Port Blair, Dec. 18: CPR. Environmental Education Centre organised four days program for B.Ed trainees of Tagore Govt. College of Education on Science & Technology communication of best practices and awareness raising on climate change & biodiversity conservation in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The programme was organised in association with the National Council for Science and Technology Communication, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
Two workshops and exposure visits were organised from 13.12.2022 to 16.12.2022. The inaugural program was held on 13.12.2022 at TGCE Auditorium. The program was inaugurated by Shri. Birendra Chaudhary IFS, Dy. Conservator of Forest (PW), Department of Environment and Forest. Dr. S. J. Mathew, Principal, TGCE was the Guest of honour. In this program, BA.B.Ed and B. Sc. B. Ed trainees participated.
During the awareness program, various issues were discussed viz. basic concept of climate change and biodiversity with reference to the current scenario, Impact of climate change on terrestrial and marine biodiversity: Andaman & Nicobar Islands perspective, Coral reef and mangrove ecosystem with special reference to Andaman & Nicobar Islands, basic concept of Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH), Pollution causes to climate change and threats to marine life and floral diversity of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The above topics were delivered lectures by various eminent resource persons who included Dr. P.M. Mohan, Professor, Pondicherry University, Brookshabad, Dr. R. Kirupa Sankar, HoD, Fisheries Science Division, CIARI, Port Blair, Dr. Parth Mondal, AYUSH Hospital, Dept. of Health Services, Junglighat, Dr. Lal ji Singh, Dy. Director, Botanical Survey of India, Port Blair, Shri. A. Gopal, Project Officer, CPREEC, Port Blair and Shri. Uma Maheshwar Rao, JE (SWM), PBMC, Port Blair.
Exposure visits were organized for participants on 14th and 16th of December 2022. The participants were taken to the Botanical Survey of India’s Herbarium and Zoological Survey of India’s museum for observing the ex-situ conservation of biodiversity. They also visited the Prem Nagar Coastal Line for the purpose of understanding unmanaged plastics break down into microplastics and contribute to climate change indirectly by negatively affecting marine life. The students visited the mangrove patch of Sippighat and the BSI’s Botanical Garden, Nayashehar to understand the biodiversity conservation methods of in-situ and ex-situ conservation.