Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has indicated that the Shivalik Hills could be declared as a biosphere reserve in order to protect its habitat, flora and fauna.

Mr. Ramesh said that the proposal was put forward by the Punjab Biodiversity Board to declare the Shivalik corridor as biosphere reserve. The minister was speaking at the sixth National Meeting of State Biodiversity Boards where he was the chief guest.

If the decision is approved it will create India's first inter-state biosphere reserve involving five states including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand.

He said that unregulated mining is affecting the area and if the corridor is brought under the Environment Protection Act, 1986 the sand and stone mining activity could be regulated.

Among other proposals, Mr. Ramesh said that the ministry will deliberate upon the proposal to declare Inami Bagh, which has 37 different varieties of mangoes, in Hoshirapur, as Biodiversity Heritage Site.

Regarding the Nation River Conservation Plan, he said eight river cleaning projects had been implemented in Punjab state at Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Phagwara, Phillaur, Kapurthala, Sultanpur Lodhi costing about Rs
215 crore while four new projects have have also been approved for the state at Jalandhar, at Phagwara, Nawanshahar, Phillaur and Banga, at Dasuha, Mukerian, Tanda, Bhulath and at Hoshiarpur.

On bio diversity, he expressed that Bio-piracy has emerged as a major concern for the country as patents are being granted in difference countries relating to products related with Indian culture.

"Biopiracy is one of the biggest threats and concerns for India. Recently the U. S. tried to get the patent of our basmati rice with a different name. There are many other products of neem and haldi, of immense value, facing similar threats," he said.

He pointed out that the government has set up `traditional knowledge digital library to save the original products. The minister was speaking at the inauguration of the national meeting of state bio-diversity boards, where he was a chief guest.