The Uttarakhand Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Raghu Bir Singh Rawat said while speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural function of a four-day long meet of the expert group on bio-diversity for poverty eradication and development under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) in Dehradun.

Presiding over the inaugural function on Monday, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, Joint Secretary Hem Pande said that the Government of India is committed to facilitating the inclusion of biodiversity as an integral part of the growth process, since this is the only path whereby the nation can sustain a high rate of economic growth without causing serious damage to the environment.

The principal officer and representative of the CBD Secretariat, Ravi Sharma stated that the CBD is committed to developing more active strategies for bio-diversity conservation by integrating the aspects of poverty eradication and different developmental activities with emphasis on livelihood needs.

Earlier, welcoming the participants on the occasion, the ICFRE Director General V.K. Bahuguna stressed that the effective conservation of biodiversity is essential for ensuring the survival of humans and the maintenance of ecosystem. He called upon the participants to encourage development outlooks and practices that conserve and sustainably use bio-diversity.

The coordinator of the meeting, head of Bio-diversity and Climate Change Division, ICFRE, Renu Singh informed that the meeting is one of the important intersession meetings, the outcomes of which will be incorporated in the eleventh Conference of the Parties (CoP-11) to the CBD which is slated to be hosted by India in Hyderabad during October 2012.

The expert group has been mandated to undertake an analysis of the existing mechanisms, processes and initiatives for mainstreaming bio-diversity and ecosystem services into poverty eradication and development works. The expert group is expected to explore the contribution of bio-diversity to poverty alleviation and vice versa in the context of development processes.

The expert group meeting is being attended by group members of 17 CBD country, two representatives from United Nations and specialised agencies, representatives of seven inter Governmental organisations, representatives of nine non Governmental organisations and three representatives from indigenous and community organisations, universities and observers.