CHENNAI: The role of local communities in biodiversity conservation and climate action is neither marginal nor superficial, but integral, said Additional Chief Secretary of Environment, Climate Change and Forests, Supriya Sahu, at a panel discussion titled 'Championing the Earth, Saving the Future', chaired by senior journalist Kaveree Bamzai at the 14th edition of ThinkEdu Conclave at ITC Grand Chola on Monday.
Driving home her point to students in the audience, she recalled that while working on the Nilgiri Tahr project, a tribal woman had told her about certain kinds of grasses the tahr consumed. The woman explained that if they wanted to ensure the animal’s survival, they needed to cultivate those specific varieties of vegetation. Sahu added that her research team later confirmed that the same vegetation was indeed crucial for the tahr’s survival.
She cited another example of the fish-bone canal model suggested by communities living near mangroves, which is now being used successfully by the Tamil Nadu government. Calling it a “miracle of nature,” she said the structure allows both fresh water and brackish water to reach the roots of mangroves in the right proportion, helping them thrive.
Answering a question on how youngsters can get involved in biodiversity projects, Sahu pointed to four programmes already undertaken by the government, including the Green Flag Fellowship and bio-incubation centres in schools.
She also shared an inspiring anecdote about an elderly woman she met in Pichavaram. The woman told her that many of her relatives had been washed away in natural calamities and that she now saw it as her responsibility to protect the remaining mangroves, saying she was living for that sole purpose.
Speaking about sustainability efforts at Tata Motors, Jyotin Kutty Sastabhavan, Chief Sustainability Officer of the firm, said that in the aftermath of COVID 19, the company’s chairman introduced an approach focused on embracing Mother Earth. The key areas of focus included net zero targets, the circular economy, and reducing the renewable energy footprint.
“To understand biodiversity, we invited experts from India and abroad and held several conferences within the company,” he said. The company then assessed pollution levels in the land, water, and soil where its plants operate. They mapped the entire organisation, including thousands of suppliers, and have successfully implemented sustainability measures across the supply chain.