BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY

The Bhopal disaster, also referred to as the Bhopal gas tragedy, was a gas leak incident on the
night of 2–3 December 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant
in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is considered to be the world's worst industrial disaster.
Over 500,000 people were exposed to methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas. The highly toxic
substance made its way into and around the small towns located near the plant.
Estimates vary on the death toll. The official immediate death toll was 2,259. In 2008,
the government of Madhya Pradesh had paid compensation to the family members of 3,787
victims killed in the gas release, and to 574,366 injured victims. A government affidavit in
2006 stated that the leak caused 558,125 injuries, including 38,478 temporary partial injuries
and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries. Others estimate that
8,000 died within two weeks, and another 8,000 or more have since died from gas-related
diseases. The cause of the disaster remains under debate. The Indian government and local
activists argue that slack management and deferred maintenance created a situation where
routine pipe maintenance caused a backflow of water into a MIC tank, triggering the
disaster. Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) argues water entered the tank through an act of
sabotage.
The owner of the factory, UCIL, was majority owned by UCC, with Indian Government-
controlled banks and the Indian public holding a 49.1 percent stake. In 1989, UCC paid $470
million (equivalent to $845 million in 2018) to settle litigation stemming from the disaster. In
1994, UCC sold its stake in UCIL to Eveready Industries India Limited (EIIL), which
subsequently merged with McLeod Russel (India) Ltd. Eveready ended clean-up on the site in
1998, when it terminated its 99-year lease and turned over control of the site to the state
government of Madhya Pradesh. Dow Chemical Company purchased UCC in 2001, seventeen
years after the disaster.

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT, 1986

Environment Protection Act, 1986 is an Act of the Parliament of India. In the wake of
the Bhopal Tragedy, the Government of India enacted the Environment Protection Act of
1986 under Article 253 of the Constitution. Passed in March 1986, it came into force on 19
November 1986. It has 26 sections and 4 chapters. The purpose of the Act is to implement the
decisions of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. They relate to the
protection and improvement of the human environment and the prevention of hazards to
human beings, other living creatures, plants and property. The Act is an “umbrella” legislation
designed to provide a framework for central government coordination of the activities of
various central and state authorities established under previous laws, such as the Water Act
and the Air Act.
This act was enacted by the Parliament of India in 1986. As the introduction says, "An Act to
provide for the protection and improvement of environment and for matters connected there
with: WHEREAS the decisions were taken at the United Nations Conference on the Human
Environment held at Stockholm in June, 1972, in which India participated, to take appropriate
steps for the protection and improvement of human environment. AND WHEREAS it is
considered necessary further to implement the decisions aforesaid in so far as they relate to
the protection and improvement of environment and the prevention of hazards to human
beings, other living creatures, plants and property”. This was due to Bhopal Gas Tragedy
which was considered as the worst industrial tragedy in India.
WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT, 1972
The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted for protection
of plants and animal species. Before 1972, India had only five designated national parks.
Among other reforms, the Act established schedules of protected plant and animal species;
hunting or harvesting these species was largely outlawed. The Act provides for the protection
of wild animals, birds and plants; and for matters connected there with or ancillary or
incidental thereto. It extends to the whole of India. It has six schedules which give varying
degrees of protection.
Salient features of this Act
Protection to some endangered plants like Beddome cycad, Blue Vanda, Ladies Slipper
Orchid, Pitcher plant etc. is also provided under the Act. The Act provides for setting up of
National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries etc. The Act provides for the constitution of Central Zoo
Authority.

WATER (PREVENTION & CONTROL OF POLLUTION ACT 1974)

This is an Act to provide for the prevention and control of water pollution and the maintaining
or restoring of wholesomeness of water through various management guidelines and
restrictions. The act was introduced and incorporated into the Constitution of India in 1974.

One of the prime objectives of this act is carrying out the purposes mentioned above by
assigning a set of responsibilities, powers, and functions to the Boards for the prevention and
control of water pollution.

The Water Act applies in the first instance to the whole of the States of Assam, Bihar,
Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya
Pradesh, and Rajasthan, Tripura and West Bengal and the Union territories.

