ENVIS Centre on Forest Genetics and Tree Improvement

Customised Hands-on Bhuvan Training Programme for ENVIS Centres
July 28-29, 2015
at NRSC-ISRO, Hyderabad

 

July 28-29, 2015
Venue: NRSC-ISRO, Hyderabad

 

A 2-day training programme for ENVIS Centres is schedule to be held at Hyderabad at National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO, Balanagar, Hyderabad during 28th and 29th July, 2015. Twenty five participants from 23 ENVIS Centres— comprising both thematic and State/UT Centres— are shortlisted for attending the programme.

This training programme is intended for skills development during this training session to become useful in creating and disseminating content relating to the themes assigned to ENVIS Centres in geo-spatial platform in Bhuvan portal.

Senior Scientists from NRSC, ISRO will demonstrate how Bhuvan portal resources could be used for enriching the content of ENVIS websites. It is emphasized that features of Bhuvan portal may be used by State and Thematic ENVIS Centres for further dissemination of information

 

Traning Programe .pdf

 

MESSAGE OF THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)
ENVIRONMENT, FOREST & CLIMATE CHANGE
SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR
on the occasion of the

 

World Environment Day
5th June 2015
‘Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.’

 

Today we celebrate the World Environment Day, to raise awareness about the importance of a clean, green and healthy environment for human well-being, and to encourage everyone for taking positive action in addressing challenging environmental issues. Celebrated each year on 5th June, the Day marks the opening of the United Nations Conference on Human Environment in Stockholm in 1972.

 

The theme this year, ‘Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.’ is very topical and relevant, as it reminds us of the enormous impact that our personal choices and decisions in day-to-day lives as consumers have on environment. It also emphasises the responsibility each one of us has in contributing to protecting the environment and reducing the rate of depletion of natural resources.

 

Changes in natural resource base due to human activities have taken place more rapidly in the past 50 years than at any time in human history, causing continued deterioration of environment. As a result, many of the Earth’s ecosystems are nearing critical tipping points of depletion or irreversible change. By 2050, with the current consumption and production patterns and with a rising population expected to reach 9.6 billion, it is estimated that we would need three planets to sustain our ways of living and consumption.

 

We simply cannot afford this, as we have but ‘Only one Earth.’ Ironically, this was the theme for the first World Environment Day 42 years ago in 1973. We still have some time to transform the challenges of limited and fast depleting resources into opportunities that will enhance the quality of life for all without increasing environmental degradation, and without compromising the resource needs of future generations.

 

This however calls for altering our consumption patterns in a manner that we do more and better with less; less of water, less of energy, and less of all other resources. ‘Business as usual’ is no longer an option for us. By becoming more conscious of the ecological impact of our actions, and environmental consequences of the personal choices we make, we can become agents of change.

 

Unsustainable patterns of consumption are one of the major causes of increasing environmental deterioration. That we can make a difference through our choices and decisions can be gauged from these facts relating to water, energy and food:

- Less than 3% of the world’s water is drinkable, of which 2.5% is frozen. Water is being polluted faster than nature can recycle and purify. More than 1 billion people do not have access to fresh water. Excessive use/wastage of water is leading to global water stress.

- Energy consumption has grown most rapidly in transport sector followed by commercial and residential use. The cost of renewable energy is becoming increasingly competitive with that derived from fossil fuels. We can therefore shift our consumption patterns with lower energy and material intensity without compromising quality of life.

- Food sector, due to environmental impacts in its production phase, accounts for around 30% of the world’s total energy consumption and around 22% of total greenhouse gas emissions. 1.3 billion tonnes of food in wasted every year while almost 1 billion people go undernourished and another 1 billion hungry. Overconsumption of food is detrimental to our health as well as to the environment. Dietary choices and habits therefore affect environment.

 

India has had a long cultural tradition of frugality and simple living in harmony with nature. As a result, conservation ethos is deeply ingrained in our people. However, unfortunately the symbiotic relationship of man with nature gets debilitated as societies develop, risking the well-being of future generations.

 

In today’s times, when we look closely at the relationship between people and environment, though hard to see at first, we would be able to recognise unsustainable behaviours amongst most of us. Let us try asking ourselves some difficult questions.

- Do I need everything I own?
- What if I did not own this?
- What are my real needs?
- Am I aware of what I eat, how it is produced and how far it has travelled?
- Is my house energy efficient?
- How do I commute daily?
- Do I know how to save on water, electricity, fuel etc.?
- What are the social and environmental impacts of my lifestyle?
- What can I do to be more sustainable?

 

Going by the likely answers that we may get to these questions, we would realise that we need to be much more frugal in the way we use natural resources, while also recognising that for us, inclusive growth and a rapid increase in per capita income levels are development imperatives. In this context, the Government’s policy on ‘Zero defect, zero effect’; the programme on ‘100 Smart cities’; the campaign on ‘Swachh Bharat’; and the mission on ‘Namami Gange’ are very apt and relevant.

