIL |
| Block Panchayat Level | 263 | 263 | NIL |
| Zila Panchayat Level | 24 | 24 | NIL |
| Urban body Level | 51 | 51 | NIL |
| Total :- | 4689 | 4689 | NIL |