Ministry of Environment and Forests01-June, 2012 17:02 IST
Science Express-Biodiversity Special Flagging-off on World Environment Day
India is
recognised as one of the megadiverse countries, rich in biodiversity and
associated traditional knowledge. With just 2.4% of the land area, India accounts
for nearly 7% of the recorded species even while supporting almost 18% of human
population. India
has a long history of conservation and sustainable use of natural resources and
is a party to many international environmental conventions including UN
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The current decade (2011-2020) has been declared as the United
Nations Decade on Biodiversity and United Nations Decade for
Deserts and the Fight against Desertification. With India hosting the
Eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP-11) to the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD), from 8- 19 October 2012 in Hyderabad, India, it is
considered an opportune time to showcase the wide array of biodiversity in the
country, the threats to the rich biodiversity and the conservation measures
adopted thereof.
This CBD COP 11 assumes immense importance considering that
it is being held in the 40th anniversary year of Stockholm Conference held in
1972, 20th anniversary year of Rio Earth Summit held in 1992, and 10th
anniversary year of World Sustainable Summit held in 2002. This would also be
the first CoP in the UN Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020.
The ‘Science Express – Biodiversity
Special (SEBS)’:
In an
effort to create widespread awareness on the unique biodiversity of the
country, Ministry in partnership with the Department of Science &
Technology will be running the train ‘Science Express – Biodiversity Special
(SEBS)’ that will cover over 100 stations in two years. Science Express-
Biodiversity Special is being flagged off on 5 June 2012. For the year
2012 the train will culminate in Gandhinagar on 22 December. The train will be
stationed at Hyderabad
from 9-19 October 2012, during the CBD COP11, so that the COP
delegates/dignitaries are able to experience the rich biodiversity of our
country.
Of the 16 coaches of the Science Express- Biodiversity
Special, eight are solely dedicated to showcasing the myriad biodiversity
spread across the bio-geographical zones- the Trans-Himalaya & the
Himalayas, the Gangetic Plain, North East India, the
Desert
& Semi-Arid Zone, the Western Ghats, the Deccan Peninsula,
the Coasts & Islands. These 8 coaches highlighting the biodiversity across
the bio-geographic zones in the country and will focus on range of Biological
diversity, critically endangered species (IUCN Red list), biodiversity
hotspots; domesticated biodiversity (agriculture, animal husbandry);
biodiversity & livelihoods, bio-culture; threats/challenges (climate change,
other anthropogenic); conservation measures; success stories/experiences/
unique stories. The exhibition also covers various other facets like marine,
coastal, forest, microbial, agro biodiversity and their linkage with
livelihoods besides challenges of conservation.
Three other coaches have exhibits on
Climate Change, Energy and Water conservation. Legacy of Science Express
showcasing the most popular exhibits from the previous phases has been
exhibited in one coach. The Joy of Science (JOS) Lab is housed in another
coach, in which students can perform
various experiments and activities to
understand concepts in biodiversity, climate change, environment and science. A
conference room-cum-training facility is also provided in a coach primarily for
the purpose of capacity building of teachers.
The Journey:
Between 5 June 2012 & 22 Dec 2012, the train will travel
almost 18,000 km, halting for 3-4 days at each of the 52 locations. The
exhibition is expected to be visited by more than 15 lakh visitors but
indirectly it is likely to engage over 50 lakh people. HSBC, the Swiss Embassy,
Nestle, PCRA and Indus
Towers have supported
some of the exhibits and complimentary activities in 4 coaches.
Reaching
out:
Wherever the train travels, activities for being planned to
engage visitors across different ages to reinforce the message of SEBS.
Specific Outreach Programme will be conducted at local schools and institutions
associated with the Ministry’s National Environment Awareness Programme (NEAC)
and National Green Corps (NGC). In addition to this informative take-away
material will also be made available for wider distribution among visitors.
Partners:
The train reflects the wisdom and the
hard-work of the knowledge partners who have contributed immensely to bring
forth the essence of ‘biodiversity’ and conservation practices in our country.
Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC) and Centre for Environment
Education (CEE), Ahmedabad along with the lead knowledge partners - Bombay
Natural History Society, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of
Science, G. B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Indian
Council of Forestry Research and Education, National Centre for Sustainable
Coastal Management, National Museum of Natural History, Wildlife Institute of
India and Wildlife Trust of India, and several others have contributed to give
final touches to this unique exhibition on wheels at the Gandhinagar railway
station.
DK/BS
(Release ID :84645)
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