SKUAST-K’s Faculty of Agriculture holds webinars, student competitions to commemorate the day
BK News
World Nature Conservation Day is celebrated every year on 28th July across the globe to raise awareness about the importance of nature, ecosystem and the need to conserve natural resources. This day provides an opportunity to spread the message about conservation of nature and to recognise that a healthy environment is a foundation for a stable and productive society. Therefore, it is necessary to come together and participate to protect, conserve and sustainably manage the resources that we rely upon each day, supplied by the earth and are limited. In this context, Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura SKUAST-K in collaboration with ICAR-World Bank-funded National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP) organized an online Painting and one-minute video competition in which more than 100 scholars/students and scientists participated. Prof. Raihana Habib Kanth, Chief Scientist Agronomy and Faculty Coordinator IDP-NAHEP, Faculty of Agriculture Wadura, while giving the welcome address informed the house that world nature conservation day is observed to create and increase awareness about the importance of natural resources and how one can live sustainably, protect earth’s natural resources that are fast depleting owing to overexploitation and even misuse. The expert for this event was Indira Prakash, ESS consultant, NAHEP ICAR, New Delhi and gave a presentation about the Environment Management Framework and Environmental Legal Regulations and Guidelines of National Agricultural Higher Educational Project. She enlightened the house about Preservation of Trees Act, The Air (Prevention and Control Pollution Act) 1981, National biodiversity Act 2002, Energy conservation Act 2001, E-waste (Management and Handling Rules), 2016 and about the safeguard policies triggered by NAHEP like environmental assessment, natural habitation and pest management with the objective to ensure the environmental sustainability and to integrate the key environmental concerns in agriculture into education and research. She also spoke about the environment-friendly features like reducing energy use, roof tap solar systems, paper recycling machine and innovative ways for the conservation of the environment, natural ecosystem and waste management.
In addition to the webinar from the expert, selected youth presented their views under the theme “My future My voice”. The school students Tawkeer-un-nisa (2nd Std.), Hadeeqat Khalid (10th std.), Hurmat Khalid (12th Std.) and students of Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura, Saika Ashraf and Goldy Fhonsa (UG Std.) and Rafiq Ahmad Mengnoo (PG student) expressed their views on conservation of nature, biodiversity, water, wildlife and soil respectively. The youth ambassadors in their lectures created awareness among the participants about the different ways for the conservation of nature and natural resources at the individual and local level. They also highlighted how the present lockdown has turned into a blessing in disguise for cleaning the environment.
The webinar was attended by many renowned scientists of SKUAST-K including Prof. Azmat Alam Khan, Prof M. Ashraf Bhat, Prof. Shaheen Kausar, Prof. Zahoor Ahmad Dar, Dr Zahida Rashid, Dr Sabeena Malik, Dr Sabiya Bashir, Dr Tahir A Sheikh and Dr Najeeb Mughal. The vote of thanks was presented by Prof. Azmat Alam Khan, Associate Director Research and Coordinator Student Development Program IDP-NAHEP, SKUAST-K and he also informed the house about the steps taken by SKUAST-K in solid waste management, biomedical waste management and other programmes taken under ESP. At the end, all the participants pledged to protect, conserve and sustainably manage our natural resources and make this world a better and healthier place for our future generation.
