By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, June 24: Meghalaya Chief Secretary DP Wahlang on Wednesday emphasised the universal importance of forests, whether at the national or state level.
The chief secretary was addressing a gathering at the inaugural programme of a three-day ‘Workshop on Training on Forest Certification and Carbon Credit’ in the city.
The workshop is being organised by the Forest and Environment Department, in collaboration with the Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests (NCCF), New Delhi.
In his address, Wahlang emphasised the significant learning opportunities within the field of forest management.
He also highlighted the autonomy granted by the Centre to the states in managing forests, acknowledging the challenges faced, such as significant forest cover loss that necessitated intervention from the central government.
He further mentioned that the state government has convened multiple meetings to deliberate over strategies for afforestation and enhancing forest cover within the state.
“These efforts reflect a proactive approach aimed at sustainable forest management and conservation in Meghalaya,” he said.
It may be mentioned that the workshop will be followed by a training on Carbon Credit and Forest Certification on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
“The objective of the workshop is to sensitize the participants about Forest Certification, Carbon Credit and other standards, such as Ecotourism, Quality Planting Material and Trees Outside Forest, developed or under the process of development by the NCCF,” a statement in this regard said.
On the other hand, the objective of the training on the Carbon Credit is to build the capacity of Forest Department officials and other stakeholders in developing proposals for carbon credits and registering them on Carbon Registry-India and other credible registries.
