News : Training Programmes and Workshops

Training course on Impacts of Mining Projects on Biodiversity, Ranchi, Jharkhand, March 15–17, 2004. This course aimed to build capacity of the executives of the Environment Division of the mining companies and the officials of the State Pollution Control Board. It made them appreciate the relevance of biodiversity issues in environmental decision making in the light of provisions of the global Convention on Biodiversity and promote good practices in the EIA for mining projects.

This three-day training course was organized by Wildlife Institute of India (WII) on the request of Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Ltd. (CMPDI), Ranchi. Twenty officials working in various mining companies and State Pollution Control Board attended the training programme. The training programme was designed to provide inputs on diverse topics including overview of process for environmental decision making on mining projects. It highlighted the relevance of biodiversity considerations in environmental decision making, best practice models of EIA for streamlining biodiversity assessment, ecological restoration of mining projects and guidelines for retooling biodiversity assessments for mining projects. For more details please contact: ar@wii.gov.in

Third International Symposium on Galliformes, Dehradun, April 5-10, 2004. It was held at WII. This symposium was organized by the World Pheasant Association and the IUCN/SSC Specialist Group for Pheasants, Partridges, Quails, Francolins and Megapodes. The WII and the Uttaranchal State Government were the co-hosts for this symposium. Over 150 delegates from 25 countries participated in this symposium.

His Excellency Governor of Uttaranchal, Shri Sudarshan Agarwal and other dignitaries during the inaugural session.

His Excellency Shri Sudarshan Agarwal, Governor of Uttaranchal was the Chief Guest during the Inaugural function. He released a set of posters, books and education material and delivered the key note address to the delegates on this occasion. Shri Samar Singh, President, WPA-India and Shri S.Singsit, Director, WII welcomed the delegates. Mr. Dick Potts, Chairman, WPA; Shri Vinod Rishi, ADG(WL), MoEF, GOI; and Dr. R.S.Tolia, Chief Secretary, Uttaranchal Government addressed the delegates. The formal sessions on the first day included presentations on the conservation status of Galliformes by the Chief Wildlife Warden(s) or representatives, of some of the States of India, and representatives from the SAARC countries. Next two days had formal sessions and poster sessions that included over a hundred papers/posters covering a wide range of topics. The final session of the symposium was chaired by Shri Nav Prabhat, Hon. Minister for Environment and Urban Development, Govt. of Uttaranchal during which resolutions were passed. The delegates were then taken to Corbett National Park for field workshop from April 8-10, 2004. Following this, delegates participated in the post symposium tours viz., Sarahan Pheasantry, Himachal Pradesh for conservation breeding; Scientists tour to IVRI, Mukteswar campus and to Kumaon for Bird watching. For more details please contact: ssk@wii.gov.in

Vacation Training Programme on Bioresources for School Children, Dehradun, June 5-22, 2004. The National Bioresource Development Board (NBDB), Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, has taken a pro-active role in creating better awareness on issues concerning biodiversity and bioresources. The NBDB is engaged in promoting awareness among school children about the importance of environment, biodiversity, biotechnology and the relationship with every day life. In pursuance of this objective, the third ‘Vacation Training Programme on Bioresources for School Children’ was jointly organized by the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and the Institute of Himalayan Bioresources Technology, Palampur.

The objectives of the training programme were: (a)  to inculcate among school students an appreciation of the importance of biological resources of the country, their use and management; (b) to create opportunities for students for hands-on experience in the laboratory/field on the subject of bioresources; (c) to study locally available bioresources, their sustainable use and conservation; and (d) to bring about interaction of students with leading experts in the field from a pool of core and visiting faculty.

Twenty-six students from ten schools in Uttaranchal and five schools in Himachal Pradesh participated in this training programme. The training schedule included classroom interactions, laboratory exercises, visit to various scientific institutions. All students participated in the project work on: (a) Understanding and documenting bird diversity; (b) Understanding and documenting herpetofaunal diversity; and (c) Designing individual websites. The valedictory session was organized on the concluding day in which Ms. Shanti Varma, Former Principal, Welham Girls School gave certificates to all the students for successfully completing the course and book prizes were awarded to the winners. Ms. S. Varma gave the valedictory address. For more details please contact:  vbm@wii.gov.in

Ms. Aaushi Bhalwal, Ms. Anupama Arora, Ms. Maneet Kaur, Mr. Tushar Parmar, Ms. Sanchi Jain, Mr. Ankit Thakur, Mr. Alok Singh Thakur, Mr. Akshay Kumar, Mr. Ayushman Dobhal, Ms. Drishti Anand, Ms. Rajni Devi, Mr. Sarthak Sharma, Ms. Dipshi Kanga, Ms. Meenakshi Kaushal, Mr. Alok Aswal, Ms. Deeksha Manchanda, Ms. Nupur Uniyal, Ms. Poonam Thakur, Mr. Shailesh Datt Semwal, Ms. Meera Devi, Ms. Prabhjot Kaur Sal, Mr.Deepak Kumar, Ms. Shelly Sharma, Mr. Nitin Kumar Sharma, Mr. Girish Bhardwaj, Ms. Tarang Soni.

National Workshop of ENVIS Nodes and Centres,Dehradun,  June 25-27, 2004. The Environmental Information System (ENVIS) Centres and Nodes held the National Workshop at the Wildlife Institute of India on behalf of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. The objective of the workshop was to take stock of the achievements, shortcomings and preparing a road map for the future of the Environmental Information System in the country. The workshop was inaugurated by Shri Namo Narain Meena, Hon’ble Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Government of India. Shri Nav Prabhat, Hon’ble Minister of Forests and Urban Development, Government of Uttaranchal was the Guest of Honour. Over 175 participants from 75 ENVIS Centres and Nodes, technical experts, representatives from scientific institutions participated in the workshop.

During the inaugural ceremony award was given to the Centre of Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore for the “Best ENVIS Centre”. The first, second and consolation prizes in the ENVIS Logo Competition were given to Centre for Advanced Studies in Marine Biology, Parangipettai, Tamil Nadu; Disaster Management Institute, Bhopal; and Department of Zoology, University of Madras, Chennai, respectively. A digital compilation in a compact disc of all eight ENVIS thematic bulletins published by the WII-ENVIS Centre was released by Shri Namo Narain Meena, Hon’ble Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Govt. of India and Urban Development, Government of Uttaranchal.  Shri Vinod Rishi, Additional Director General (Wildlife); Ms. Meena Gupta, Additional Secretary, MoEF; Shri R.P.S. Katwal, Director General, ICFRE; Shri Sudhir Mital, Joint  Secretary, MoEF; Dr. Indrani Chandrasekharan, Director (ENVIS), MoEF; and Dr. V.B. Mathur, Professor, WII  chaired/co-chaired various technical sessions. The event was co-ordinated by Contact: vbm@wii.gov.in