Sri Vijaya Puram, March 22: The two-day Mangrove Workshop organized by the Department of Environment & Forests concluded today at Megapode Resort, Haddo, Sri Vijaya Puram. The valedictory programme was attended by Shri Sanjay Kumar Sinha, IFS, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests-cum-Chief Wildlife Warden as the chief guest in the presence of the guest of honour, Dr. B. Nagarajan, Scientist-G and Group Coordinator (Research), Institute of Forest genetics (IFGTB), Coimbatore along with senior officers of Forest Department, eminent scientists, guest speakers, research scholars, students, teachers, and other distinguished guests. The programme commenced with the welcome address cum- report presentation by Shri Joju P. Alappatt, IFS, the Deputy Conservator of Forests (Working Plan).
In his address, the chief guest expressed his appreciation for successfully organizing the Mangrove Workshop by the Forest Department. He urged the students and research scholars to gain deeper insights on the mangrove ecosystems which support a variety of life forms besides supporting local livelihood. He also emphasized on the need of organizing such workshops on similar themes in the future.
Earlier, Dr. S. Dinesh Kannan, IFS, Chief Conservator of Forests, (Research & Working Plan and Wildlife) appealed to students and research scholars to come forward and explore new avenues of research in coastal and marine ecosystem. He highlighted various opportunities available to research communities under National Coastal Mission, an initiative of Govt. of India.
Eminent scientists and subject experts from the mainland and the islands presented various themes during the 2-day workshop, followed by presentations of scientific papers by research scholars. Shri Sanjay Srivastava, IFS (Rtd), former PCCF, Tamil Nadu, Dr. B. Nagarajan, Scientist, IFGTB, Dr. Sivaperuman, Scientist & Dy Director, ZSI, Sri Vijaya Puram, Dr. Nehru Prabhakaran, Scientist, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and Dr. Ramanathan, Director, CAS in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu led various sessions under 5 themes of the workshop: Role of mangroves in coastal protection and climate change mitigation; Mangrove biodiversity and associated marine life; Scope of eco-tourism in mangrove forests; Mangrove restoration techniques and best practices; and Community participation and livelihood opportunities linked to mangroves.
The 2-days workshop witnessed a total of 17 research papers cum presentations by faculties of Colleges, Research scholars, NGOs and Teachers from the island and mainland together with presentations from Departments of A & N Administration. Altogether, 75 participants mainly, students, teachers and research scholars attended the 2-days training. Participation certificates and prizes for best paper presentations were given away by the chief guest during the valedictory function. The valedictory session of the workshop concluded with vote of thanks delivered by Smt. S. Simmi, Asst. Conservator of Forests (Working Plan).