Centres of Excellence - MoEFmoef.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/report/0607/chap09.pdf · Centres of Excellence Introduction and Objectives The scheme of Centres of Excellence was started

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Annual Report 2006-2007

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Centres of Excellence

Introduction and Objectives

✦ The scheme of Centres of Excellence wasstarted in 1983 by the Ministry to strengthenawareness, research and training in priorityareas of Environmental Science andmanagement.

✦ The following Centres of Excellence inspecific areas have been setup so far by theMinistry which are as follows:

✧ Centre for Environment Education(CEE), Ahmedabad on‘Environmental Education’

✧ CPR Environment Education Centre(CPREEC), Chennai on‘Environmental Awareness’

✧ Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES),Bangalore on ‘Ecology of WesternGhats and Research’

✧ Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology andNatural History (SACON),Coimbatore on ‘Avian Ecology’

✧ Centre for EnvironmentalManagement of Degraded Ecosystem(CEMDE), Delhi University, Delhi onManagement of ‘Degraded Ecosystem’

✧ Foundation for Revitalization of Localhealth Traditions (FRLHT), Bangaloreon ‘Medicinal Plants & TraditionalKnowledge’

✧ Centre for Mining Environment(CME), Indian School of Mines,Dhanbad on ‘Mining Environment’

✧ Madras School of Economics (MSE),Chennai on ‘EnvironmentalEconomics’

✧ Tropical Botanic Garden and ResearchInstitute (TBGRI),Thiruvananthapuram on‘Conservation of Tropical Plants’

Progress of activities undertaken by theseCentres are as follows:

Centre for Environment Education (CEE),Ahmedabad


The CEE was established in 1984 as a Centreof Excellence on Environmental Education,supported by the Ministry. CEE’s primary objectiveis to improve public awareness and understandingof the environment with a view to promoting theconservation and sustainable use of nature andnatural resources, leading to a better environmentand a better quality of life. To this end, it developsinnovative programmes and educational material,builds capacity in the field of education forsustainable development, and undertakesdemonstration projects in education,communication and development that endorseattitudes, strategies and technologies which areenvironmentally sustainable

Progress of Activities Undertaken Under VariousProgrammes

CEE implemented 134 projects under its 21Thrust Areas during the year which are as follows:

Formal Education Programmes

Strengthening Environment Education in theSchool System

✦ This project of the Ministry is beingimplemented by CEE throughout thecountry, in collaboration with StateDepartments of Education to develop syllabiand material appropriate for theimplementation of the Supreme Court ordermaking Environmental Education (EE)compulsory at all levels of formal education.27 States were assisted in developing proposalsregarding text book writers’ orientation,development and teachers training.

National Green Corps (NGC)

✦ NGC is an awareness programme initiatedand funded by the Ministry aimed atspreading environmental awareness amongschool children and involving them inenvironment-related activities though eco-clubs. CEE is the Resource Agency in 15states and two UTs, covering around 40,000

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Ministry of Environment & Forests

schools. A database on the schools andteacher-in-charge was created. Alsoconducted action projects for the 20 eco-clubsformed under the project “Dal LakeConservation through EnvironmentEducation”.

Undergraduate Environmental Studies Course

✦ CEE for the second consecutive year, taughta semester-long three credit course to a batchof 240 fourth year B.Tech. students ofDhirubhai Ambani Institute of Informationand Communication Technology (DA-IICT), Gandhinagar.

Environmental Education Activities in Schools

✦ EE activities were implemented andmonitored in about 1700 schools in AndhraPradesh, Karnataka and Delhi.

✦ A contest was conducted for selection ofstudents from India for Stockholm JuniorWater Prize.

✦ A summer camp on ‘Renewable Energy’ wasorganised in collaboration with OrissaRenewable Energy Development Authority.

✦ Prakriti EE Bus, run by youth volunteers,visited 75 schools in Gujarat.

✦ Environmental Days like Earth Day, WorldEnvironment Day, World Health Day, WorldFood Day, etc. were celebrated with childrenin a number of locations across the country.

Capacity Building

✦ Forty Diplomas in EE were awarded underthe Green Teacher Distance EducationProgramme. Contact sessions were alsoorganised for the 2006 batch.

✦ The three-month residential Training inEducation and Communication forSustainable Development was organised forparticipants from three countries.

✦ Sida-sponsored International TrainingProgramme in EES was organized.

✦ Teacher training workshops were organisedin various places benefiting over 1200

teachers.

✦ The ninth batch of the Distance LearningProgramme in Communicating forDevelopment was completed.

Youth Programmes

✦ The 4th South Asian Youth Environment

Network (SAYEN) Regional Meet inColombo was organised.

