Guwahati- Balipara Foundation continued its 12th edition of the annual Eastern Himalayan NaturenomicsTM Forum in Guwahati, with conversations on The Future of the Third Pole & the Eastern Himalaya exploring the need for urgent action on climate and action in the Third Pole for the future of lives and livelihoods across the Eastern Himalaya.
Day 2 of the Forum was opened by Chanakya Chaudhury, VP – Corporate Services at Tata Steel, who highlighted the importance of the broader Himsagar region, from the snowline of the Himalayas down to the sealine of the Bay of Bengal, and the criticality of valuing its ecosystems to spur biodiversity action.
“We need to make use of traditional knowledge from local communities who know their challenges and realities much better than a policy maker living in a city. Organisations need to be cognizant of corporates and communities working hand in glove rather than in conflict with each others best interest and in order to gain that trust on ground, enough educative programs need to be run based on data, research and community knowledge,” said Chanakya Chaudhury, VP – Corporate Services at Tata Steel, in an opening keynote to set the context for the second day of the Forum.
Reflecting on the urgency of valuing the ecosystems of the Himsagar region, the Eastern Himalaya, Dr. Ravi Singh, CEO of WWF India said: “We need to ensure the discovery of things we have not discovered yet. The best way to help the biodiversity of the Eastern Himalaya is to understand them – understand their habitats, their prevalence, and .”
In a series of panels and workshops held through the day, corporate leaders and experts from academia and the conservation and development sectors discussed key challenges in managing agricultural lands sustainably in the Eastern Himalaya, eliminating plastic waste in rural areas, protecting Asian Elephants at a landscape level and policy changes needed to protect and restore the region’s rich forest ecosystems.
“Preserving water for life is a key imperative. Water is the juice that keeps us going. The whole ethos of developing a brand is to encourage people to do more for their region, for their community,” said Ashish Parikh, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Diageo India, talking about the need to reduce water waste across the sector.
The 12th edition of the Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics™ Forum concludes with the Balipara Foundation Awards, celebrating the success stories of community leaders, scientists and conservationists in protecting the biocultural heritage of the Eastern Himalaya.
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