IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY EDUCATION

The condition of our global environment has become a matter of grave concern to the World Community in recent years. As in information age. Modem communications and travel bring us into closer contact with every part of the World. Now we recognize that we save our common environment with ail other humans as well as our non human coin-habitants issues such as human population growth, global climate change. World wide loss of habitat and biodiversity, soil erosion, forest destruction air and water pollution, shrinking fossil fuel supplies and accumulation of toxic wastes have become topics in daily news. All of us realised that unless we learn to live more sustainably and with less impact on our environment the prospect for future generations, are bleak. Not all the news is bad and also good for us but we are encouraged by the global community finding ways to solve many of these problem. An integrated effort by all the countries of the world is necessary to solve this problem, there is hope that with education, compassion, and hard work we can bring about the necessary change to our environment and to leave a better world for our children that we inherited from our parents.

1.1     Biodiversity is a muti-disciplinery subject invoking diverse sectoral and cross sectoral activities and actions. A small thing of importance is to balance the life system in this beautiful blue green planet. Although there are dangers and difficulties here. we live in a remarkably bountiful and hospitable world that is unique in the universe as far as we know. Compared to the condition on the other planets in our solar system, temperature on the earth are mild and relatively constant. Plentiful supplies of clean water, fresh air and fertile soil are regenerated endlessly and spontaneously by biological cycles.

1.2    As our country is one of the twelve mega-biodiversity counties of the world. India accounts for 7 to 8 of the recorded species of the world with only 2.4 of the land mass. India is equally rich in traditional and indigenous knowledge.

1.3     But facts states different picture :

i.        The damage caused by killer cyclone in Orissa was most severe where
mangrove  forest that protected the coastline for 'Coastal Development' was destroyed.

ii.       Destruction of forest, fisheries and other natural resources on which
traditional livelihoods depended is pushing tens of millions of people to seek employment in cities causing havoc in city life.

iii.       Water scarcity is an increasing endemic problem even in areas with high rainfall.

iv.   Millions of hectares of agricultural land and in Punjab Haryan, U.P. and elsewhere becoming unproductive as the soil loses the biological nutrients that were once replenished by a diversity of micro-organisms, plants and animals.

v.       Huge acreages of corps are threatened as the natural enemies of their pests have been killed off by pesticides, pollution and haunting and earlier diversity of Corp varieties have been replaced by mono-cultures that are much more prone to disease and pest attack.

The health status of hundreds of rural communities is declining as a diversity of tree nutritional had and medicinal plants they once had access to no longer available, and food and medicines from market are either too expensive or unable to provide the same health inputs. The above and many other consequence are a result of the severe loss of biodiversity that India had witnessed over the last century as so, half of our  forests have gone, one third of our wetlands drained out, 70% fresh water polluted. 40% of mangroves destroyed. At lease 10 of our 135,000 species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction much of the crop and livestock diversity that once characterized Indian forming is on the decline, with some areas of Green Revolution felt losing almost all their seed diversity.

So to protect and conserve biodiversity as needs so an integrated approach of which education is most important factors. All .approach will unless people are properly educated about the importance of biodiversity-

So the Supreme Court of India has rules that each day, seven minutes of broadcast time on the national television network should be devoted to environment related programmes. MoEF has set up an Environmental Information System (ENVIS) to collect and disseminate information to researchers and the public through a network of 21 centuries in the country. ENVIS functions as a National Focal Point and a Regional Service Centre for the South Asian Sub Region Countries for INFOTERRA network, a global information network of the UNEP, ENVIS has also been designated as the National Focal Point of Sustainable Development Network programming of UNDP. ENVIS serves as the Clearing House mechanism for CBD in India. It maintains a close liaison with other National Information System on Science and Technology (NISSAT) and Biotechnology information system (BTIS).

MoEF interacts actively with the University Grants Commission (UGC), National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and the Ministry Need and Relevance of Environmental Law Education in Orissa of Human Resources Development (MHRD) for introducing and expanding environmental concepts and issues in the curricula of schools and colleges. Besides, some of the initiatives taken by MoEF is promoting Environmental Education and Awareness (EE & A) through non-formal media and methods are :

a)  The National Environmental Awareness Campaign.

b)  Establishment of Centres of Excellence in Environmental Education.

c)  Establishment of National and Regional Museum of Natural History.

d)  Setting up of Eco-clubs in schools.

e)  Production and dissemination of Films, Audio-Visual and Popular Publications of

     Environment.

f)  Supporting organisations of seminars.symposia and conferences on Environmental Issues.

g) Institution of Awards and Fellowships.

h)   Establishment of ENVIS Centres.

The Paryavaran Vahini scheme was launched by the Ministry during 1992-93 to enhance environmental awareness and encourage active participation of people. It encourages people to report illegal acts pertaining to forests, wild life pollution and environmental degradation. One Paryavaran Vahini is constituted for every identified district.

NGOs in India have played a vital role in raising awareness about the issues related to environment and development, and in mobilising people to take action. To this end. a variety of techniques and media are being employed. Many NGOs use traditional and folk media to communicate messages for peoples action. Note and References:

1)    Environment Science Global Concern : Conningham. Saigo

2)   CEERA Reading Materials

3)   The Hindu-Survey of the Environment 2001