CAU webinar celebrates International Biodiversity day
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, May 22 2021:
Central Agricultural University (CAU), Imphal hosted a webinar to create awareness among the students across Northeast India to mark the celebration of International Biodiversity Day on Saturday.
Every year on May 22, International Biodiversity Day is celebrated with a specific theme to create awareness and help in conservation of biodiversity.
This year's theme was "we are part of the solution #for nature" in continuation of the last year's theme to emphasise that for solving the problems of nature, the solutions lie with the human beings themselves, informed a CAU release.
As part of the celebration, CAU invited eminent speakers notably, Kirkhouse Trust, UK global coordinator Dr PN Mathur, who enlightened the participants about biodiversity conservation needs and international efforts.
He also emphasised the importance of agro biodiversity of Northeast India and stressed on the need for their conservations.
The second speaker, ICAR Barapani, principal scientist Dr SK Das, graphically showed the diversity of fish species across Northeast India and the technologies developed to conserve them.
He stated that the technologies developed by scientists have brought the state fish of Manipur Pengba from near extinction to abundant one.
He also maintained that uncontrolled exploitation is pushing several species to extinction, hence their immediate conservation should be the priority.
Indian Institute of Spices research, Kozhikode former director Dr Nirmal Babu emphasised that Northeast India is also home to important spices and their varieties and most of the varieties of ginger and turmeric which are grown across the country have their origins in the region.
Concerted efforts are required to conserve the diverse types of varieties of king chillies and birds eye chillies which are unique only to Northeast, he said.
NEIST-CSIR, Imphal principal scientist Dr HB Singh catalogued important commercial products developed from herbs and medicinal plants available in Manipur.
He highlighted the success stories of farmers of medicinal plants who benefited and helped maintain the craft of indigenous medicine in Northeast.
College of Post Graduate Studies, Barapani dean Dr Wricha Tyagi showcased how different nutraceuticals produced specifically from the diversity of Northeast can bridge the gap between the demand and supply of important plant based neutraceutical products.
In the last talk of the function, Dr Neelu Jain Gupta from CCS University, Meerut through her case study demonstrated that there is a conflict between human being and animals whenever the natural habitat of wild animals and forests are disturbed.
Habitat destruction has been the main cause of losses that biodiversity has to sustain.
It is essential that a balance should be maintained among man, animal and plant to sustain the biodiversity.
CAU Imphal vice chancellor Dr Anumpan Mishra in his concluding remarks highlighted the important work carried out by the University.
The conservation work of Manipuri pony, indigenous breeds of cattle and barcoding of fishes are some of the important works taken by this University in biodiversity conservation, he pointed out.
He also informed that the University will establish active gene centres within the available resources in all the colleges of the University to help in conservation of important crop and animal species of Northeast India.
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