“Students must play a proactive role in conserving the biodiversity of the Western Ghats and become ambassadors of environmental protection,” said Renita Mathayis, Information Officer at the Karnataka Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI.
She was speaking at a workshop on Climate Change and Biodiversity of the Western Ghatsorganised at Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa College in collaboration with the Department of Zoology and EMPRI.
College Principal Dr. Major B. Raghav, presiding over the programme, cautioned that unchecked modernisation was harming the environment. “Resorts, commercial projects, toxic pesticides, use of plastic, and unchecked expansion of residential areas are all accelerating environmental degradation,” he said, calling on students to create awareness in society.
As a resource person, Manu Krishnamurthy of Mysore Green Steps Institute explained issues relating to forests of the Western Ghats, biodiversity loss, rainfall and water cycle changes, ecological imbalance, and the need to conserve local species.
Programme coordinator Dr. M.V. Krishna, faculty members, non-teaching staff, and students participated. Student K.T. Varsha delivered a speech, Dr. Soumya K. welcomed the gathering, and B.M. Nalini proposed the vote of thanks. Certificates were distributed to students after the workshop.
