Coimbatore : Performers from various Western Ghats States showcased their talent in folk art as they entertained the audience at the beginning of the Ecological Festival of the Western Ghats at the Krishna College of Arts and Science, here today.
Coimbatore : Performers from various Western Ghats States showcased their talent in folk art as they entertained the audience at the beginning of the Ecological Festival of the Western Ghats at the Krishna College of Arts and Science, here today.
Dances including 'Parai Aattam' and 'Thoda Dance' marked the commencement of the three-day conference conducted to discuss the important issues relating to the mountain chain.
Speaking at the inauguration, K C Malhotra, Founding Chairman of the Save Western Ghats Movement which is organising the event opined that people’s involvement was imperative for the conservation of Western Ghats.
“People of the states of Kerala and Karnataka came together to save their sacred groves from destruction that amount to almost 1800 hectares,” noted the Founding Chairman adding that many endangered species were part of the sacred groves." Claiming that 4 percent of the forest cover was outside protected areas, he informed that diplomatic decisions should be taken to bring them under protected areas.
A J T Johnsing, former Dean of the Wildlife Institute of India said that the younger generation should take up nature conservation. Earlier, Kumar Kalanand Mani, Advisor of Save Western Ghats Movement spoke about the journey of the movement that began 30 years ago.
The three-day conference has been planned in such a way as to involve all the stake holders including policy makers, department heads, law makers, farmers, tribal societies, scientists, researchers, naturalists, wildlife enthusiasts, NGO representatives, authors, writers, media personnel, students and general public to foster healthy interactions through various events.
According to K Kalidasan, a member of the organising committee, the organisers will use debates, documentaries, rallies, exhibitions, music and drama, to discuss the core ideas of the conference, which is preservation of the Western Ghats, wildlife habitat, reducing human and animal Conflict in the fringes.
The sessions are to be handled by experts in the respective fields and all the core themes of the conference will be discussed in detail with scientific elaborations.
While representatives from all six Western Ghats States including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat will participate and submit a state-wide report of the status of Western Ghats, the reports of Kasthurirangan Commission and Madhav Gadgil are also to be emphasised upon.
The organisers are also planning for a video conference session with Madhav Gadgil.