RONO HILLS, Oct 22: Twenty-five researchers from the eight Northeast states are participating in a fortnight-long course on adapting to climate change, with focus on the biodiversity in the eastern Himalayas, which began at Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) here on 22 October.
Inaugurating the event, RGU Vice Chancellor Prof Saket Kushwaha underscored the menace of human-made environmental disasters all over the globe. He urged the trainees to be “more responsible in tackling environmental issues while ensuring sustainable developmental practices in the bio-culturally rich and diverse NE region.”
RGU Registrar Prof Tomo Riba urged the young scientists and conservationists to be proactive to achieve the goal of ensuring “effective biodiversity conservation and sustainable development under the changing global climate conditions.”
Botany HoD Dr Hui Tag informed that the eastern Himalayas and Northeast India are one of the top 12 global biodiversity hotspots, rich in endemic flora and fauna of cultural, economic, and ecological significance, “which are under threat due to expanding human population and changing global climate regime.”
Speaking on the immediate threat of habitat destruction due to natural and anthropogenic pressures, Dr Tag said such hotspot regions need to be conserved for sustaining the smooth flow of the ecosystem.
Acknowledging that the task of conservation is a gigantic challenge, he said, “Civil societies and active conservation NGOs, such as the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), in partnership with academic departments and universities across Arunachal and Northeast India should voluntarily encourage the students and grassroots communities for real action on biodiversity conservation and sustainable development at all levels.”
The ATREE’s east Himalaya regional director Dr Sarala Khaling and ATREE Fellow Dr Ankilah Hiremath underscored the role of the ATREE in conservation science.
The training course is for participants from the eastern Himalayan region, including students (postgraduates and graduates), early-career scientists, and practitioners involved in governmental and non-governmental agencies.
Organised by the RGU’s botany department and the ATREE, Bangalore, the training is sponsored by the ATREE’s science & technology department under its training and capacity-building programme.
