The Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) is an autonomous body under the Kerala State Environment Department, headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram. It was established under Section 22(1) of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and is governed by the Biodiversity Act, Rules, 2004, and the Kerala State Biological Diversity Rules, 2008. In 2024, KSBB’s activities were streamlined following the Biodiversity Act (Amendment), 2023, strengthening its role in biodiversity governance.

KSBB adopts a “5-P approach”: People – Panchayath – Policy Maker – Promoter – Private/Public Enterprises. This comprehensive model drives collective action to achieve the triple objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD):

• • Conservation of biodiversity
  • Sustainable use of its components
  • Fair and equitable sharing of benefits

Through this whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, KSBB mainstreams biodiversity into food and agriculture, livelihood development, and climate resilience across Kerala.

India was among the early adopters of a legal framework to implement the CBD. The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 came into effect in 2004, and Kerala established its State Biodiversity Board in 2005.

• • 25 January 2005: Approval by the Chief Minister
  • 28 February 2005: Notification constituting KSBB [GO (Ms) No. 1/2005/STED]
  • 01 June 2005: Gazette publication
  • Initially under the Science, Technology, and Environment Department (STED), KSBB was transferred to the newly created Environment Department in February 2006.
  • The Kerala State Biodiversity Rules were formulated in 2008.

Since then, KSBB has been active in all 1,200 local government bodies of Kerala, implementing the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing. By April 2024, Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) had been established in all local bodies, ensuring community participation—including tribal and marginalized groups—in biodiversity conservation.

KSBB’s primary objective is to advise and assist the Government and people of Kerala in sustainable and inclusive biodiversity management, ensuring fair and equitable benefit sharing.

Key Functions:

1. Advisory Role: Guide State and Local Governments on conservation, sustainable use, and benefit sharing.
2. Regulation: Grant or reject approvals for access to biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge under Section 7 of the Biodiversity Act (Amendment 2023).
3. Benefit Sharing: Determine fair and equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms as per National Biodiversity Authority regulations.
4. Capacity Development: Strengthen BMCs in preparing and applying People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs), documenting local biodiversity and traditional knowledge.

KSBB works closely with the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), and the Biodiversity Management Committees, aligning state-level strategies with national, international, and local obligations. In addition, a Technical Support Group has now been constituted across all 14 districts of Kerala, with 10 qualified members in each district, ensuring scientific and grassroots expertise is embedded in biodiversity governance.

Its operations include:

• Identifying and monitoring biodiversity-rich areas.
• Promoting in situ and ex situ conservation of cultivars, folk varieties, and landraces.
• Supporting research, training, and public education.
• Integrating biodiversity principles into sectoral and cross-sectoral policies.
• Developing the Kerala Charter for knowledge acquisition, storage, and dissemination related to biological resources.

In February 2025, KSBB celebrated its 20th year of service. The Board marked this milestone with a year-long celebration from February 2025 to February 2026, highlighting achievements, community partnerships, and renewed commitments. During this period, KSBB also updated the Kerala State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan with a 10-year framework.

Inaugurated on June 5, 2018, the Kerala Biodiversity Museum is housed in a 5000 sq feet 19th-century boat yard building, which was built by the Travancore Royal Family  in Vallakadavu village. The Museum was first of its kind in India when it established, aims to communicate, educate, and raise public awareness about biodiversity and the natural world by integrating both modern and traditional means of communication tools and methods.

The museum caters to diverse audiences, including farmers, students, forest-dependent communities, artisans, and scholars. It offers an immersive experience that brings the marvels of nature to life, guiding visitors from the Big Bang theory to the origin of life and the evolution of various species on Earth.

With interactive panels, videos, life-size models, and dioramas, the museum showcases a vast array of life forms on our planet. A 3D theater highlights the importance of biodiversity conservation, while the Science on a Sphere Projection system presents a large-scale visual simulation of the Earth and other celestial bodies. The exhibits also focus on the threats to biodiversity, with interactive kiosks, LCDs, and models of endangered and endemic species providing a larger-than-life experience for visitors. The museum’s biodiversity-themed galleries, ecosystem models, and information panels offer comprehensive insights into the significance of biodiversity.

Additionally, the museum features an aquarium and a medicinal plant garden. It also showcases traditional products, such as indigenous rice varieties, shells, and other marine items. With its rare and innovative exhibits, the Kerala Biodiversity Museum offers a unique and comprehensive look at biodiversity and the planet Earth, we call home.

The museum is open from Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, and remains closed on Sundays.

Contact us:
Phone: + 91 471 2504750
Email: keralabiodiversitymuseum@gmail.com

• Established BMCs across all 1,200 local bodies.
• Enabled preparation of People’s Biodiversity Registers
• Mainstreamed biodiversity into local governance and development.
• Advanced Kerala’s leadership in biodiversity conservation and benefit sharing.