JK Minister stresses on community participation in environment conservation

Jammu, March 12 (Scoop News) – Saying that ecological restoration of forests would have a mitigating effect on climate change besides addressing the concerns of poverty alleviation in bio diversity conservation, Minister of Forests, Environment and Ecological Sensing Mian Altaf Ahmad has said that forests have to be conserved and managed in a sustainable manner with active participation of local communities.

Addressing at one day seminar on “setting up of a regional policy platform on climate change” organised by a developmental organization Himalayan Voice in collaboration with World Wide Fund (WWF) at K. C. Residency, today, the minister said that government has devised a new forest policy which among other things guarantees preservation of rich environs besides curbing the bad effects of climatic changes in the state.

Researchers from various Universities of the State, Environmental Scientists, Doctors, media persons, senior officers of Forest, Science and Technology, Pollution Control Board and representatives of various NGOs attended the workshop.

The minister underscored the need for massive plantation, which he said, is beneficial to conserve the environs from bad effects of climatic change. He said Forest Department has launched a massive plantation programme under which lakhs of environment friendly plants are being planted on vacant lands of forest department across the state. Besides, to protect degradation of forests for safe and secure survival of mankind innovative steps are being taken by the government.

He called upon the people to actively participate in environment conservation programmes initiated by the government for better results. He said planting trees keeping society neat and clean, use of bio degradable items is essential to face challenges of climate change.

The Minister asked the concerned authorities especially Pollution Control Board to organise awareness camps in urban as well as rural areas to educate the people about the effects of pollution and deforestation besides telling them the way outs.

Member Parliament,  Madan Lal Sharma, Commissioner/Secretary Forests,  Shantmanu, Commissioner/Secretary Science and Technology  M. K. Dwivedi, Chief Conservator of Forests,  R. D. Dividi, Director Environment, Ecology and Remote Sensing    Ravi Kesar, Director Tourism Jammu,  Mehta besides Chairman, World Wide Fund (WWF)  C. M. Seth and President Himalayan Voice Mrs. Arti Sharma   spoke on the occasion.

Earlier, the Minister and others observed two minutes silence and expressed grief and sorrow over the killing of hundreds of people near Tokyo in Japan yesterday due to tsunami.

www.scoopnews.in