✦ Thirty case examples for the Sub-regionalSustainable Development Strategy for SouthAsia – A Youth Perspective were compiled.

✦ Youth groups documented Learnings fromTsunami from India, Indonesia, Sri Lankaand Maldives. For India, a profile of 22organisations was made and 10 case studiesin Kerala and Tamil Nadu were documented.

✦ Study of the EE curriculum in Nepal andMaldives was undertaken. Guidelines andreport for Youth to Schools in these countrieswas prepared.

Media

✦ A Communication Strategy for Solid WasteManagement for Mumbai was developed

✦ A Communication and Management Planwas developed for the East Kolkata Wetlands

✦ A film festival along with British Library andSAYEN for climate change related films wasorganised

✦ A website “Kids Green” for the Children wasdeveloped and updated every month

Interpretation and Experiencing Nature

✦ Interpretation Programmes in nine protectedareas and nature parks in the country inter-alia including designing are being developed,writing, fabrication and installment ofexhibits, dioramas, touch screens, postcards,brochures and posters etc. to communicateinformation of the environment in aninteresting and interactive manner.

✦ CEE was appointed as Facilitating Instituteby the Central Zoo Authority for developinga Master Zoo Education Plan for India’s zoos.

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✦ Over 70,000 people visited CEE’s SundarvanNature Discovery Centre.

✦ Thirty camps for about 1400 students andyouth, in 14 camp sites was organised byCEE.

✦ The project Achieving Action in WasteManagement (AAWaM) in four temple towns– Vrindavan, Puri, Ujjain and Tirupathi wasimplemented.

✦ A regional workshop for media specialistsalong with UNEP-ROAP was organised

✦ A training workshop for government officialsand industry on implementation of OzoneDepleting Substances (ODS) regulations wasalso organised by CEE

Publications

✦ Developed four modules for teacher educatorsalong with NCTE.

✦ Developed and disseminated fourteenresource materials in different languages toteachers, schools, students and communities.

✦ Brought out four new titles under the E&DBook Series.

C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre,Chennai

Introduction and objectives

✦ C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre(CPREEC) was established in 1989 toincrease consciousness and knowledge aboutthe environment and the majorenvironmental problems facing India today,and to spread the message of conservation ofthe environment through education in boththe formal and non-formal sectors.

✦ CPREEC has been conducting a variety ofprogramme to spread awareness and interestamong all sections of the public, by organizingtraining programmes, workshops, courses,surveys, exhibitions, and by raising awarenessthrough action.

Activities undertaken so far

Since its inception, CPREEC has beenworking in the rural, urban and tribal areas ofAndhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa,Maharashtra, Orissa, Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu.Imparting environmental education and awarenessto various cross-sections of people is the chiefmandate of CPREEC. CPREEC’s field offices inthe fragile eco system of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserveand Andaman & Nicobar Islands cater to the needsof the tribal on forest eco system and marineecosystem respectively.

Progress of activities undertaken during the year

Audio visual campaign

The video van of CPREEC travelled toremote villages and cities in the states of AndhraPradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.Awareness raising programmes were conducted forschool children during day time and for villagers ata common place at night. A total of 204programmes were conducted covering 40882participants.

Training of teachers

A total of 134 Training programmes aimedat educating and sensitizing a wide constituencyon environmental issues were conducted forPrimary School Teachers and teacher- trainees basedon State and Central Board Syllabi in the states ofAndhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala,Maharashtra, Orissa, Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu.

Biodiversity Conservation Education

The CPREEC organized 21 trainingprogrammes covering 634 participants for teachersand teacher trainees in the states of Andhra Pradesh,Karnataka, Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu during theyear.

Women and eco development

Training programmes on “Women andEnvironment” and “Health and Nutrition” covering1654 woman were conducted. Communitysmokeless chulhas were also constructed in severalmid-day meal centers.

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Nenmeli eco-model village

The CPREEC organized a trainingprogramme on Micro Watershed Management forstudents from Menzies College, La Trobe University,Australia at Nenmeli eco-model village during theyear.

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve Conservation Education

In all programmes totalling 31 and covering1511 participates were organized for spreadingenvironmental education for conservation of NilgiriBiosphere Reserve, an ecologically fragile areaspanning three states of Karnataka, Kerala andTamil Nadu.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands ConservationEducation

The Centre conducted 20 programmes for956 participates in the ecologically fragile area ofthe Andaman & Nicobar Islands, impartingenvironmental education to school teachers,students, women and villagers on the importanceof the marine ecosystem.

