Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, in his message on World Environment Day, has appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the youth, to take initiatives aimed at restoring the ecosystems everywhere for reviving the human-nature relationships at the local as well as regional level.
Jammu and Kashmir is known for its rich ecosystems, such as lakes and forests, which needs to be conserved for present and future generations. Along with the government, environmental experts and practitioners, the power to revitalize our environment also lies with the people.
“On this day, let us pledge to keep working to restore and rejuvenate our ecosystems and make the earth a better place to live in”, said the Lt Governor.
Initiatives like tree planting activities in homes, schools, colleges, and public spaces, cleaning drives in water bodies, rivers, canals and ensuring proper waste disposal will prove to be decisive in protection and revival of ecosystems around us, for the benefit of people and nature, he added.
Environment conservation and restoration efforts of the Government through awareness, outreach programmes, and scientific work are yielding tangible positive impact on habitat rejuvenation and mitigation of climate change. Only with healthy ecosystems, we can enhance people’s livelihoods, counteract climate change, and stop biodiversity loss. It is not only about restoring depleted ecosystems, but also about restoring people’s connection with nature and make it last forever to achieve sustainable development goals, observed the Lt Governor.
Pertinently, World Environment Day is being celebrated globally on 5th June, 2021 with focus on ‘Ecosystem Restoration’. The day commemorates the Stockholm Conference on Human Environment held in 1972. Over the years, it has become the world’s largest platform for environmental public outreach. The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed the years 2021-2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem restoration for protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world.
