As a part of the celebration of National Space Day, the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal, under the aegis of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India, inaugurated a two-day National Workshop on "Application of Space Technology in Forest and Wildlife Management."

AK Mohanty, ADG (FC), MoEF&CC, GoI, inaugurated the workshop and delivered the keynote address, setting the stage for the discussions. Dr. K. Ravichandran, Director, IIFM, shared insights from his experience using space technology to monitor marine animal movements and emphasized its crucial role in forest and wildlife management.

He further said that the workshop would delve into new developments and applications in this field.Dr. K. Srinivas, Deputy Director, NRSC, Hyderabad, presented a technical session on “Earth Observation Applications and Emerging Opportunities for Forestry and Wildlife.” He discussed the utility of AI/ML systems and highlighted key web portals—Bhoonidhi, NDEM, Bhuvan, and MOSDAC—for data collection and monitoring.

P Subramanyam, PCCF & HoFF, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh, stressed the integration of Geo-Informatics Systems (GIS) with field inspections. He shared his experiences and asserted that combining on-ground inspections with advanced technology could revolutionize forest and wildlife management.

Rajesh S, IGF (FPD), MoEFCC, GoI, delivered the welcome address and outlined the workshop’s objectives. Over the next two days, delegates from 14 states and UTs, including representatives from State Forest Departments, national institutions specializing in natural resource management, National Remote Sensing Centre - ISRO, WII, ICFRE, INCOIS, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), MoEF&CC and other academic institutions, shall explore how space technology can address critical challenges in forest and wildlife management.