Three kinds of animals and plants per hour, 75 kinds per day and about 27,000 kinds per year are being extinct from the earth. If this trend of extinction continues, there would be less numbers of animals than human beings by the coming century. Biodiversity is the natural asset of a country. Thus, we must take moral responsibility to ensure that our so-called development doesn’t impact animals and plants in natural habitats and environment negatively.
Noted environmentalists opined this at the World Environment Day organised through a webinar by the Orissa Environment Society (OES).
According to a study conducted in 1995, there are about 13.6 million kinds of living beings in the earth but scientists have been able to identified 1.75 million of them.
“Post Industrial Revolution, development process has been going on intolerably while human population and use of natural resources going on uncontrollably. As a consequence, there has been a rapid decay in biodiversity and negative incidents are happening in the living system,” rued the speakers.
They suggested that human beings should change their lifestyle, work process and objective of development and concentrate on protection of environment.
OES president Dr Sundar Narayan Patra presided over the seminar.
Initiating talks, secretary Dr Jayakrushna Panigrahi said a country, which has more organic resources, has quality environment and higher rate of development. “We should protect animals and plants as they provide us various services and products,” he said.
Former PCCF (Wildlife) Dr Bijay Ketan Patnaik opined that humans are primarily responsible for the extinction living being going on now and, if the process continues, it would certainly act as a Bhashmasura for human life.
Eastern region advisor to Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Dr Bindheshwari Prasad Upadhyay stressed on protection of a balanced nature. “The Biodiversity Act 2002 stresses on assessment of regional biodiversity. We should feel that the extinction process is going on in a unchangeable direction. Thus, endurable ecology management must be our path finder,” he said.
Former PCCF Vinod Kumar gave a brief note on the country’s biodiversity hotspots.
In his concluding speech, Dr Patra embphasised on protection of animal sanctuaries, natural parks, biosphere and tiger and elephant projects. He said all individuals along with the Government should make vows for the purpose.
The seminar came to an end with a vote of thanks proposed by secretary Dr Panigrahi. Many environmentalists and intellectuals joined the proagramme.