By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The policies relating to protection of biodiversity formulated by the Centre should be adapted to local conditions considering the prevalence of traditional practices in the region and the state like the Land Tenure System and the like, as highlighted by professor of the Department of Environmental studies (NEHU) Dr BK Tiwari.
“The solution to solve environmental problems should come from within the region and not from Delhi because these problems are peculiar and the policies formulated by the centre don’t fit the region due to several prevailing traditional policies,” Dr Tiwari said.
Addressing a two-day national seminar on ‘Burning Environmental Issues: Risk to Biodiversity and Human Health with special reference to north east India” at St Mary’s College here on Wednesday, Dr Tiwari said that solutions could be drawn from a collective approach of policy makers, experts and researchers.
Stating that the region contributes about 50 percent of India’s biodiversity, 25 percent of India’s forest area, 60 percent of bamboo and 66.29 percent geographical, the professor stressed on the need to preserve the environment and prevent biodiversity loss due to human activities like mining, hunting, over-grazing, jhum cultivation, pollution besides others.
Meanwhile, Additional Chief Secretary PBO Warjri referred to the industrial revolution as the main player which had brought about so much change in the environment owing to the growing demands for more goods thereby depleting and exhausting the natural resources.
Expressing concern over the habit of the locals in burning the forests and the hills during the dry seasons, Warjri said that this habit is something which should be done away with as it affects and kills many living organisms ranging from the insects, birds, animals to variety number of plant species.
“Grasses will come when rain will come. We should not burn our forest and hills,” he reasoned further informing that the burning practice is robbing the environment of saplings, medicinal herbs, insects and animals and dislodging the habitat. He also called upon the community to address the issue with the government for a better future.