It is necessary to come back to our roots to conserve the biodiversity and environment. All the economical, socio-cultural and traditional practices in the Himalayan region have the nature at the centre. Environmentalist and photographer Threesh Kapoor said this while speaking as the chief guest in the valedictory session of the refresher course organised by Faculty Development Centre (FDC) of HNB Garhwal University under PMMMNMTT scheme of MHRD on Wednesday.
Guest of honour, Suresh Pande, emphasising on the revival of traditional agriculture in the mountains stated that crops are cultivated according to the water holding capacity of terraced farms which is substantial for water conservation and prevention of soil erosion.
He further added that it is need of the hour to look back towards the cultivation of traditional crops like Koda, Bhatt, Jhangora, and Chaulai. These crops are rich in fibres and have potential to revive the local ecosystem.
While presiding over the session, Garhwal University vice chancellor Annpurna Nautiyal said that this multidisciplinary refresher course is highly contextual in view of the contemporary challenges related to environment. She further asserted that the environmental challenges can be tackled only by the multidisciplinary approaches. In this reference, she emphasised on the need for connection, communication and coordination among the researchers, planners and people in the society.
FDC director Indoo Pandey Khanduri, while presenting the technical report of the programme informed that the course was attended by 36 teacher participants from various higher educational institutions from across the country.
The participants were trained for a total of 72 hours in two weeks by 22 different resource persons from 10 higher education and research institutions from all over the country.
She underscored the importance of following the directions available in the scriptures and religious traditions and act accordingly to conserve and preserve the environment. Simultaneously, the science and social science scholars must work together to find out the solutions of environmental problems.