The act was passed in pursuance of clause (1) of article 252 of the Constitution. Resolutions
have been passed by all the Houses of the Legislatures of the States.

Key Points of Water Act 1974

Water Act 1974 aims to prevent and control water pollution.

Under Water Act, 1974, pollution control boards were created, who are responsible for
implementation of its provisions.
One of the important provision of the Water Act, 1974 is to maintain and restore the
‘wholesomeness’ of our aquatic resources.
Under Water Act 1974, Sewage or pollutants cannot be discharged into water bodies
including lakes and it is the duty of the state pollution control board to intervene and stop such
activity.
Anyone failing to abide by the laws of under is liable for imprisonment under Section 24 &
Section 43 ranging from not less than one year and six months to six years along with
monetary fines.
AIR (PREVENTION & CONTROL OF POLLUTION ACT 1974)

An Act to provide for the prevention, control and abatement of air pollution, for the

establishment, with a view to carrying out the aforesaid purposes, of Boards, for conferring on
and assigning to such Boards powers and functions relating thereto and for matters connected
therewith.

The main objectives of the Act are as follows:

(a) To provide for the prevention, control and abatement of air pollution. (b) To provide for
the establishment of central and State Boards with a view to implement the Act.(c) To confer
on the Boards the powers to implement the provisions of the Act and assign to the Boards
functions relating to pollution. Air pollution is more acute in heavily industrialized and
urbanized areas, which are also densely populated. The presence of pollution beyond certain
Limits due to various pollutants discharged through industrial emission is monitored by the
PCBs set up in every state.

MAHARASHTRA POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (Marathi: महाराष्ट्र प्रदूषण नियंत्रण मंडळ) (established 7

September 1970) implements a range of environmental legislation in the state
of Maharashtra, India. The MPCB functions under the administrative control of Environment
Department of the Government of Maharashtra.

It is mainly responsible for:

Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974,

Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981,

Water (Cess) Act, 1977

Some of the provisions under Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986 and the rules framed
under this like:

Biomedical Waste (M&H) Rules, 2016,

Hazardous Waste (M&H) Rules, 2016,

Municipal Solid Waste Rules, 2016 etc.

It was established under the provisions of Maharashtra Prevention of Water Pollution Act,
1969.
Some of the important functions of MPCB are;

To plan comprehensive program for the prevention, control or abatement of pollution and
secure executions thereof,

To collect and disseminate information relating to pollution and the prevention, control or
abatement thereof,
To inspect sewage or trade effluent treatment and disposal facilities, and air pollution control
systems and to review plans, specification or any other data relating to the treatment plants,
disposal systems and air pollution control systems in connection with the consent granted,

Supporting and encouraging the developments in the fields of pollution control, waste recycle
reuse, eco-friendly practices etc.

To educate and guide the entrepreneurs in improving environment by suggesting appropriate

pollution control technologies and techniques

Creation of public awareness about the clean and healthy environment and attending the
public complaints regarding pollution.

STOCKHOLM CONVENTION

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an international environmental

treaty, signed in 2001 and effective from May 2004, that aims to eliminate or restrict the
production and use of persistent organic pollutants.The Stockholm Convention is a global
treaty to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
POPs are chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely
distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms and are toxic to
humans and wildlife. POPs circulate globally and can cause damage wherever they travel. In
implementing the Convention, Governments will take measures to eliminate or reduce the
release of POPs into the environment. Over 152 countries ratified the Convention and it
entered into force, on 17 May 2004.The Stockholm Convention focuses on eliminating or
reducing releases of POPs. It sets up a system for tackling additional chemicals identified as
unacceptably hazardous. Ultimately, the Convention points the way to a future free of
dangerous POPs and promises to reshape our economy's reliance on toxic chemicals.

