Sponsored by: Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India

Organized by: Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun

 

Background :

 

With 7500 km of Coastline, 200 km wide Economic exploitation Zone, the Bay Island of Andaman & Nicobar and the atoll island group of Lakshadweep, India harbours a vast extent of Coast and marine habitat.  The Indian coastline supports almost 30% of its human population being dependent on the rich exploitable coastal and marine resources.  The Bay of Bengal and the Arabian sea continue to be a rich fishing ground in the South Asian region and India contributes to be the 7th largest marine fishing nation in the world.  The Indian coastline also supports the World’s largest mangrove in Sundarban and the rich coral formations of Andaman Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Gulf of Kuthch and Gulf of Mannar.  The off shore river basins along the east coast on India are the repository of natural gas and oil. The Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal continue to be the major maritime route for Sea trade in the South Asian Region.

 

The marine biodiversity of India is represented by rich corals, diverse fish species including the whale sharks, whales, dolphins and dugong and a plethora of economically important arthropods and mollusc.  The world’s largest marine turtle breeding ground, migratory waterfowl and Asia’s largest brackish water lake Chilika adds further values to the coastal and marine habitat and biodiversity of India.  The Ministry of Surface transport, Agriculture, Environment and Forest, Science and Technology, Commerce and Department of Ocean Development are the very stakeholders in the marine environments.

 

India is also a signatory to various International instruments and conventions related to the marine environment, notable of which are the UNCLOS, IWC, CBD, CMS, Tuna Commission, International Oceanographic Commission, Antarctica treaty etc. and therefore, has an obligation to develop proper conservation and management of the marine habitat and its management.

 

While for the terrestrial ecosystem, there has been the Forest Conservation Policy, Protected Area network and Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan, for the marine environment the conservation management focus has not yet been significant.  Keeping this in view the Ministry of Environment & Forests is proposing to organize a “National Seminar on Conservation and Management of Marine Biodiversity”, wherein all stakeholder agencies, intelligentsia, Govt. and non governmental organizations, universities and also the marine conservation management agencies of the neighbouring countries of the Indian Ocean region will participate to develop a pragmatic and workable Marine Conservation Action Plan for India. 

 

Proposed Themes/Agenda for Discussion:

 

Proposed List of Participants  

 

International Agencies

Who can apply
 

Professionals from the Forest/Wildlife sector dealing with marine biological aspects, academics from university, institutions, national and international maritime organizations, NGOs involved in marine living resource conservation as well as individuals from development agencies/departments can participate in the seminar.  

 

How to apply


While final details are being worked out, we invite you to send your nomination for the seminar, which will be accepted until 15 March 2003. The committee will review the nomination and intimate the participants regarding confirmation of their travel, accommodation and venue of the seminar.

 

If possible please send your nomination by email (bcc@wii.gov.in or rajendra_ag@nic.in). If you cannot access the email/internet, you may send your nomination as follows.

(1) Via fax sent to +91-135 – 2640117 or +91-11-24360795

(2) Via snail mail sent to:

 

Contact Us

 

B. C. Choudhury, Senior Reader & Head,
Department of Endangered Species Management

Wildlife Institute of India, Post Box 18,

Chandrabani, Dehra Dun – 248 001 (Uttaranchal)

bcc@wii.gov.in


Or


R.P. Agarwala, I.F.S.

Inspector General of Forests

Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India

Paryavaran Bhavan, CGO Complex,

Lodi Road, New Delhi - 110 003

E.mail: rajendra_ag@nic.in

 

Contact B.C. Choudhury (bcc@wii.gov.in) for all queries regarding the National Seminar on Marine Biodiversity, Kanyakumari.