 

The challenge of production and consumption of environment friendly goods in India is huge. This would entail use of raw materials which are organic, locally produced or environment friendly; and green-energy based technology. Though there are indications that impressive changes are taking place, the outlined factors are yet to be embedded fully with the production processes in India. These create two main challenges: firstly, the problem of availability and acquisition of green raw material and technology, which is a critical challenge for the producers in developing countries such as India given the lower level of research and development (R&D) and issues arising from transfer of technology from other nations. Second, and a more important challenge is the high cost of production of green goods since the inputs (raw material and technology) invariably cost higher than the ones used for non-green variants.

 

India, like other developing and emerging economies, has the tremendous advantage of knowledge about the adverse impacts of earlier development paradigms and a vast array of new technologies. Significant reductions in environmental pressures can be achieved by appropriate private and public consumption patterns, to supplement gains achieved through better technology and improved production processes.

 

The 3Rs approach of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle should be the core of environmentally responsible practices that the industries and society at large should imbibe.

 

As we celebrate the 2015 World Environment Day, let us pledge to make at least one change in our lives towards a more responsible resource consumption behaviour or practice.

 

How apt was Mahatma Gandhi when he said ‘Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not for every man’s greed.’

 

Let us re-establish the link with nature, as did the ancients in India centuries ago, and take from Earth and the environment only so much as one puts back into them. The sages of Atharva Veda chanted in their hymn to Earth, I quote:

“What of thee I dig out, let that quickly grow over;

Let me not hit thy vitals, or thy heart”.

 

Message of Minister for WED 2015.pdf

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MESSAGE OF THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)
ENVIRONMENT, FOREST & CLIMATE CHANGE
SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR
on the occasion of the

 

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
22 MAY 2015
‘Biodiversity for Sustainable Development’

 

Today we celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity, to recognise the pivotal role of biodiversity to life on earth and human well-being. On this day in 1992, the text of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was adopted. To mark this, 22nd May has been proclaimed by the United Nations as the International Day for Biological Diversity, to increase awareness about the importance of and threats to biodiversity.

 

The theme this year, ‘Biodiversity for Sustainable Development’ is very topical, as the international community accelerates its efforts to define the post-2015 agenda including adopting a set of goals for sustainable development.

 

This year’s theme reflects the bigger and very crucial paradigm shift that the world has undergone from seeing ‘development’ and ‘environment’ as two ends of a spectrum, where one must be compromised in order to enhance the other, to having development while protecting environment.

 

Biodiversity, the variety of life on earth, is vital to social and economic development, and is indeed fundamental to our survival. Over the years, retrospective wisdom and the development experience have guided us in favour of the commonsensical understanding that protecting the variety of life forms and their infinitely complex interactions, form the very basis for long-lasting and inclusive development. In other words, environment, or more specifically biodiversity and its invaluable and often irreplaceable ecosystem services, from the air we breathe to the water we drink, are the very foundation on which viable long-term development rests. Former themes for the International Day for Biological Diversity have captured this fact in snippets. Past themes have been: Biodiversity and Poverty Alleviation (2003); Biodiversity: Food, Water and Health for All (2004); Biodiversity: Life Insurance for our Changing World (2005); Protect Biodiversity in Drylands (2006); and Biodiversity and Agriculture (2008) among others.

 

The challenge before India to imbibe and translate the theme of ‘Biodiversity for Sustainable Development’ is imperative in the light of our privileged status as a megabiodiverse country, past and projected demographic transitions and commitment to democracy as a political principle. These three facets make it non-negotiable that we galvanise the political will, scientific and technological know-how and financial resources to contribute to the agenda set out in the outcome document from the Rio+20 Conference, ‘The future we want’.

 

Nature has generously endowed our country. With only 2.4% of the world’s land area, India has 7-8% of the recorded species of the world, with over 46,000 species of plants and 91,000 species of animals. India is also an acknowledged centre of crop diversity, and harbours many wild and domesticated animals, fish and millions of microbes and insects. The ecosystem diversity is also unparalleled. These are the strengths to draw upon to meet the goals of ending poverty and hunger; achieving food security and improved nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture; ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages; ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all and in making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Promoting multiple varieties of staple food grains; switching to cropping patterns, wider seed and plant variety choices, water conservation and utilisation patterns, and farming practices that combine the best of traditional wisdom and science with a whole-system perspective; valuing the therapeutic properties and medicinal uses of various parts of plants and animals; all form key aspects of the way ahead. Communities that are inclusive and resilient are also the only ones that will be safe in the long run. The income-poor in India and the world over face the negative fallouts of depleting and degraded natural resources in disproportionate measure to those who are responsible for such depletion and degradation. Sustainable development rests on a viable and sound natural resource base.

