Two-day workshop on plant diversity, conservation from tomorrow

MANGALORE: A two-days workshop on plant diversity and conservation has been arranged at Pilikula Nisarga Dhama from August 10 with financial assistance of Union Ministry of Environment and Forest. The Western Ghats forests are biologically very rich area and it is one among the 34 global biodiversity hotspots having rich floral and faunal diversity.

Diverse ecosystems of the Ghats supports rich biodiversity coupled with higher endemism could be attributed to humid tropical climate, topographical and geological characteristics, and geographical isolation. But various anthropogenic activities that are being carried out in forests of Western Ghats is posing threat and pushed many its organisms on the verge of extinction.

To create awareness in college students regarding the importance of plant taxonomy and conservation, there will be inauguration of threatened plants garden, guest lectures by resource persons and demonstrations on plant taxonomy in field and laboratory. M. Sanjappa, former director of Botanical Survey of India will inaugurate the Threatened Plants Garden.

R R Rao, INSA scientist and former head, National Botanical research Institute, Lucknow will inaugurate the workshop. This will be followed by guest lectures by eminent resource persons like RR Rao, M. Sanjappa, K Gopalakrishna Bhat, Udupi, MD Rajanna, and Krishna Kumar- Chairman, Department of Applied Botany, Mangalore University.

KM Kaveriappa, member secretary, Karnataka State Higher Education Council will preside over the inaugural function. Students from Mangalore University and different colleges will be participating in the workshop.