Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], January 12 : As the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference for the Kutch and Saurashtra zones is being organised in Rajkot under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, a special seminar on the theme 'Conference on Land Degradation Neutrality and Sustainability' was organised by the Forest and Environment Department at Marwadi University.
Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia was present on the occasion.
Modhwadia said that Rajkot is closely linked to Gandhiji's life and ideals, and that Gandhiji's vision of balanced and sustainable development offers strong guidance for nature conservation. He noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is turning environmental challenges into opportunities through visionary initiatives.
Emphasising Gujarat's diversity of sea, mountains and deserts, he said balanced development is essential. He also highlighted the return of lions to Barda Sanctuary with a family of 17, the reappearance of tigers in Ratanmahal, and stressed that increasing green cover requires public participation along with high-quality nurseries.
In this seminar organised by the Gujarat State Forest Department, two major technical sessions were held on important aspects of environment and wildlife conservation: 1. Lion Landscape Restoration & Sustainability and 2. Banni Grassland Restoration & Sustainability.
In these sessions, discussions were held on strategies to preserve the natural habitat of Asiatic lions and ensure their sustainable development. Experts also provided guidance on restoring the ecosystem and conserving the world-famous Banni grasslands of Kutch.
In this conference, organised with the theme 'Regional Aspirations, Global Ambitions', senior officials of the Forest and Environment Department and experts from the fields of science and technology discussed how economic development can be linked with the conservation of Gujarat's natural resources.
During the programme, forest department officials also provided information on various schemes and achievements of the state government for preventing land erosion and rehabilitating wastelands. The GFRF book was released by the Minister.