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 UN days celebrated across the Indian Himalayas06.07.2017The Centre for Environmental Education (CEE Himalaya) actively raises awareness about the international days that are observed by the United Nations. In the months of May and June 2017, CEE Himalaya with the support of partners organized celebrations of the International Day of Biological Diversity and World Environment Day in mountain communities across the Indian Himalayan Region. International Day for Biological Diversity With financial support from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), in partnership with Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangthan (NYKS) of the Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCE Srinagar), CEE Himalaya celebrated the International Day for Biological Diversity (IBD) on 22 May 2017. Celebration in Western Himalaya IBD was celebrated in Delina Village, District Baramulla, Jammu & Kashmir. Delina is located on Srinagar – Uri, close to the Line of Control on India’s border with Pakistan. The main occupations of the people in Delina are agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry. During the IBD celebration, the importance of agrobiodiversity was highlighted, along with how farmers can help conserve the gene pool of traditional crops for increased food security and resilience to climate change. More than 70 local male farmers attended the celebration. Celebration in Jammu & Kashmir The IBD celebration in Rajouri Village, Jammu & Kashmir, was held at the Government Model Higher Secondary School. A total of 233 students and ten teachers took part in the event. Arju Sharma, a local environmental expert, expressed her views on the importance of the conservation of biodiversity. She identified some of the main threats to biodiversity, including environmental degradation, loss of habitat, unsustainable use of natural resources and climate change. During the celebration, painting, essay writing and speech competitions were held on the theme ‘Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism’. Celebration in Eastern Himalaya Government Secondary School in Deythang, West Sikkim hosted an IBD celebration. The event opened with a speech by postgraduate students of the Tata Institute of Social Science, who are interning with CEE Himalaya, about biodiversity and its importance. The speakers also played various games with the students to teach them about the biodiversity present in their local surroundings and the responsibilities they have towards conserving it. Drawing and essay writing competitions were held, and the winners were given prizes. World Environment Day CEE Himalaya with the support of ICIMOD, Give2Asia and RCE Srinagar celebrated World Environment Day (WED) on 5 June 2017. The celebrations included a range of activities conducted at different locations. Celebration in Western Himalaya CEE Himalaya organized a WED 2017 event at Masjid Rizwi Jawahar Nagar in Rajouri, Jammu & Kashmir. More than 80 participants were present for the programme. It was the first time that WED was celebrated inside the local Masjid (Mosque). Those who attended the event, along with the entire community, welcomed this celebration in the Masjid and gave thanks to CEE officials for conducting the celebration, creating awareness about the environment and giving the community important information for their every-day lives. Celebration in Central Himalaya The Him Academy Public School in Hiranagar, Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh observed a number of programmes to encourage environmental awareness in light of WED. Celebrations began with a tree planting activity led by volunteers to make the surrounding area greener. Then, students of different ages at Him Academy Public School contributed to the overall WED celebration by participating in various activities: the 1st class students cleaned and collected leaves from around the vicinity, the 2nd and 5th classes participated in a poem reciting competition, the 3rd class participated in a speech competition, the 4th class held a painting competition, the 6th class gave a song and dance performance about the conservation of nature, and the 8th class organized a rally for the environment. Celebration in Central Himalaya CEE Himalaya organized an event in Kuroli Village, Uttarkashi District, Uttarakhand on 5 June in collaboration with Yuva Mangal Dal. The event commenced with a welcome speech by Mr Kushpal Singh and Mr Jagroshan Panwar of CEE Himalaya’s Uttarkashi Team. They gave a brief introduction of WED, its importance and history, and what is being done all over the world to celebrate. They discussed the current livelihood options based on natural resources available for community members and how joint efforts by the entire village are needed to diversify livelihood options. Thereafter, Singh gave examples of water conservation and the protection of the natural water bodies, stressing indoor water conservation measures such as rainwater harvesting. He also shared the importance of forests to the local people. Celebration in Eastern Himalaya A week-long celebration of the environment kicked off with a celebration of WED, sponsored by CEE Himalaya, ICIMOD, Give2Asia and RCE Srinagar, on 3 June in Deythang Village, West Sikkim District. Students interning with CEE Himalaya organized the event with the local Gram Panchayat, and more than 130 people participated. Participants were addressed by the chief guest, Purba Tshering Bhutia, President of the Joint Forest Management Committee, who discussed the upcoming events to take place during the environmental week and requested that villagers commit themselves to environmental protection. The slogan he passed on was “Sabai Milera, Vricksha Ropan Karaun, Hamro Paryavaranlai, Bachai Rakhun” (Let us plant trees together to protect our environment). The programme for the week included group discussions, folksongs and other cultural activities conducted by the community members. News and photo by CEE Himalaya |
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