Our Correspondent
Diphu, May 22 (EMN): The 25th year of International Day for Biological Diversity was celebrated at the medical garden of Biodiversity and Recreation Park on May 22 in Assam. The event was organised by the Assam State Biodiversity Board (ASBB) and the Assam Forest department, while National Biodiversity Authority of Chennai has sponsored the programme.
Minister for Environment and Forest Parimal Suklabaidya said, “There is vast abundant of green forest with its rich flora and fauna.
It is because of the green hills of Karbi Anglong that the animals, birds and other wildlife of the Kaziranga national park is surviving. By this, the importance of preserving biodiversity of the Karbi Anglong is very important.”
The minister urged the people to put an end to rhino poaching in Kaziranga. He added, ‘If we can put an end to rhino poaching then we can say that there is a rare species of one horned rhino found in Karbi Anglong.’
Human beings are solely dependent on forest for daily needs, he remarked. ‘We need space to sleep on the ground.
We require tea leave to prepare tea, water to boil the tea leaves. Likewise, when we take roti, we need ghee and ghee comes of cow milk, while cows are fed on grass. In this way human being are directly dependent on forest,’ he said.
Suklabaidya added, “Men think they are intelligent, but this intelligent is destroying the earth for selfish gain.
We need to become conscious persons in protecting the forest. We need to think for the survival of our children.
The survival for our next generation of people, how they can inhale oxygen by preserving the forest and not think of building tall buildings.”
Member Secretary of ASBB, AK Johari spoke about the setting up of the Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC) in Karbi Anglong with an idea to preserve the forest of the local areas.
The BMCs will consists the Eastern Range, Bokajan, Dalamara, Parkup Pahar, Silonijan, Dokmoka, Central Range, Manja, Diphu, Borlangpher, Langpher, and Rangapahar. An approved certificate from the Assam State Biodiversity Board was given to the Chairmen of the BMC.
The former Deputy Ranger incharge of the Diphu Biodiversity and Recreation Park, Rajan Kumar Baruah was honoured by the ASBB for his immense contribution in preserving large number of local medicinal plants.
The park set-up in 1998 spread over 42 hectres of land.
It is said to have been a home to more than 6000 species of various local medicinal plants. Prizes were also distributed among school students for painting and slogan writing competition organised by the West Division of Forest department of Karbi Anglong.