KNOWLEDGE STATUS OF BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (BMC) MEMBERS AND FUNCTIONING OF BMC AT THE GRAM PANCHAYAT (GP) LEVEL: AN INTROSPECTIVE STUDY FROM THE BUDGE BUDGE II BLOCK, SOUTH 24 PARGANAS, WEST BENGAL

In India, elected actors are playing major roles in all fronts of ensuing development and growthrelated activities at all levels. In this context, the researcher's idea is that elected actors need to be knowledgeable at each level of government mechanism so that idea of sustainable growth and development can be ensured in true spirit and for that grassroots level government and governance system has a very important role in it. Regarding sustainable development and growth ideas environmental issues, biodiversity management is a major concern, and it is expected that elected actors at the grass root level institutions need to be knowledgeable enough to work on these issues. But the question arises whether the existing members of local government and governance have adequate knowledge to take care of these pertinent issues on environment and biodiversity. So, the major idea of the paper is to understand the knowledge status of elected members at the grass root level of governance, and members of BMC so that the study team can also understand the functioning status of BMC. BMC has been created in all local bodies in India with the direction of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and based on the biological diversity Act 2002 and Bio-logical Diversity Rules 2004 of the Government of India. The observations made in this study are expected to trigger the interests of the researchers, academicians, and policymakers at various levels working towards biodiversity management and the role of local government and governance.