Shillong, 2nd Aug 2024: Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, today, inaugurated the Dissemination Workshop for forest officials on “Forest Survey & Mapping for Meghalaya Using Hybrid System to Analyse Carbon Financing and Phyto-diversity Heat Map & Provisions of the BD Act (Amendment) at the Conference Hall, Sylvan House.
Speaking during the inaugural session, Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, speaking on the importance of the workshop said that technology is very important for data collection and usage, mapping and synchronizing the data collected and received through technology to have stronger models of predictability, analysing climate trends and monitoring mechanisms is what is needed to be done. “Using the data from different departments and observing the trends will allow government to make the right policies and interventions efficiently which will have a larger impact,” he said.
The Chief Minister also said that Meghalaya, a state renowned for its rich biodiversity and traditional knowledge the implementation of the Biological Diversity Act and its 2023 amendment is important. “The provisions of the Act will enable us to protect our biological resources and associated traditional knowledge from exploitation and ensure that local communities benefit from the sustainable use of these resources,” he added. He further said that the implementation of the provisions of the act in Meghalaya the goal is to foster a sustainable relationship with nature, where conservation and development go hand in hand.
He also expressed pleasure at the results of the recent survey of Meghalaya’s reserve forests that was conducted using advanced aerial LiDAR and Hyperspectral imaging technologies. “These cutting-edge methods have enabled ab in-depth analysis of Meghalaya’s Reserve Forests biodiversity, health and environmental challenges,” he added.
Further, he informed that Meghalaya’s new framework involves creating an inventory of its natural assets and assessing the economic value of its ecosystem services helping to develop innovative financial tools and secure funding for conservation efforts. “We aim to establish a new revenue model around nature conservation and climate action, ranging from carbon farming and regenerative agriculture to monetizing ecosystem services of our forests,” he said.
The Chief Minister also released the final report on “Forest Survey & Mapping for Meghalaya Using Hybrid System to Analyse Carbon Financing and Phyto-Diversity Heat Map.”
R S Gill, IFS, PCCF & HoFF, Dr Arun Kumar Sarma, DG, NECTAR and Pravin Bakshi, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary, Forest & Environment & Chairman, Meghalaya Biodiversity Board were also present.