The Stockholm Convention is perhaps best understood as having five essential aims:
- Eliminate dangerous POPs, starting with the 12 worst
- Support the transition to safer alternatives
- Target additional POPs for action
- Clean-up old stockpiles and equipment containing POPs
- Work together for a POPs-free future

History
In 1995, the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
called for global action to be taken on POPs, which it defined as “chemical substances that
persist in the environment, bio-accumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing
adverse effects to human health and the environment”.
Following this, the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) and the
International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) prepared an assessment of the 12
worst offenders, known as the dirty dozen.
The INC met five times between June 1998 and December 2000 to elaborate the
convention, and delegates adopted the Stockholm Convention on POPs at the Conference
of the Plenipotentiaries convened from 22–23 May 2001 in Stockholm, Sweden.
The negotiations for the Convention were completed on 23 May 2001 in Stockholm. The
convention entered into force on 17 May 2004 with ratification by an initial 128 parties
and 151 signatories. Co-signatories agree to outlaw nine of the dirty dozen chemicals, limit
the use of DDT to malaria control, and curtail inadvertent production of dioxins and furans.
Parties to the convention have agreed to a process by which persistent toxic compounds
can be reviewed and added to the convention, if they meet certain criteria for persistence
and transboundary threat. The first set of new chemicals to be added to the Convention
were agreed at a conference in Geneva on 8 May 2009.

INDIAN FOREST ACT, 1927

The Indian Forest Act, 1927 was largely based on previous Indian Forest Acts
implemented under the British. The most famous one was the Indian Forest Act of 1878.
Both the 1878 act and the 1927 act sought to consolidate and reserve the areas having
forest cover, or significant wildlife, to regulate movement and transit of forest produce, and
duty leviable on timber and other forest produce. It also defines the procedure to be
followed for declaring an area to be a Reserved Forest, a Protected Forest or a Village
Forest. It defines what is a forest offence, what are the acts prohibited inside a Reserved
Forest, and penalties leviable on violation of the provisions of the Act.
History
The Indian Forest Act of 1865 extended the British colonialism in India and claimed over
forests in India.
The 1865 act was a precursor to the Forest Act of 1878, which truncated the centuries-old
traditional use by communities of their forests and secured the colonial governments
control over the forestry.
The act of 1865 empowered the British government to declare any land covered with trees
as a government forest and make rules to manage it. The government mainly used the
woods for railway sleepers manufacture. This law also made teak wood a government
property.
Objective

The main objective of the Indian Forest Act (1927) was to secure exclusive state control
over forests to meet the demand for timber. Most of these untitled lands had traditionally
belonged to the forest dwelling communities. The Act defined state ownership, regulated
its use, and appropriated the power to substitute or extinguish customary rights. The Act
facilitates three categories of forests, namely reserved forests, Village forests and protected
forests. Reserved forests are the most protected within these categories. No rights can be
acquired in reserved forests except by succession or under a grant or contract with the
government. Felling trees, grazing cattle, removing forest products, quarrying, fishing, and
hunting are punishable with a fine or imprisonment. Although the Indian Forest Act is a
federal act, many states have enacted similar forest acts but with some modifications.

