Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 22 May: The United Nations declared 22 May as the International Day for Biological Diversity, and, since then, the day has been celebrated every year with different themes. This year, the day was observed under the theme, “Acting Locally for Global Impact”.
As part of the celebration, the Extension Division of ICFRE Forest Research Institute organised a “Bird Watching” programme at the institute campus under the guidance of Dr Arun Pratap Singh, Scientist-G & Head, Forest Protection Division. At the outset, Dr Charan Singh, Scientist-G & Head, Extension Division, delivered the opening remarks and welcomed DP Khali, Group Coordinator (Research) and Director In-Charge of the Institute, Dr Arun Pratap Singh, subject expert for bird watching, and all the participants of the programme. He highlighted the direct and indirect benefits of birds and emphasised their important role in the propagation and conservation of biodiversity.
In his inaugural address, DP Khali spoke about the importance of biological diversity and the need for its conservation to maintain ecological balance in nature, with special emphasis on birds. He also appreciated the organising team for successfully conducting the programme.
A quiz competition was also organised for the participants, during which oral questions related to biological diversity were asked and enthusiastically answered by the participants. Dr Anita Tomar, Scientist-F, Extension Division, proposed the vote of thanks. She appreciated the efforts of the Extension Division team, as well as the Head, Forest Botany Division, and his team for their support in managing the Botanical Garden and contributing to the successful completion of the programme. The programme was anchored by Lokinder Sharma, Scientist-C, Extension Division. The Extension Division team, including Dr Anita Tomar, Lokinder Sharma, Chitra Bharadwaj, and supporting technical staff members Naveen Chauhan, Amit Singh, and Pushkar Singh, worked under the supervision of the Head, Extension Division, to make the programme successful. More than 60 participants, including scientists, officers, staff members of the institute, and students of FRI Deemed University, participated in the programme.
