Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Call for rational approach to conservation

— Photo: S. Mahinsha

FOR A GREEN CAUSE: Additional Chief Secretary K. Jayakumar inaugurates a seminar in connection with the World Wetlands Day in the city on Monday.

Thiruvananthapuram: Protection of wetlands should go hand in hand with legislation to prevent the razing of hills, Additional Chief Secretary K. Jayakumar said here on Monday.

Delivering the inaugural address at a seminar organised by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) in connection with the World Wetlands Day, he said destruction of hills was linked to reclamation of wetlands.

“Razing of hills depletes groundwater and upsets the natural equilibrium. Soil plundered from hills is used to reclaim low-lying paddy fields and other wetlands, doubling the impact on the environment.

“Hence, protection of wetlands and hills demands equal attention.”

Mr. Jayakumar said man’s assault on nature was fuelled by myopic development objectives.

“Long-term sustainability has been given up for temporary gains. Development has become fashionable and conservation is seen as orthodoxy. Conservationists are branded fundamentalists”.

Mr. Jayakumar stressed the need for a rational approach to conservation. A purely emotional approach would be self- defeating and suicidal, he warned.

He called for making conservation part of the development agenda. The government, he said, could only act as a catalyst. Mr. Jayakumar called for a participatory approach to conservation, involving all stakeholders.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests T.M. Manoharan underlined the need for heightened public awareness of the social and economic significance of wetlands.

George Chackachery, coordinator, Wetland Technical Unit, said the government was studying a proposal to set up a State Wetland Authority. Management action plans for conservation of major lakes like the Ashtamudy, Sasthamkotta and Kottooly have been submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, he added.

E.P. Yesodharan, executive vice-president, KSCSTE, presided over the function. K.V. Jayakumar, executive director, Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), also spoke at the inaugural function.

Representatives of the KSCSTE, CWRDM and NGOs who participated in the technical sessions highlighted the importance of wetlands and the need for community-based interventions to protect them.

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