The trends in forestry are also changing in view of factors like the increasing importance being accorded to environmental issues at various levels, said the State principal chief conservator of forests Dr Raghu Bir Singh Rawat while speaking at a seminar on strengthening training on forestry in India.
The seminar was organised by the Directorate of Forest Education in collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the PCCF stressed on the need for also focusing on the forest dependant communities which have a symbiotic relationship with forests. Pointing at the importance of training programmes, Rawat said that that efforts under the second phase of JICA will prove to be more beneficial.
JICA project chief advisor Yasuhisa Tanaka spoke on the achievements of the project. Model modules of six in-service State Forest Service officer training courses were presented by faculty of Central Academy for State Forest Service Coimbatore, Dehradun, and Eastern Forest Rangers College, Kurseong pertaining to the course. Systematic monitoring of the course was presented by Dr KS Jayachandran, lecturer, EFRC Kurseong.
Earlier, director, Forest Education, Dr Dharmendra Verma welcomed the participants and gave an overview of the workshop. The DFE and CASFoS, Dehradun have been implementing the five year Technical Cooperation Project for capacity building of State Forest Training institutions and CASFoS with the assistance from JICA since March, 2009 aiming to strengthen forestry training institutions of the MoEF.