193rd tree talk marks ‘Mother Earth Day’ at JU

The Kashmir Times , Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Correspondent :
JAMMU, Apr 22: To mark 43rd World Earth Day with a focus on earth resources and its ecological services, the Departments of Dogri, Punjabi and Environmental Sciences at University of Jammu were today chosen to sensitize students and scholars about ethno conservation practised by communities since Vedic times much before western world had its first ever Earth Day in 1970 in the form of tree talk.

`Mother Earth Day’ celebrations were marked by 193rd tree talk.

Following worst disaster of oil spill and Vietnam war repercussions, Gaylord Nelson made Earth Day as international and United Nations declared April 22 as `International Mother Earth Day in 2009.’

Prof Shivdev Singh Manhas, while reflecting on importance of sacred groves, highlighted that local communities had nurtured ethno-conservation by establishing green patches of woodland or tree groves around sacred shrines like Baba Ambo at Mathwar, Nagbani grove at Nagbani, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine to provide peace and tranquility to the pilgrims visiting these shrines.

Prof Yash Pal Arboriculturist shared that on the occasion of `Mother Earth Day, Wadia Museum was gifted to Jammuites. “The museum, inaugurated by Governor N N Vohra, is going to help scholars to understand pre-historic fossils and way that led to extinction of many plants and animals due to changed ecology and climate of the times,” he informed.

Prof Raj Kumar Rampal introduced scholars Shivali, Kirti, Jyoti, Akanksha, Pankaj, Assadullah, Krishan Priya, Barneet and Kulvinder Kaur, who presented their views on climate change, eco-friendly techniques, sustainable development, global warming, glaciers of Kashmir, sacred groves, forest conservation, bio-indicators and impact of climate on horticulture.

Dr Ritu Jasrotia appreciated the work of `Paryavaran Sanstha’ carried out at Suchaini near Bari Brahmna where Maj Gen Goverdhan Singh Jamwal established Phalsa, Nimbu and Harad plantations in collaboration with Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine.

O P Sharma Vidyarthi focused on Quiver Tree migration in Africa where Aloe dichtoma started migration from equatorial belt towards higher latitudes in response to increasing global temperature .He shared that Burans Tree seen near Dehra ki Gali or Bhairoghati had shown change in its phenology under forced stress of climate change . “Mother Earth’s ecological services are backbone of our future prosperity as Nund Rishi envisioned centuries ago when he said –Ann Poshi Teli, Yeli Van Poshi,” he said.

 
SOURCE : http://www.kashmirtimes.com/newsdet.aspx?q=15543
 


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