India, Sept. 29 -- The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), headquartered in Chennai, has sanctioned an amount of Rs.82 lakh to the Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board for the conservation of Red Sanders, according to the environment ministry.

The funds are aimed at raising one lakh saplings of Red Sanders, which will subsequently be supplied to farmers, thereby contributing to the Trees Outside Forests (ToF) programme, and thus marking a significant step towards conserving a species unique to the region, the ministry has said on Monday. Red sanders is in high demand globally particularly in China and East Asia, for furniture, musical instruments, traditional medicine, and cosmetics.

The funding has been provided from the benefit-sharin...