|
Thiru A. Raja, Minister of Environment and Forests, has called on the Wildlife Institute of India Society to take upon itself the responsibility of evolving new approaches to mitigate the negative impacts of fragmentation of habitats and climate change which are threatening the existence of many species in the country. “We should prepare ourselves for the scenario which we may have to face 20-30 years from now and continue our efforts to link fragmented habitats for gene flow, expertise in application of biotechnology to link isolated populations”, he added. Thiru A. Raja was addressing 12th Annual General Meeting of the Wildlife Institute of India Society here today.
Noting that the faculty of the Institute have been consistently publishing research papers in national and international journals of repute and during 2003-04, 30 papers have been published, the Environment and Forests Minister cautioned the Society not to lose sight of its main mandate of capacity building of our personnel at various levels. “We should continue to have strong presence in field so that the realities of the field conditions inform our research and training modules and the Institute builds up partnerships with various stake holders and network with other national and international institutions for synergy”, he further added.
The Wildlife Institute of India Society was established in May 1982 with a mandate to build up scientific knowledge on the Wildlife resources of the country and train personnel at various levels for its conservation and management. The Institute has made significant progress in the field of wildlife research and its application in the field. Its training programmes are considered to be best in the region as is evidenced by steady participation of professionals in its diploma and certificate courses from neighbouring countries viz. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Laos, Vietnam, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Combodia.
|