VIENNA CONVENTION
Convention on the Law of Treaties, an international agreement governing treaties between
states that was drafted by the International Law Commission of the United Nations and
adopted on May 23, 1969, and that entered into force on January 27, 1980.
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties
INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT
WRITTEN BY: Patricia Bauer
See Article History
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, an international agreement governing treaties
between states that was drafted by the International Law Commission of the United
Nations and adopted on May 23, 1969, and that entered into force on January 27, 1980.
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties
A convention governing international treaties was one of the first efforts undertaken by the
International Law Commission, and James Brierly was assigned as special rapporteur in
1949 to address the subject. After his resignation in 1952, each of his successors began the
work anew. Sir Humphrey Waldock, appointed in 1961, produced six reports from which
the commission was able to create a draft to submit to the UN General Assembly in 1966
with a recommendation that a conference be convened to conclude a convention based on
the draft. The conference held its first meeting in 1968, and the convention was adopted at
its second session the following year.
The convention applies only to written treaties between states. The first part of the
document defines the terms and scope of the agreement. The second part lays out the rules
for the conclusion and adoption of treaties, including the consent of parties to be bound by
treaties and the formulation of reservations—that is, declining to be bound by one or more
particular provisions of a treaty while accepting the rest. The third part deals with the
application and interpretation of treaties, and the fourth part discusses means of modifying
or amending treaties. These parts essentially codify existing customary law. The most
important part of the convention, Part V, delineates grounds and rules for invalidating,
terminating, or suspending treaties and includes a provision granting the International
Court of Justice jurisdiction in the event of disputes arising from the application of those
rules. The final parts discuss the effects on treaties of changes of government within a
state, alterations in consular relations between states, and the outbreak of hostilities
between states as well as the rules for depositaries, registration, and ratification.
The Indian High Court applied the principles enshrined in the Vienna Convention of Law
of Treaties, 1969. What makes AWAS significant is that India is neither a signatory nor
has it ratified the Vienna Convention. The High Court applying the principles of pacta sunt
servanda in Article 26 and the general rules of interpretation of a treaty in
CHIPKO MOVEMENT
INDIAN ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT
WRITTEN BY: Melissa Petruzzello
See Article History
Alternative Title: Chipko andolan
Chipko movement, also called Chipko andolan, nonviolent social and ecological
movement by rural villagers, particularly women, in India in the 1970s, aimed at protecting
trees and forests slated for government-backed logging. The movement originated in the
Himalayan region of Uttar Pradesh (later Uttarakhand) in 1973 and quickly spread
throughout the Indian Himalayas. The Hindi word chipko means “to hug” or “to cling to”
and reflects the demonstrators’ primary tactic of embracing the trees to impede the loggers.
Background
With the conclusion of the Sino-Indian border conflict in 1963, the Indian state of Uttar
Pradesh experienced a growth in development, especially in the rural Himalayan regions.
The interior roads built for the conflict attracted many foreign-based logging companies
that sought access to the region’s vast forest resources. Although the rural villagers
depended heavily on the forests for subsistence—both directly, for food and fuel, and
indirectly, for services such as water purification and soil stabilization—government policy
prevented the villagers from managing the lands and denied them access to the lumber.
Many of the commercial logging endeavours were mismanaged, and the clearcut forests
led to lower agricultural yields, erosion, depleted water resources, and increased flooding
throughout much of the surrounding areas.
The Movement
In 1964 environmentalist and Gandhian social activist Chandi Prasad Bhatt founded a
cooperative organization, Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh (later renamed Dasholi Gram
Swarajya Mandal [DGSM]), to foster small industries for rural villagers, using local
resources. When industrial logging was linked to the severe monsoon floods that killed
more than 200 people in the region in 1970, DGSM became a force of opposition against
the large-scale industry. The first Chipko protest occurred near the village of Mandal in the
upper Alaknanda valley in April 1973. The villagers, having been denied access to a small
number of trees with which to build agricultural tools, were outraged when the government
allotted a much larger plot to a sporting goods manufacturer. When their appeals were
denied, Chandi Prasad Bhatt led villagers into the forest and embraced the trees to prevent
logging. After many days of those protests, the government cancelled the company’s
logging permit and granted the original allotment requested by DGSM.

GENEVA CONVENTION
The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols are international treaties that
contain the most important rules limiting the barbarity of war. They protect people who do
not take part in the fighting (civilians, medics, aid workers) and those who can no longer
fight (wounded, sick and shipwrecked troops, prisoners of war).
The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols are at the core of international
humanitarian law, the body of international law that regulates the conduct of armed
conflict and seeks to limit its effects. They specifically protect people who are not taking
part in the hostilities (civilians, health workers and aid workers) and those who are no
longer participating in the hostilities, such as wounded, sick and shipwrecked soldiers and
prisoners of war. The Conventions and their Protocols call for measures to be taken to
prevent or put an end to all breaches. They contain stringent rules to deal with what are
known as "grave breaches". Those responsible for grave breaches must be sought, tried or
extradited, whatever nationality they may hold.
The 1949 Geneva Conventions
The first Geneva Convention protects wounded and sick soldiers on land during war.
This Convention represents the fourth updated version of the Geneva Convention on the
wounded and sick following those adopted in 1864, 1906 and 1929. It contains 64 articles.
These provide protection for the wounded and sick, but also for medical and religious
personnel, medical units and medical transports. The Convention also recognizes the
distinctive emblems. It has two annexes containing a draft agreement relating to hospital
zones and a model identity card for medical and religious personnel.
The second Geneva Convention protects wounded, sick and shipwrecked military
personnel at sea during war. This Convention replaced Hague Convention of 1907 for the
Adaptation to Maritime Warfare of the Principles of the Geneva Convention. It closely
follows the provisions of the first Geneva Convention in structure and content. It has 63
articles specifically applicable to war at sea. For example, it protects hospital ships. It has
one annex containing a model identity card for medical and religious personnel.
The third Geneva Convention applies to prisoners of war.This Convention replaced the
Prisoners of War Convention of 1929. It contains 143 articles whereas the 1929
Convention had only 97. The categories of persons entitled to prisoner of war status were
broadened in accordance with Conventions I and II. The conditions and places of captivity
were more precisely defined, particularly with regard to the labour of prisoners of war,
their financial resources, the relief they receive, and the judicial proceedings instituted
against them. The Convention establishes the principle that prisoners of war shall be
released and repatriated without delay after the cessation of active hostilities. The
Convention has five annexes containing various model regulations and identity and other
cards.

