The Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSSB) is setting up a multidisciplinary team of 100 scientists from various research institutes to assist panchayat-level Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) to carry out a rapid assessment of the biodiversity loss caused by the recent floods in Kerala. A consultative meeting convened by the KSBB here on Tuesday constituted a core committee to lead the mammoth study, the first of its kind in the State. The format for the assessment has been approved and the core committee comprising 12 scientists has been tasked with preparing a manual of procedure to be given to the BMCs. KSBB chairman S.C. Joshi said the data collection exercise was expected to be completed by mid-October. The information will then be subjected to a detailed analysis to come up with a response plan for restoration of ecological restoration, he told The Hindu. The rapid assessment will cover the damage caused to agricultural biodiversity and rare, endangered and threatened species in diverse ecosystems. It will also study the possible spread of alien invasive species in the wake of the floods and their impact on endemic species. The impact of the floods on the riverine and aquatic ecosystems is another thrust area. Dr. Joshi said the board had initiated steps to mobilise the BMCs, many of which were dysfunctional. Once the manual of procedure for the rapid assessment is finalised, the BMCs will get down to the job with the support of the multidisciplinary team of scientists, he said. The consultation was attended by scientists from government institutions such as the Kerala Forest Research Institute, Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, University of Kerala, Kerala Agricultural University, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, M.S. Swaminthan Research Foundation, Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Zoological Survey of India and Institute of Climate Change Studies as well as non-governmental agencies, including the World Wildlife Fund , Centre for Environment and Development, Thanal, and Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment. The KSBB has drawn up a three- pronged strategy to address the impact of the floods on the ecology and biodiversity of the State. The rapid assessment is to be followed by a chain study to understand how the disaster has affected various ecosystems. The third part of the strategy will focus on developing a long term action plan for ecological restoration.