NewsConference highlights bamboo for ‘conservation, restoration and livelihoods’ in India
Three-day conference in Dehradun, India reveals the multifunctional potential of bamboo for addressing environmental and socioeconomic issues.
From 20 to 22 June 2024, a three-day conference was organized in Dehradun, India on “Living with Nature: Soil, Water and Society in Ecosystem Conservation.” The event was supported by the Indian Association of Soil & Water Conservationists, Dehradun, in collaboration with ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation, Dehradun, INBAR and the International Water Management Institute.
During the proceedings, INBAR along with other partners organized a special technical session on “Bamboo for Resource Conservation, Land Restoration and Livelihood Security” on 21 June to highlight best practices and scientific knowledge of global relevance.
Tom Obong Okello, Executive Director at the National Forestry Authority of Uganda (right) chaired the special technical session and shared his experience of developing strategic roadmaps and initiatives for the Government of Uganda to address environmental and economic issues. Sangeeta Agasty, Regional Director of INBAR for South Asia, co-chaired and moderated the session. She emphasized the importance of scientific knowledge and multistakeholder collaborations for scaling up initiatives to enhance impact on people and planet.
The session was enriched by four thought-provoking deliberations by keynote speakers. Jayaraman Durai, INBAR Director of Global Programme, spoke about restoring land and livelihoods through an integrated value chain approach using bamboo resources. B. Krishna Rao, Head of ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation, Ballari, Karnataka, India presented a case study on Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus) based Bio-engineering Interventions for Reclamation and Productive Utilization of Ravine Lands. Ajay Thakur, Scientist and Head of Division on Genetics and Tree Improvement, Genetics and Tree Propagation, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun (left) spoke about enhancing the productivity of bamboo species relying on genetic improvement and biotechnology. Finally, Ambrish Kumar, Dean of the College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur, Bihar, India deliberated on bamboo hydrology and bioengineering for conserving soil and water resources.
Apart from these keynote presentations, four papers were also presented by their respective authors. These papers focused on best practices on various aspects of conservation and livelihoods using bamboo resources in India.
Agasty (right) also represented INBAR in the valedictory session of the conference as a guest of honor and expressed INBAR’s interest for continued collaboration with the organizers for the common cause of resource conservation.