WASTE MANAGEMENT ACT

This Act defines the environmentally sound management of waste as a combination of

rights, obligations, decisions, acts and activities related to their generation and treatment,
based upon certain information and various forms of control. The Act sets out the
requirements towards the products, which in their production process or after the final use
generate hazardous or ordinary wastes.

This Act shall govern the environmentally sound management of waste as a totality of
rights, obligations, decisions,
steps and operations related to the formation and treatment of waste, as well as the forms
of control over any such activities.
(2) This Act shall establish the requirements to the products which, in the process of
production thereof or after final use
thereof, form hazardous or ordinary waste.
(3) Waste shall be managed for the purpose of prevention, mitigation or limitation of the
harmful impact of waste on
human health and on the environment.
Article 2
(1) This Act shall apply to:
1. household waste;
2. industrial waste;
3. construction and demolition waste;
4. hazardous waste.
(2) This Act shall not apply to:
1. radioactive waste;
2. waste resulting from prospecting, extraction, treatment and storage of subsurface
resources;
3. animal carcasses;
4. animal faeces and other non-hazardous substances used in farming;
5. gaseous effluents emitted into the atmosphere;
6. waste waters, with the exception of waste in liquid form included in the classification
referred to Article 3 herein;
7. decommissioned explosives.
Article 3
The classification of wastes by types and properties shall be determined by an ordinance of
the Minister of Environment
and Water and the Minister of Health.
BISHNOI COMMUNITY

The Bishnois, a Vaishnavite sect, living in western Rajasthan on the fringe of the Thar
desert, have for centuries, been conserving the flora and fauna to the extent of sacrificing
their lives to protect the environment. For these nature-loving people, protection of the
environment, wildlife, and plants is a part and parcel of their sacred traditions. The basic
philosophy of this religion is that all living things have a right to survive and share all
resources.

In the fifteenth century, Jambhoji, a resident of a village near Jodhpur, had a vision that the
cause of the drought that had hit the area and hardship that followed was caused by
people’s interference with nature. Thereafter, he became a sanyasi or a holy man and came
to be known as Swami Jambeshwar Maharaj. This was the beginning of the Bishnoi sect.
He laid down 29 tenets for his followers which included a ban on killing animals, a ban to
the felling of trees – especially the khejri – which grows extensively in these areas, and
using material other than wood for cremations. Nature protection was given foremost
importance in these tenets. Since then, the sect has religiously followed these tenets.

