Port Blair, Dec. 8: Zoological Survey of India is organizing three-day workshop on Coastal and Marine Biodiversity of Island ecosystems under the ‘Training of Personnel of other Stakeholders’ sponsored by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, GoI. Dr. Dhriti Banerjee, Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata was the chief guest, while Shri Hari Kallikkat, IAS, Secretary (IP&T), Andaman and Nicobar Administration, Dr. M. Vinod Kumar, Fishery Survey of India, and Dr. Lal Ji Singh, Head-of-Office were the guests of honour. The programme was also attended by Officers from different Departments and institutions.
Addressing the gathering, the chief guest appreciated the Zoological Survey of India, Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre, Port Blair for organizing this important workshop. ZSI/ANRC, Port Blair is playing an important role in knowledge-based capacity building programme on the Island Biodiversity through Seminar/ Symposium/ Workshop. Further, she stated that this workshop will focus on understanding the role of the coastal ecosystems and its vital importance in areas such as bio-diversity, food security, climate change and others. She also mentioned the overall objectives of the programme.
In his felicitation address, guest of honour, Shri Hari Kallikkat, IAS, praised the ZSI for organizing this workshop by bringing together a diverse group of students, which will help them in developing their skills. He asserted that the tourism industry is interwoven in every aspect with the island biodiversity. He said, these drives, which were initiated by the Government, aims to upskill the human resources so that they can support individuals in finding employment more effectively. He also emphasized the significance of endemicity in A&N Islands' extensive biodiversity as in birds, corals and mangroves, which can be assessed in a more comprehensive way if the youth are properly educated.
Dr. Vinod Kumar, Zonal Director, Fishery Survey of India in his felicitation address mentioned the active contribution of ZSI/ANRC in the collection of pioneer information for the identification of various faunal groups from Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He praised Officer-in-charge ZSI/ANRC for his tremendous active contribution in the field of science.
Dr. Lal Ji Singh, Head-of-Office, Botanical Survey of India, Port Blair mentioned that this workshop will educate the participants to understand the management practices and sustainable tourism policies which can help in the future discussions. He encouraged the students to engage themselves with nature and learn about marine biodiversity and decipher strategies to save the fragile ecosystem.
Dr. C. Sivaperuman, Officer-in-Charge, ZSI in his welcome address briefed about the previous workshops conducted by ANRC/ZSI. The workshops and seminars included participants from Indira Gandhi Forest National Academy as well as esteemed institutions here in the Islands. He elaborated on the role of Zoological Survey of India, Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre, Port Blair in training newly recruited Forest officials. He threw light on how the workshop has helped the students to attain a better understanding of facilities available in the Islands. He also highlighted about the nine lectures which will be presented during the course work. Topics covering the Island and mainland marine fauna of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and India waters will be dealt by the speakers through online and offline. He mentioned about the addition of field trips in the current forum which the participants will cover in South Andaman District. A total of 105 participants are participating in this workshop.