Awareness events mark Biodiversity Day

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 22

Several NGOs and organisations marked the Biodiversity Day with ceremonial eco awareness programmes here on Wednesday.

Social orgnisations, including FICCI FLO kicked off their Seeds of Change initiative in collaboration with the Department of Forest. A dispersal drive for seed bombs or a concept where seeds were preserved in compost and clay to ensure survival and nurture was kicked off where the Forest Department gave their official cars to take volunteers to different ranges to throw the seed balls around the drains under the guidance of District Forest Officer Surjeet Singh Sahota. The dispersal area was expanded to Tarn Taran district as well will be along the drains made near the canals. “The Forest Department also gifted us material to make more seed balls. Most the seeds are of various native varieties of trees to ensure healthy survival rate and fruit bearing trees,” informed Aarushi Verma, chairperson, FICCI FLO.

Several NGOs, including Mission Aghaaz and Amritsar Vikas Manch too marked the day with eco awareness programmes. Plantation drives were carried out by volunteers and waste management workshop was also held at Cantonment that had been running SLRM programmes successfully since 2015. The Amritsar Cantonment has received Rashtrapati Award for their SLRM project under which they have gone zero waste and recently was awarded the best cantonment award under Swachh Sarvekshan 2019.

District Library Amritsar along with 5Aab, a social and literary organisation also marked the day by hosting a seminar on adopting green lifestyle. Dr Harpreet Arora, chief speaker for the seminar, laid emphasis on doing small bits towards bigger change. “Children should not only plant trees but also look after them, ensure that they survive because our survival depends on them. By adopting good practices of reuse, recycle and living in harmony with nature, we can still salvage what is left of our ecology.” Library also distributed plants to the attendees as a gift.

It was also discussed that the native trees of the city should be planted, including the fruit bearing varieties, to ensure that some kind of revenue generation be achieved through them.