Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 20: Tree Talk community’s awareness campaign ‘Guftgoo-e-Ashzar’ or ‘Ped Paricharcha’ today completed 1000 educative sessions, which were organized in each nook and corner of every district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The programme launched on the eve of UN declared International Decade of Biodiversity (2011-20) disseminated knowledge regarding biodiversity focusing on wild and cultivated plants, herbs, trees and their associations with insects, birds and animals.
Sacred groves of forest vegetation were surveyed at Jatwal Kadamb Grove, Bhim Di Bani Sandrani Chadhei, Chandigam Pohu Grove in Lolab valley, Kangan in Ganderbal, Choontwalivar and Gurez.
Tree Talk, idea conceptualized by IFS officer Om Prakash Sharma Vidyarthi, a noted Sahitya Akademi Awardee, Dogri writer and acclaimed field Botanist with over 46 books on flora fauna to his credit, was launched from University of Jammu on December 19, 2010–UN declared International year of Biodiversity.
Sharma was entrusted the job to compile voluminous State Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan submitted to Government of India which highlighted different canvas of life spectrum and different strategies for conservation in 3 regions of J&K i.e Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
The programme involved all stakeholders in the learning sessions viz school college students teachers, farmers, herbal growers, scientists, Botanists, Zoologists, Environmentalists, Horticulturists, Floriculturists, Police trainees, forest front line staff, para-military personnel, media persons, writers, poets and musicians to adore, explore hidden treasures of forest wealth with appeal to know and conserve natural heritage using traditional wisdom and modern technologies.
Special invitees included many senior IAS, IPS and IFS officers even then Chief Secretary BR Sharma, DGP Dilbag Singh, Commissioner Shantmanu, Commissioner Dr Pawan Kotwal, Sanjeev Verma, Yoginder Kaul, AK Singh, Abdul Razak, Suresh Chugh, SC Sharma CCF Jammu and well known writers and media persons including Gopal Sharma, Sanjit Khajuria, Lalit Gupta, Dr Arvinder Aman, Gyaneshwar Sharma, Vijaya Thakur, Director IIIM Dr Ram Vishwakarma, Dr Mohit Gera PCCF and members of civil society.
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