Institutional mechanisms to conserve ecosystem
services in the East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW):
A case for the bio-rights approach
P. Amerasinghe (IWMI), D. Dey (SAFE), R. Gopichandran (DST), B. Kayal, V.
Sadamate, S. Kumar and M. McCartney (IWMI)
WORKSHOP ON INSTITUTIONS FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
27-29 October 2014
IFPRI, Washington DC
CONTENT
• East Kolkata Wetlands –
The Ramsar Site
• Payment for Ecosystem
Services - Bio-rights (SAFE)
• Case studies
• Institutional setup and
mechanisms
South Asian Forum for Environment
http://www.safeinch.org/
EAST KOLKATA WETLANDS
Ramsar Site
12500 ha
Many ecosystem services – city and livelihoods
(Over 120,000 direct dependents)
Pressures of urbanization
Conservation challenges
EAST KOLKATA WETLANDS
City of Kolkata and
its influence on
the EKW
Legend
River
East Kolkata Wetland Area Boundary
KMC_Boundary
Water Bodies/ Wetlands
Built-Up/ Settlements
Agriculture/Open
Vegetation
East Kolkata Wetlands - 2011
East Kolkata Wetlands
Area (ha)
% Area
Water Bodies / Wetlands
3107
25.68
Built Up /Settlements
1166
9.64
Agriculture/Open
3804
31.44
Vegeation/Parks
4023
33.25
12100
100
Total Area
Legend
East Kolkata Wetland Area Boundary
Water Bodies/ Wetlands
Built-Up/ Settlements
Agriculture/Open
Vegetation
Cakenberghe/IWMI
Brazier/IWMI
Davidvan
Photo:
Photo :Tom
Brazier/IWMI
David Brazier/IWMI
Photo:: David
Photo
Land Cover Type
INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
Central Government
• Ministry of Environment and Forests
• Ramsar secretariat - Ramsar Site – 2002 “ wise use of wetlands”
State Government (West Bengal)
• Department of Environment and Forestry – East Kolkata Wetlands
Conservation and Management Act 2006
• EKW Management Authority
CSOs
• SAFE
iNGOs and NGOs
• Wetlands International
Cooperatives
• Beneficiary groups
Others
• Departments of Fisheries, Agriculture and Horticulture, Banks,
Insurance companies
BIO-RIGHTS SCHEMES
• Bio-rights is a financing mechanism developed to empower
low-income groups to protect the ecosystem services that
they depend on
• Developed by the Wetlands International, Alterra Green
World Research (Wageningen University) and a number of
partner organizations in the late 1990s (Eijk and Kumar,
2009)
• Bio-rights schemes provide micro-credits or micro- insurance
(defined as a mechanism to protect poor people against risk
– e.g. loss of livelihoods - in exchange for insurance premium
payments tailored to their needs, income and level of risk) to
local communities to engage in sustainable practices
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES - EKW
• Treatment of sewage water from the municipal
areas: The wetland treats nearly 600 million liters
of sewage arising from the Kolkata Municipal
Corporation area every day
• Fish and vegetable production: pisciculture in the
ponds generate one-third of city’s daily fish
requirement (about 11,000 metric tonnes per
annum), 150 metric tonnes of vegetables per day
from the horticulture areas within the wetland.
• Recreation – ecotourism
• Biodiversity hotspots
• Ecological integrity for the delta region
CASE STUDY 1
Ecotourism and micro-insurance for the
sewage farmers:
• Participatory vulnerability assessments
• Formation of cooperatives
• Establishment of two ecotourism hubs at
Natar bheri and Sukantanagar fisher
cooperative.
• Over 1500 covered under the microinsurance scheme INR 50,000 – 100,000
• Insurance premium paid from earnings of
the ecotourism (20%)
• Salary of INR 2000 per household
CASE STUDY 1
• 32,000 fish farmers have been registered under the
Companies Act of India with the Public Notary, as an
Association of Partners - linked to a State Bank as
Joint Liability Groups (JLG) or Self Help Groups (SHG)
• JLG is an informal group comprising of 4-10
individuals coming together for the purpose of availing
bank loans on individual basis or through group
mechanism against mutual guarantee. Generally, the
members of a JLG would engage in a similar type of
economic activities
• Micro-insurance scheme - TATA-AIG group, regulation
by the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority
(IRDA) of India.
CASE STUDY 2
Solid waste management and bio-rights program:
• 'Trash-2-Cash' program was launched specifically
targeting the women.
• An estimated 78% of the 120,000 tribal
communities are below poverty line, and 43%
percent are women who are either involved in
sewage farming or engaged as rag pickers.
• Currently, around 350 women are linked to banks
as Self-help groups (SHGs) and covered under the
micro-insurance schemes from TATA-AIG groups.
• Salaries: INR 3000
CASE STUDY 3
Coastal farmlands and micro-credit schemes:
• Sundarbans encompassing coastal farmlands (340 acres) and
mangrove forests with 7000 dependent tribal beneficiaries, of
which, an estimated 88% are below poverty line
• Saline water intrusion, loss of livelihoods and gradual exploitation
of water and mangrove forest resources for survival
• Promotion of alternative livelihood activities: Farmer’s Club
accredited by the NABARD and linked to State Cooperative Banks.
Funds from NABARD; Geen Foundation, Korea; APN Global
Change Research, Japan (CAPaBLE program); MoEF
• Training – SAFE on cultivation of edible and commercially
important algal flora (Enteromorpha intestinalis, Ulva, etc.) along
with local saline resistant fish (Mystus gulio, M. vittatus etc.).
Cultivation done by simple landscaping in the coastal areas (ULock and Fish-Bone models)
• Kisan Credit cards (soft loans)
Institutional arrangements for bio-rights programs
(EKW Management)
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
Financial support
(Policy Directives)
State Fisheries Department
(Resources, Support, Recognition)
Department of Environment and Forests
(Policy Planning)
Revenue
GDP
Conservation
Registered
Cooperatives
ESs
Urban Development Authority
(Capacity Building for Alternative
Livelihoods)
(Grants)
EAST KOLKATA WETLANDS
CSOs
Biorights
Unregistered
Cooperatives
Livelihoods (major and alternative)
(Civil Society Organizations
Community Empowerment)
Ramsar Secretariat
(Policy Guidance)
SAFE ACTIVITIES RELATED BIO-RIGHTS
SOUTH ASIAN FORUM FOR ENVIRONMENT
CONCLUSION
• Bio-rights – an innovative financing mechanism
that combines poverty alleviation and
environmental conservation
• Diverse institutional arrangements for different
contexts
• Multi-stakeholder group support – global,
governments and civil society groups
• Low-income group formation – cooperatives
• Incentives and training on conservation,
financing schemes
• Preservation of wetland goods and services with
enhanced livelihood opportunities for the poor
THANK YOU
p.amerasinghe@cigar.org
Dipayan Dey (Chair SAFE) deydr@yahoo.co.in