changeadminIn a significant boost to India’s biodiversity conservation efforts, the National Biodiversity Authority under India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has released ₹38.36 crore to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department and ₹1.48 crore to the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board to protect and conserve the iconic Red Sanders.
With this, India’s Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) disbursements have crossed an ₹110 crore, marking one of the country’s most significant biodiversity-linked ABS releases.
Red Sanders, renowned worldwide for its deep red timber, grows naturally only in selected pockets of the Eastern Ghats, particularly in the Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Prakasam and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh.
The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department generated ₹87.68 crore through regulated access to auctioned or seized Red Sanders wood as a benefit-sharing amount.
So far, the NBA has released over ₹49 crore to the forest departments of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Odisha, and to the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board, for conservation, protection, and research of Red Sanders forests. In addition, ₹3 crore has been distributed to 198 farmers in Andhra Pradesh and ₹55 lakh to 18 farmers in Tamil Nadu.
The present release of ₹38.36 crore to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department will further empower frontline forest staff, enhance protection measures, encourage scientific management of Red Sanders forests, create livelihood opportunities through Biodiversity Management Committees, and strengthen the long-term monitoring programme, marking a significant step toward securing a vibrant future for this iconic species.
Apart from this, the NBA has also approved a significant initiative by the Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board to raise 1 lakh Red Sanders saplings at a cost of ₹2 crore.
An initial amount had been released earlier, and the remaining ₹1.48 crore has now been transferred to the Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board. These saplings will later be supplied to farmers, boosting the Trees Outside Forests (ToF) programme and helping to conserve this rare species outside its natural habitat.
This landmark initiative shows how Access and Benefit Sharing can directly support India’s achievements by highlighting leadership in operationalising global biodiversity principles, ensuring that conservation-linked benefits reach local communities, farmers and biodiversity custodians.
The NBA will continue to work with State Biodiversity Boards, Forest Departments, Biodiversity Management Committees, and local stakeholders to protect India’s rich biological heritage for future generations.
In September 2025, the NBA released ₹8.2 million for Red Sanders Forest Conservation in Andhra Pradesh. Read here
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