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Bengal

Soon, ZSI to maintain register to record bio-resources along Bengal coastline

Kolkata: The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) will soon initiate the process of preparation of People Biodiversity Register (PBR) involving the habitat of the biodiversity under the Coastal Regulation Zone across the Bengal coastline.
"Our aim is to ensure that the register can be utilised by the State Biodiversity Board for sustainable utilisation and management of bio-resource of the coastal region," Anil Mohapatra, ZSI scientist said.
The ZSI has recently been urged by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF) to train students for preparation of PBR. Dr Amita Prasad, additional
secretary of MOEF visited Digha on Friday and inaugurated Sunderban Walkthrough Diorama at the ZSI Marine Aquarium cum Regional Centre (MARC).
The basic concept behind the PBR is to have a comprehensive information on the locally available bio-resources including landscape and demography of a particular area or village so that the people of the area get full benefit from the rich biodiversity.
"The local community and the students should be involved as they are the best persons who have the knowledge or utilise the diversified flora and fauna of the area for their daily use," Mohapatra said.
Director, ZSI, Dr Kailash Chandra informed that they have been organising training programmes for the past seven years for the benefit of the state government officials for implementation of coastal zone management with the financial support of World Bank.
ZSI started a five-day training Programme on Integrated Coastal Zone Management for the state government officials at the MARC complex in Digha on Friday.
A one-day seminar on "Marine Biodiversity and Conservation" for college students of East Midnapore district was organised by ZSI recently in which four lectures pertaining to marine bio-diversity and conservation was also presented to the 60 participant students.
The Sunderban Walkthrough Diorama has life-size models of animals like Royal Bengal Tiger, crocodiles, variety of crabs and birds that are found in the Sunderbans.
"Our aim is to portray the life of the people in the Sunderban villages, particularly the fishermen leading their lives as boatmen. They have to spend sleepless nights in boats for catching fish to eke out a living," Mohapatra, who is also the director of MARC, said.
According to him, people visiting the museum will have the perfect feel of walking through the mangrove of the Sunderbans. There will be wonderful drawings of animals, birds, snakes, insects and aquatic creatures found in the creeks and rivers of the Sunderbans.
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