New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday led discussions on exploring technology-led approaches for strengthening assessment, monitoring and management of forest and tree resources.
Speaking at the national workshop on ‘Leveraging Latest Technologies in Assessment of Forest and Tree Resources’, organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Union Minister Yadav stressed the need to harness technology to strengthen data on natural resources.
Reminding that humans are not above nature and must respect it by working towards coexistence with it, the Union Minister called for infusion of latest technology to improve decision-making and accelerate India’s climate commitments, particularly through nature-based solutions, an official statement said.
Bhupender Yadav encouraged innovation and adoption of the latest technologies while stressing the importance of indigenous technologies and capacity building of forest staff.
He called for improved quality of data and integration of field experience into a robust Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for preparation of the India State of Forest Report (ISFR), so that the report can serve as a stronger base document for forest conservation and management.
He emphasised that achieving India’s enhanced ambition of creating a 3.5–4 billion tonne Carbon dioxide-equivalent carbon sink by 2035 will require technological innovation alongside strong institutional capacities, effective policies and active participation of people and communities.
The workshop witnessed three technical sessions on the topics — Digitisation of Forest Boundaries; Forest and Tree Cover assessment; and Estimation of Carbon Stock.
The workshop brought together State Forest Departments, scientific institutions, scientists, technology experts and other stakeholders to explore technology-led approaches for strengthening assessment, monitoring and management of forest and tree resources.
It witnessed three technical sessions on the topics — Digitisation of Forest Boundaries; Forest and Tree Cover assessment; and Estimation of Carbon Stock.
Bhupender Yadav called for standardisation of parameters across institutions to enable coordinated action on forest conservation and stressed that the purpose of compensatory afforestation must be clearly aligned with preserving plantations and improving the quality of green cover.
He also emphasised the need to classify forest fire-prone regions according to the frequency of incidents and identify hotspots for targeted prevention strategies.
He noted that wetlands are critical ecosystems for conserving biodiversity and maintaining ecological balance, and called for maintaining an appropriate balance of wetlands, woodlands and grasslands.
–IANS
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