`India hopeful of a consensus on resource mobilization`

Hyderabad: India is hopeful of a consensus on resource mobilization for bio-diversity conservation at the ongoing UN meet but is not expecting huge monetary commitments by participating countries, Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan said here Wednesday. "I am hopeful that the conference will arrive at a final document on resource mobilization by the end of the conference," Natarajan told reporters at the Eleventh meeting of the conference on bio-diversity.

Quoting figures from the high level panel on the global assessment of resources for implementing the strategic plan, Natarajan said: "It is projected that $130-430 billion is needed to achieve bio-diversity conservation targets by 2020." "We are not expecting these resources as the countries have not come with such mandate. What we are looking at it is a political commitment, where countries pledge that they will allocate money for resource mobilization," she said. Expressing her happiness about willingness of all countries to work towards mutual agreed solutions on bio-diversity, Natarajan said that there were very few logjams in the ongoing deliberations most of them because of difference in perspective. Referring to the prime minister`s announcement made Tuesday on India ratifying the Nagoya protocol and launching the `Hyderabad Pledge" she said that India has now become the seventh country to ratify this protocol. IANS