EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, June 23: To commemorate “World Rainforest Day 2021”, the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Jammu, and Green Campus Task Force (GCTF-JU) organized an International Webinar to highlight the importance of Amazonian Rainforests. Prof Marc Dourojeanni, an international Amazonian expert and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Forestry Management, La Molina National Agrarian University, Peru was the resource person on the occasion. In his elaborative presentation, he discussed the status of natural resources and the environment in Amazonia. “Rainforests act as carbon sinks that store and absorb the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, stabilizing the Earth’s climate; and circulate more than 20% of the world’s oxygen”, said Prof Marc.
“Among the many concerns, deforestation has been increasing since the 1980s, owing to human demand for food, fibre, and fuel. Deforestation alone contributes 15 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions towards climate change. With the cutting of trees, nearly one billion hectares of tropical rainforests have been destroyed” he added.
Prof M.K Dhar, Vice-Chancellor, University of Jammu, Jammu was the Chief Guest of the occasion. He appreciated the efforts of the Department of Environmental Sciences for choosing such an important, apt, and meaningful issue of global significance for the webinar and stressed upon the need for sustainable solutions for the protection of every type of forest. Prof Piyush Malaviya, Head, Department of Environmental Sciences, formally welcomed the guests and comprehensively introduced the theme of the webinar. Dr Deepika Slathia, Sr Asstt Prof, Department of Environmental Sciences, conducted the proceedings of the program and proposed the formal vote of thanks. Prof Raj K Rampal, Prof A.K Raina, Dr Rakesh Attri, Dr Neeraj Sharma, Dr Meenakshi Khajuria, O.P Sharma Vidhyarathi, faculty members from other departments of the University, scientists and academicians from other Universities across India and the UT, research scholars, students, and the members of the civil society were amongst those who participated in the event. |
