Kochi Municipal Corporation CITY BIODIVERSITY INDEX – KOCHI Supported by Supported in India by Prepared under Project Implemented in Kochi by Supported by: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Government of India based on a decision of the German Bundestag Prepared under the BMU supported INTERACT-Bio Project. INTERACT-Bio is implemented by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI). Project implemented in India by: ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, South Asia Year of Publishing: 2020 Copyright ICLEI South Asia (2020) No part of this booklet may be disseminated or reproduced in any form (electronic or mechanical) without prior permission from or intimation to ICLEI South Asia. Permission and information may be sought at ([email protected]). Suggested Citation: ICLEI South Asia. (2020). City Biodiversity Index of Kochi Municipal Corporation. Prepared under the BMU supported INTERACT-Bio project. Prepared by: Rithika Fernandes, Alex C J, Sony R K and Monalisa Sen Design: Sasi Madambi Contact ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, South Asia C-3 Lower Ground Floor, Green Park Extension, New Delhi-110016 Tel: +91–11–4974 7200; Email: [email protected] City Biodiversity Index – Kochi Contents Acronyms ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4 Background --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5 Summary of the Scores ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6 Geophysical Characteristics --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 PART 1 – Kochi City Profile --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7 Demography ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Economy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Biodiversity ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 Administration of Biodiversity ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------13 Native Biodiversity -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------15 Indicator 1: Proportion of Natural Areas in the City ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------15 PART II: Indicators of the Index on Cities’ Biodiversity ------------------------------------------------------ 15 Indicator 2: Connectivity Measures or Ecological Networks to Counter Fragmentation ------------------------------------------------17 Indicator 3: Native Biodiversity in Built Up Areas (Bird Species) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------20 Indicator 4 - 8: Change in Number of Native Species ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------21 Indicator 9: Proportion of Protected Natural Areas ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------24 Indicator 10: Proportion of Invasive Alien Species -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------25 Indicator 11: Regulation of Quantity of Water ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------27 Indicator 12: Climate Regulation: Carbon Storage and Cooling Effect ofV egetation ----------------------------------------------------29 Indicator 13: Recreational Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------31 Indicator 14: Educational Services --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------34 Indicator 15: Budget Allocated to Biodiversity ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------35 Indicator 16: Number of Biodiversity Projects Implemented by the City Annually ------------------------------------------------------37 Indicator 17: Policies, Rules and Regulations – Existence of Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan -------------------------39 Indicator 18 : Institutional Capacity - Essential Biodiversity Related Functions ----------------------------------------------------------40 Indicator 19 : Institutional Capacity - Inter-Agency Co-Operation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------41 Indicators 20 : Participation and Partnership - Formal or Informal Public Consultation -----------------------------------------------42 Indicators 20 : Participation and Partnership - Institutional Partnership ------------------------------------------------------------------43 Indicators 22: Education and Awareness - Is Biodiversity or Nature Awareness included in the School Curriculum -------------44 Indicators 23: Education and Awareness - Number of Outreach or Public Awareness Events -----------------------------------------45 Annexure 1 - References -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47 Annexure 2 - Species Lists ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 49 3 City Biodiversity Index – Kochi Acronyms ABD Area Based Development ABS Access and Benefit Sharing AMRUT Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation BMU Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety CBI City Biodiversity Index CBSE Central Board of Secondary Education CDP City Development Plan c-hed Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development CMFRI Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute CNHS Cochin Natural History Society CoP Conference of Parties CSML Cochin Smart Mission Limited CSO Civil Society Organisation CUSAT Cochin University of Science and Technology EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EPIP Export Promotion Industrial Park ICLEI South Asia ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, South Asia ICSE Indian Certificate of Secondary Education IKI International Klimate Initiative INTERACT-Bio Integrated subnational action for biodiversity: Supporting implementation of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans through the mainstreaming of biodiversity objectives across city-regions IT Information Technology ITeS Information Technology enabled Services IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature KINFRA Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation KMC Kochi Municipal Corporation KSSP Kerala Shastra Sahitya Parishad MULT Multi-user Liquid Terminal NbS Nature based Solutions NBSAP National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan NGO Non Governmental Organisation PBR People’s Biodiversity Register PCCF Principal Chief Conservator of Forests SBB State Biodiversity Board SCBD Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity SPV Special Purpose Vehicle ULB Urban Local Body 4 City Biodiversity Index – Kochi Background he City Biodiversity Index (CBI), also known as the Singapore Index was developed after the ninth Tmeeting of the Conference of Parties (CoP) in 2008, when it was acknowledged that cites and local bodies have a role to play in the implementation of a country’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). The purpose of the index was to consolidate the available biodiversity-related indicators at the local level, which could then help cities to evaluate and benchmark their biodiversity conservation efforts. The CBI scoring is quantitative in nature. A total of 23 indicators make up the index, measuring a city’s native biodiversity, the ecosystem services provided and biodiversity governance. Scores range between zero to four points for each indicator, with a maximum overall score of 92. The index is meant to allow the city to visualize their progress in conserving biodiversity with every application of the index. The first year is considered the baseline against which cities can then chart their subsequent evolution. According to the Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD)1, some of the benefits that cities derived from the application of the index include “a) the process facilitated capacity-building in biodiversity conservation, b) the indicators also function as biodiversity conservation guidelines, and c) assistance in setting priorities for conservation actions and budget allocation through quantitative scoring”. The City Biodiversity Index for Kochi was developed under the Integrated subnational action for biodiversity: Supporting implementation of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans through the mainstreaming of biodiversity objectives across city-regions or INTERACT-Bio project. Funded by the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety, (BMU) through the International Klimate Initiative (IKI), the four-year project is being implemented by ICLEI South Asia in collaboration with the Centre for Heritage, Environment