VISAKHAPATNAM: Conservation of biodiversity has to be elevated to protect the food chain on the earth. One should personally take pollution control initiatives to conserve the nature, said conservator of Forests Pradeep Kumar.
A workshop-cum-exhibition was organised on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity here Friday. While delivering the key-note address at the workshop, Pradeep Kumar said, “For the wellness of our biodiversity, the government has set up state, district, mandal and village-level biodiversity councils. However, there are only 681 biodiversity councils out of 13,270 local bodies in Andhra Pradesh.” Out of the 681 councils, 669 belong to village-level and seven in mandal, one at the district level and four at city-level, the conservator informed.
Research activities in agriculture, biotechnology, ocean development, cooperation in agriculture, Indian medicine, homeopathy, science and technology and industrial development would be discussed in the councils for a healthy earth, Pradeep Kumar explained.
On the steps taken by the government to conserve biodiversity, the conservator of Forests said that around 10 awareness programmes were conducted with about 256 participants.
The State Government implemented the Biodiversity Act-2002, as a part of it, clear guidelines on dos and don’ts were also issued to protect biodiversity. Therefore, measures have to be taken to check on the implementation of this Act, he added. A large number of scholars, research farmers, nature lovers and students as well, participated in the discussions on the threats caused to mother nature and measures to be adopted to conserve biodiversity.