 

The future we want thus depends heavily on the restorative and ameliorative action that we engage with, in relation to our wealth in biodiversity today. This challenge can only be met with broad stakeholder participation. From the right knowledge, to the right resources and the right spirit of working together for the common good, may the International Day for Biological Diversity 2015 help us draw on synergies and strengths across sectors to achieve the vision of Biodiversity for Sustainable Development.

 

The Day is being celebrated all over the country by different States and organisations. The main event is being held in Srinagar in the State of Jammu & Kashmir. In this event, the BIOFIN India project is being formally launched today with the release of a brochure. Another brochure on announcement of India Biodiversity Awards 2016, the third in the series is being released today, alongwith a release of a publication on good models of biodiversity governance emanating from India Biodiversity Awards 2014. Also being released today is an India Business and Biodiversity Initiative publication on best practices on biodiversity management by some companies.

 

As we celebrate the 2015 International Day for Biological Diversity, let us work together for conserving biodiversity to ensure the future we want for us and our coming generations. For we have borrowed this earth from our children, and not inherited it from our ancestors.

 

Message of Minister for INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY.pdf

 

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The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India held two days Regional Evaluation Workshop of ENVIS Centres of Northern Region during 12th-13th January, 2015 at Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The ENVIS Centre hosted at Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, Uttarakhand was organised the Workshop on behalf of the MoEF.

 

Regional workshop was organized to evaluate the functioning of the ENVIS Centres as per the Guidelines of the ENVIS Scheme, framed by Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India. An Expert Committee evaluated "online" the contents of ENVIS website and any other information product. The second day of the Workshop was marked by a crucial training by NRSC officals Shri P. G. Diwakar and Shri Arul Raj on Bhuvan portal, a geospatial portal to enable the GIS-based information in the websites of the ENVIS Centres.

 

 

Sh G. Ganesh, ENVIS Coordinator and Ms. Hemlata Mishra, Information Officer from CPCB ENVIS Centre attended the Regional Evaluation Workshop 2015.

 

All photos of the Northern Region workshop can be downloaded from this link:
Northern Region Workshop Photos

 

TERI has organized a one-day Seminar on “RE-ENVIS 2014” Overview of Renewable Energy Landscape in India as part of Environmental Information System (ENVIS) activity on 12th September 2014, at TERI, New Delhi.

 

This seminar was focus on about the current status of Renewable Energy in India and also to Share best practices, models, experiences, lessons learned and innovative methods to the researchers, experts, teachers etc for sustainable future.

 

 

Sh G. Ganesh, ENVIS Coordinator and Ms. Hemlata Mishra, Information Officer from CPCB ENVIS Centre attended one-day Seminar on RE-ENVIS 2014.

 

CPCB has organized World Environment Day on 5 June 2014, at Parivesh Bhawan, East Arjun Nagar, Shahdara, Delhi.

 

In-House activities of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) exhibited on the occassion of World Environment Day (WED) 5 June 2014 “Making Efforts for Zero Solid Waste Concept ". ENVIS Center 01 at CPCB has been participated in this Event.

 

 

Ms. Hemlata Mishra, Information Officer from CPCB ENVIS Centre participated in Plantation during WED 2014 at CPCB Premises.

 

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The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India held three days National Interaction cum Evaluation Workshop of Environmental Information System ( ENVIS) Centres during March 28-30, 2014 at Chintan Bhawan, Gangtok, Sikkim. The ENVIS Centre hosted at Sikkim State Council of Science & Technology (SCSTS), Gangtok was organised the Workshop on behalf of the MoEF.

 

National Workshop was organized to evaluate the activities of ENVIS Centres and decide their continuance based on their performance. All the ENVIS Centres set up by Ministry of Environment and Forests was invited to make the presentation of their activities in the workshop for the larger dissemination and also evaluation by the MoEF.

 

 

Sh G. Ganesh, ENVIS Coordinator and Ms. Hemlata Mishra, Information Officer from CPCB ENVIS Centre attended the National Interaction cum Evaluation Workshop 2014.

 

The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India held two days National Interaction cum Evaluation Workshop of Environmental Information System ( ENVIS) Centres during August 29th - 30th, 2012 at DMI, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The ENVIS Centre hosted at Disaster Management Institute (DMI), Bhopal was organised the Workshop on behalf of the MoEF.

 

National Workshop was organized to evaluate the activities of ENVIS Centres and decide their continuance based on their performance. All the ENVIS Centres in the country set up by Ministry of Environment and Forests was invited to make the presentation of their activities in the workshop for the larger dissemination and also evaluation by the MoEF.

 

 

Sh G. Ganesh, ENVIS Coordinator from CPCB ENVIS Centre attended the National Interaction cum Evaluation Workshop 2012.