Environment and Climate Change Minister Shiv V. Myanathan on Sunday said 10,000 mini-forests would be built in the state this year. He said that red and orange categories of industries and even mines would be planted to plant these forests.
Speaking at the inauguration of an International Conference on Sustainable Development in Hill and Coastal Ecosystems at MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) here, he said that industries will have to plant native species of about 12 feet height. “If they don’t have space inside their premises, revenue department officials can help identify the land for them to plant and take care of,” he said.
He said that a bio-shield was to be created along 500 km of the state’s coastline, where bamboo, palm trees, mangroves, neem and seaweed would be cultivated to reduce the problems caused due to climate change. The Minister, who inaugurated the MSSRF ‘Every Child a Scientist’ Center (Online) at Poompuhar, also released the Foundation’s Annual Report on the occasion.
Essam Yassin Mohammed, WorldFish Interim Director General and Acting Senior Director of CGIAR, Aquatic Food Systems, Malaysia, in his keynote address established the importance of keeping aquatic organisms safe. “Many of us don’t know that fish, like trees, act as a carbon sink. The more fish we have in the ocean, the better it is for our environment.”
He said that since we have done irreparable damage to the environment, there is a need to ensure livelihood opportunities for all.
Agricultural scientist Prof M S Swaminathan in his video broadcast stressed on the need to conserve the genetic heritage and indigenous knowledge of tribal communities and reiterated that coastal and hill restoration was essential for sustainable health. He said that about 97% of the water comes from coastal areas, and therefore, careful and sustainable use of water resources is the key to future food security.
MSSRF Chairperson Madhura Swaminathan said that in the last three decades MSSRF has been working in the hilly areas of Eastern and Western Ghats and coastal areas of India. He said it worked with tribal and rural communities to develop sustainable and scalable models for the conservation of biodiversity and natural resources, and food and nutritional security.