TAWANG, Aug 5: The Itanagar-based Northeast regional centre of the GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development (GBPNIHESD) organized awareness programmes on ‘Biodiversity conservation and climate change impact in high altitude areas’ at the government residential school in Melonghar village (New Lumla) and at the government higher secondary school in Jang in Tawang district on 1 and 2 August.
The programmes were conducted under the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), DST-sponsored project titled ‘Assessment of floral biodiversity and resource utilization pattern with special reference to climate change in the high altitude wetlands of Arunachal Pradesh’.
GBPNIHESD scientist Dr KS Kanwal apprised the students and teachers of the status of biodiversity in the Himalayan region; issues and challenges of biodiversity conservation; and emerging threats of climate change, particularly in high-altitude areas.
He highlighted the significance of high-altitude wetlands (HAWs); the status of HAWs in the state; biodiversity of wetlands; major challenges in wetland conservation; and management and issues related to pollution and waste management in high-altitude areas.
Dr Kanwal urged the participants to join hands for biodiversity conservation and protection of the earth.
Headmaster of Melonghar government residential school, Yangchin Tsomu, expressed hope that students would benefit from the awareness programme and share the message with their friends and family, while at the school in Jang, teacher RP Singh highlighted the present global warming scenario and said there is an urgent need of such educational programmes at the school level.
