• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

Our Bureau

Thiruvananthapuram , Sept. 18

Preservation of Kerala's forest cover is a priority for the State Government, the State Forests Minister, Mr Benoy Viswam, said.

Speaking at a seminar on `Deforestation in Kerala', organised in the city today by the BBC World Service Trust and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), he said the State Government would do all it could to preserve the State's existing forests.

The high level of social awareness in Kerala about the need to preserve ecological balance is one positive aspect of the State's development process, the Minister added.

While a combination of political, social and economic factors contributes to deforestation, often it is just plain greed that leads to destruction of forests, Mr Viswam said. "All people who care about the future should play a role in preserving the forest cover."

REPORT RELEASED

A report on deforestation in Kerala prepared by TERI, which was released at the seminar, called for urgent action to retain its forest cover.

The report said that Kerala's forests must be treated as `national heritage land' and that development activity in forest areas should be undertaken only after considering the impact of such activity on biological diversity.

It has recommended a multi-pronged financial and conservation strategy to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.

Besides, it has suggested the creation of a system to monitor species diversity and habitat protection in forests.

Mr Sam Miller, Director (Media Development), BBC World Service Trust, said that the objective of the seminar was to improve coverage of environmental issues in the Indian media.

The seminar is being held as part of a nine-State training project funded by the EU-India Economic Cross Cultural Programme.

More Stories on : Environment | Kerala

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Economy to grow 8-9 pc, says RBI Governor

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line