There are many stories about how the Bishnois have beaten up hunters and poachers for
intruding in their area. The Bishnois will go to any extent to protect the wildlife and the
forests around them. There is a saying that goes "Sir santhe rooke rahe to bhi sasto jaan"
this means that if a tree is saved from felling at the cost of one’s head, it should be
considered as a good deed. It is for this environmental awareness and commitment that the
Bishnois stand apart from other sects and communities in India.
NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN
Narmada Bachao Andolan is the most powerful mass movement, started in 1985, against
the construction of huge dam on the Narmada river. Narmada is the India's largest west
flowing river, which supports a large variety of people with distinguished culture and
tradition ranging from the indigenous (tribal) people inhabited in the jungles here to the
large number of rural populations. The proposed Sardar Sarovar Dam and Narmada Sagar
will displace more than 250,000 people. The big fight is over the resettlement or the
rehabilitation of these people. The two proposals are already under construction, supported
by US$550 million loan by the world bank. There are plans to build over 3000 big and
small dams along the river.
The proponents are of the view that it will produce 1450 MW of electricity and pure
drinking water to 40 million people covering thousands of villages and towns. Some of the
dams have been already been completed such as Tawa and Bargi Dams. But the opponents
says that this hydro project will devastate human lives and bio diversity by destroying
thousand of acres of forests and agricultural land. On the other hand it will overall deprive
thousands of people of their livelihood. They believe that the water and energy could be
provided to the people through alternative technological means, that would be ecologically
beneficial.Led by one of the prominent leader Medha Patkar, it has now been turned into
the International protest, gaining support from NGO'S all around the globe. Protestors are
agitating the issue through the mass media, hunger strikes, massive marches, rallies and the
through the on screen of several documentary films. Although they have been protesting
peacefully, but they been harassed, arrested and beaten up by the police several times. The
Narmada Bachao Andolan has been pressurizing the world bank to withdraw its loan from
the project through media.

POLLUTERS PAY
In environmental law, the polluter pays principle is enacted to make the party responsible
for producing pollution responsible for paying for the damage done to the natural
environment. It is regarded as a regional custom because of the strong support it has
received in most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and
European Union countries. It is a fundamental principle in US environmental law.
The polluter pays principle stands for the idea that "the environmental costs of economic
activities, including the cost of preventing potential harm, should be internalized rather
than imposed upon society at large.All issues related to responsibility for cost for
environmental remediation and compliance with pollution control regulations involve this
principle.

RIO CONVENTION ACT

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known
as the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, the Rio Summit, the Rio Conference, and the Earth
Summit, took place in Rio de Janeiro from June 3rd to 14th in 1992. The conference was
unprecedented and aimed to reassess economic development to preserve natural resources
and discuss the problem of pollution. The decision-making process was tailored to promote
a sustainable planet for future generations. The key message entailed the idea that changes
in behaviour could be the foundation needed for progress toward the desired
transformation for the environment. The resulting documentation from the two-week
deliberations and meetings included the following: Agenda 21 (a non-binding action plan
of the United Nations promoting sustainable development), the Statement of Forest
Principles, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the following
Conventions were formed: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the
United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Goals of the Three Rio Conventions Edit

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Edit
With 196 ratified parties, the Convention on Biological Diversity aims to conserve and
protect biodiversity, biological resources and safeguard life on Earth, as an integral part of
economic and social development. Considering biological diversity as a global asset to
current and future generations and populations across the planet, the Convention works to
prevent species extinction and maintain protected habitats. As well, the CBD promotes the
sustainable use of the components of biological diversity, and works to maintain the
environmental and sustainable process of access and benefit sharing, derived from genetic
resource use.

Established on December 29th, 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity works to

maintain the following three objectives:

“The conservation of biological diversity"

"The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity"
"The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic
resources”
The CBD currently follows the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi
Biodiversity Targets, used as a vehicle to maintain synergies at National levels. Its mission
is to “take effective and urgent action to halt the loss of biodiversity to ensure that by 2020,
ecosystems are resilient and continue to provide essential services, thereby securing the
planet’s variety of life, and contributing to human well-being, and poverty eradication.”

NATURAL RESOURCE TRUSTEESHIP

State Trustees shall act on behalf of the public as Trustees for the natural resources within
a State's boundaries or for resources belonging to, controlled by, or appertaining to the
State [40 CFR §300.605]. State official(s) are designated by the Governor of each State to
act as Trustee for the State's Trust Resources, which include surface water and ground
water. The designated official is normally the head of an agency responsible for
environmental protection or fish and wildlife management, although the Governor can
delegate responsibility to any entity. States may designate more than one Trustee agency.
State Trustees act on behalf of the public for natural resources, including ground and
surface water, and the resources' supporting ecosystems, that are:
Within the boundary of the State; or
Belonging to, managed by, controlled by, or appertaining to the State.
Examples of resources under the trusteeship of individual State officials include:
State forest lands;
State-owned minerals;
State parks and monuments;
State rare, threatened, and endangered species; and State wildlife refuges and fish
hatcheries.
The office and/or group responsible for each of these resources varies between States.