The Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) is organising a novel ‘ideation challenge’ which invites college students, start-ups and the public in general to come up with innovative solutions to problems and challenges in conserving the State’s biodiversity and promoting sustainable use.
The ‘Biodiversity Ideation Challenge - 2023’ is based on the concept ‘Everything begins with an idea’ and draws its inspiration from the boom in the start-up culture in the State, KSBB chairman C. George Thomas told The Hindu.
Through this event, the KSBB is seeking innovative solutions to key challenges in agrobiodiversity, aquatic biodiversity, and forest biodiversity. KSBB has extended the last date for registration of teams (maximum members four) till November 15. The problem statement and proposed solutions should be submitted by December 31. The entries will be evaluated in February 2024. (For details visit keralabiodiversity.org).
In the final round, shortlisted teams will be required to expand their suggestions into practical solutions and present them.
Themes suggested by the KSBB for agrobiodiversity include innovative eco-friendly packing solutions for farm produce, value-added products from agricultural and food waste, smart agricultural logistics, e-marketing and supply chains, and solutions for enhancing shelf life of products.
In the forest biodiversity category, the themes include innovative solutions to human-wildlife conflicts, expansion of urban green lungs, and combating zoonotic diseases. Another theme in this category is the safe rescue of snakes and how augmented reality can be used for generating awareness about biodiversity.
The management of marine debris, a major global problem, is one of the themes in the aquatic biodiversity category. Other themes include solutions for waste to wealth, reducing bycatch in fisheries, and innovative value-added products. Contestants can also supply ideas for the ‘one district, one bioresource’ concept in this category.
KSBB hopes that its ideation challenge will pave the way for bioresources based start-ups, in addition to encouraging product innovation and a problem solving mindset in the people.
