World Environment Day

Nature Environment & Wildlife Society (NEWS), under #IKI– #livinglakesbiodiversityandclimateproject (#LLBCP), observed #WorldEnvironmentDay on the 5th of June 2024 at Deshbhakta Tarun Ram Phukan ME School, near #DeeporBeel, Guwahati. The students, school staff, members of local community and members from women groups engaged in different livelihood activities under the project, actively took part in a plantation programme. Local fruit saplings (Mango & Litchi) were planted within the school campus. As #environmentalconservation is everyone’s responsibility, involving women and children in this initiative ensures an inclusive #communityparticipation.

At Head Quarters, Kolkata organized a programme to celebrate “World Environment Day”. On this occasion, Ms. Ajanta Dey, Joint Secretary & Programme Director, NEWS, was invited to deliver the lead lecture as the Chief Guest of the programme. Followed by introductory contextual lecture from Dr. Dhriti Banerjee, Director of ZSI and Dr. Chelladurai Raghunathan, Additional Director of ZSI, Ms. Dey delivered a thought provoking and an insightful lecture on the theme “Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience”. Speaking on the topic, she highlighted that land degradation, desertification, and drought are interconnected phenomena posing significant threats to ecosystems, biodiversity, and livelihoods. She elaborated NEWS works in addressing the topic with an ecosystem-based approach and presented two case studies, in the context of #humanelephantconflictmitigation along Terai landscape and water shed management in Darjeeling hills. Building resilience is crucial for sustainable development, food security, and climate change mitigation; it was opined that #stakeholdersynergies are critical to achieve #LandRestoration, #Desertification and #DroughtResilience.

Nature Environment & Wildlife Society (NEWS) has been implementing fisheries-based #IntegratedFarmingSystem project under #WestBengalAcceleratedDevelopmentofMinorIrrigationProject (#WBADMIP) in Balagarh, Hooghly at the project site of Dumurdaha-Takipara Fishermens’ Cooperative Society (FCS). On the occasion of “#WorldEnvironmentDay”, Dumurdaha-Takipara FCS organized a plantation programme on the 5th June 2024. With the financial support from ‘Benfish’, the FCS members planted a total of 250 numbers of saplings which included Kadam, Malta, Mahogany, Mango and Jamun. NEWS team members along with the officials from the #DepartmentofFisheries, Govt. of West Bengal were present in this programme.