Environment Department, Kerala

Delinking the subject "Environment" from the then-existing Science, Technology, and Environment Department resulted in the creation of the Department of Environment. Later, at the directorate level, the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DoECC) under the Environment Department was established in December 2010 to encourage and promote activities related to the environment and climate change in Kerala. The Directorate of Environment and Climate Change under the Environment Department, Government of Kerala is declared to be the current Environment Management Agency of Kerala. Kerala's environmental and forestry policies and programs are planned, promoted, coordinated, and overseen by the Department of Environment.

Additionally, the department will serve as the nodal agency for coordination with other departments on issues pertaining to the environment, raising awareness, managing climate change, etc. Implementing laws and programs pertaining to the preservation of the state's natural resources, such as its lakes and rivers, biodiversity, forests, and wildlife, protecting animal welfare, and preventing and reducing pollution are the department's main priorities.

Allied Institutions

• Directorate of Environment and Climate Change (DoECC)

The Directorate, which has its headquarters in Pettah, Thiruvananthapuram, is the department's main functional branch. It is led by an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer, the Director of Environment and Climate Change, who is assisted by administrative and technical personnel. Environment Officers and Assistant Environment Officers support the technical cadre, which consists of Environmental Scientists, Environment Program Managers, and Environment Engineers. The Finance Officer and the Administrative Officer are members of the administrative staff.

• Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB)

The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) is a statutory regulatory agency within the Kerala government's Department of Environment. The board was established on September 12, 1974, and its duties include monitoring environmental health throughout the state, enforcing environmental protection laws, and implementing pollution control regulations that regulate air, water, noise, and different sorts of waste.

• Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB)

The Kerala State Environment Department oversees the independent Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB). It operates under the stringent guidelines of the Kerala State Biological Diversity Rules, 2008, and the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, with its headquarters located in Thiruvananthapuram. In order to guaranty the preservation of agricultural, plant, and animal diversity, the sustainable use of its constituent parts, and the just and equal distribution of biological advantages, the board works at the local level.

• Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Enivornment (KSCSTE)

The Department of Science and Technology, Government of Kerala, oversees the independent Kerala State Council for Science, Technology, and Environment (KSCSTE). The council was created in November 2002 by reorganizing the State Committee on Science, Technology, and Environment (STEC). Its mission is to agency-drive technological advancements, policy recommendations, research infrastructure, and scientific knowledge throughout the state.

• Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM)

Operating under the Kerala government's Science and Technology Policy, the Center for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) is a leading independent research and development organization in Thiruvananthapuram/Kozhikode. During its silver jubilee year in 2003, the center—which was founded in February 1978—was merged into the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology, and Environment (KSCSTE). It functions as an acknowledged Center of Excellence for state of the art research, data-driven policymaking, and technical training related to the sustainability of water resources, especially in the humid tropics.

• Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI)

The Kerala State Council for Science, Technology, and Environment (KSCSTE) oversees the independent, top-tier Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), formerly known as TBGRI. The institute was founded on November 17, 1979, and is located on a verdant 300-acre campus near Palode in Thiruvananthapuram. It was conceived after the Stockholm Conference in 1972. It is known across the world as a National Center of Excellence for tropical plant resources and sustainable use, as well as a refuge for conservation.

• Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA)

The Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA) is an independent regulatory organization that works under the Kerala government's Department of Environment and Climate Change. The KCZMA was established in accordance with directives from the Government of India's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to oversee, monitor, and enforce the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) regulations along Kerala's 580 km of coastline and tidal-influenced water bodies.

• State Wetland Authority of Kerala (SWAK)

The Kerala government's Department of Environment and Climate Change oversees the State Wetland Authority Kerala (SWAK), a nodal statutory regulating body. SWAK was formally established on December 28, 2017, in accordance with the federal Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017. It is in charge of creating policies, monitoring the environment, and putting preservation plans into action throughout Kerala's extensive wetland networks.