Community-led conservation key to future sustainability: Arunachal minister

Itanagar, Sep 11 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh Forest and Environment Minister Wangki Lowang has said that community-led conservation efforts are key to future sustainability.

Speaking at the 37th annual day celebration of the Northeast regional centre of the G B Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (GBPNIHE) here on Wednesday, the minister lauded the active role of the communities in the state in protecting wildlife.

He underlined the role of fallow periods in shifting cultivation for soil recovery, and called for identifying sustainable alternatives to ease pressure on forests.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife and Biodiversity), Ngilyang Tam, in his address, described Arunachal Pradesh as a biodiversity hotspot, with nearly 79 per cent of its area under forest cover, the highest in India, an official statement said on Thursday.

Tam pointed to the 'Pakke Declaration' on climate change as a milestone, and highlighted ecotourism, carbon sequestration, and community-led management of sanctuaries as key pathways to sustainable development.

Delivering the 12th Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Himalayan Popular Lecture, Professor Padma Raj Gajurel of Northeast Regional Institute of Science and Technology (NERIST) spoke on "diversity of wild edible plants in the eastern Himalayan region -- management and conservation priorities for sustainable development".

He emphasised documenting traditional knowledge, sustainable harvesting, and the critical role of wild edible plants in food security and livelihoods.

NIT-Arunachal Pradesh Director, Professor Mohan V Aware, and Director of NERIST, Professor Narendranath S, in their addresses, stressed the need for balanced natural resource management. PTI UPL UPL ACD