The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released ₹39.84 crore to Andhra Pradesh for the conservation of the endangered Red Sanders species as a part of India’s Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) initiative.

About Red Sanders

• Scientific Name: Pterocarpus santalinus
• Common Name: Red Sandalwood or Red Sanders
• Family: Fabaceae (Legume family)
• Native Range: Eastern Ghats of southern India, especially in Andhra Pradesh (districts like Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, and Anantapur).
• Habitat: Rocky hillsides, dry deciduous forest zones, often on steep slopes with shallow soils.
• Wood Qualities: Deep reddish hue, dense, fine-grained, heavy, and durable.
• Uses: 
  • Luxury furniture and decorative veneers
  • Musical instruments (woodwind, percussion)
  • Inlay work and carvings
  • Traditional medicine (in Ayurveda, Siddha)
• High Commercial Value: Its rarity and desirability have made it highly sought after, leading to illegal harvesting and smuggling.
• Major Threats: Illegal logging and smuggling, Habitat loss and fragmentation and Regeneration challenges – low natural regeneration, seed predation, grazing
• Conservation Status:
  • Listed under the Schedule II of  Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 in India
  • Included in Appendix IV of CITES (trade allowed only under strict regulation)
  • IUCN Status: Endangered
• Ecological Significance of Red Sanders
  Red Sanders is a endemic tree species of the Eastern Ghats that plays a critical role in:
  • Stabilising rocky hill slopes and preventing soil erosion.
  • Maintaining dry deciduous forest ecosystem balance.
  • Supporting local biodiversity by providing microhabitats for insects, birds, and small fauna.

Initiatives to Expand Red Sanders Cultivation

• Sapling Expansion Programme: A major initiative has been launched to raise one lakh Red Sanders saplings under the Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board, with a total project cost of ₹2 crore.
• Trees Outside Forests Programme: The saplings will be distributed under the Trees Outside Forests programme to promote sustainable cultivation and conservation.
• Community role: Local and tribal communities to be directly involved in nursery development, plantation, and care.
• Funding source: ABS mechanism, which ensures fair and equitable sharing of benefits from biological resources with local communities, individuals, and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs).

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About National Biodiversity Authority

• Statutory Status: The National Biodiversity Authority is a statutory body established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
• Year of Establishment: It was formally constituted in 2003.
• Headquarters: Its headquarters is located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• Functions of the NBA:
  • Regulatory Role: Carries out regulatory oversight on conservation and sustainable use of biological resources.
  • Advisory Role: Provides enabling and advisory support for biodiversity management and policy implementation.
  • Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS): Implements provisions related to access and equitable benefit sharing, in collaboration with State Boards and BMCs.
• Composition of the Authority
  • Chairperson: An eminent person with proven experience in conservation, sustainable use of biological resources, and equitable benefit sharing.
  • Ex-Officio Members: Ten representatives from the Government of India.
  • Non-Official Members: Five domain experts from various fields of biodiversity management.
• Institutional Framework: To ensure effective implementation of the Act at various levels, two complementary bodies were created:
  • State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) at the State level
  • Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at the village and local body level

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