Publications

During the year, the following materials werepublished:

✦ Environmental quarterly newsletterECONEWS

✦ Journal of Environmental Education

✦ ENVIS Newsletter

✦ SDNP Newsletter

✦ Ecological Traditions of Kerala

✦ Ecological Traditions of Maharashtra

✦ Booklet on En veetu thottathil

✦ The Tree – A book of facts and activities

✦ Animals – Its their world too

✦ Fun at the beach

✦ The Young Environmentalist’s Manual

✦ Environmental Concerns of India

Fig 71. Training on paper bag making at CPREEC, Chennai

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✦ Environmental Education – A Teacher’s Kit

✦ Reprint of Environmental Laws of India –An Introduction

✦ Pamphlets on Water and Disease, Pollutionand Health, Disasters and their management,Wildlife of India and Sacred Animals of India

Research and surveys

The following research and surveys werecarried out during the year:

✦ Assessment of ground water quality at morethan 100 locations in Chennai city.

✦ Survey on ambient air quality at two locationsin Chennai city.

✦ Survey on Noise level at different locationsin Chennai city using integrated noise levelmeter.

✦ Assessment of soil quality of Vellakalpattivillage in Trichy District, Tamil Nadu.

✦ Ground water quality of Union Territory ofPondicherry.

✦ Assessment of ground water in and aroundKanchipuram Town with regard to pesticidesand potability.

✦ Rapid impact Assessment study ofPallikaranai with regard to air, water andsludge.

National Green Corps (NGC)

✦ Trainings were imparted at the 5th “Eco

Resource Teachers Training Workshop” forteachers under NGC organized by the GoaState Council for Science & Technology atPanaji and at Margaon. Orientationprogrammes were also coordinated on watermonitoring for school students of six NGCschools in South Goa and conducted trainingprogrammes for NGC teachers of Kerala andOrissa.

✦ The Centre also assisted in writing anddistributing Textbooks on EnvironmentalScience up to Std. XII apart from monitoringand evaluating of NGC activities in the state

of Andhra Pradesh and organized a refreshercourse for NGC Teacher Coordinators in thestate.

Other programmes

✦ Two workshops for Foresters / Forest RangeOfficers in collaboration with the Tamil NaduForest Department were organised.

✦ A short term course on Environment andSustainable Development for NGOs andindustrial people at Chennai duringSeptember and another course on WaterAnalysis for NGOs and industrial people atChennai during October were conducted.

✦ A project on Biodiversity Conservationthrough Capacity Building in collaborationwith the British High Commission, NewDelhi was implemented and a series ofworkshops for NGOs and Chief JudicialMagistrates were organized in the states ofTamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Fig 72. Training on vemicomposting pit by CPREEC

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✦ A workshop on Coastal Regulation Zone(CRZ) Notification 1991 at Chennai forNGOs, panchayat members, villagers ofTsunami affected villages was organised incollaboration with the Department ofEnvironment, Government of Tamil Nadu.

✦ Organized in collaboration with theDepartment of Environment, Government ofTamil Nadu

✦ The VATAVARAN 2006 film festival atKalaivanar Arangam, Chennai, on October5-7, 2006 was organized in collaboration withthe Centre for Media Studies, New Delhi andDepartment of Environment, Government ofTamil Nadu,

✦ A workshop on “Environmental FilmMaking: Opportunities and Constraints” wasorganised during the year.

✦ The Centre also Co- sponsored the 4thBiennial Asia for Animals Conference 2007organized by Blue Cross of India at Chennaion January 10-12, 2007.

Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Banglore


The Centre for Ecological Sciences wasrecognized as a Centre of Excellence in the year1982-83 to conduct research and undertakeeducation and training in the broad area of ecologyof Western Ghats.

Progress of Activities

The Centre carried out 28 research projectsduring the year under the broad themes ofBiodiversity Conservation, Behaviour andEvolution, Climate Change and its Impact, andEco-development. In addition, it offered severalcourses for PhD students, hosted visiting scientistsand students from other institutions, and conductedseveral workshops/training programmes forstakeholders, particularly the forest department. Asummary report of the main activities is as follows:

✦ Population genetic structure of gaur (Bosgaurus) through non-invasive sampling fromthree major populations, Nilgiris, Anamalai,

and Pereira, in southern India.

✦ Community Ecology and PopulationGenetics of Herpetofauna in the WesternGhats.

✦ Delimiting species boundaries amongHanuman langurs through collection of acombination of behavioral, ecological,morphological, and genetic data.

✦ Canopy gaps, regeneration and biodiversityin natural forests and plantations in theWestern Ghats to address the implications offorest canopy gap size on biodiversity andregeneration.

✦ Interaction between invertebrates and adominant understorey leguminous tree in thewet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats

✦ Studies on Calls of twenty cricket speciesconstituting the nocturnal dry season acousticcommunity in Kudremukh National Park.

✦ Assessment of the impact of projected climatechange on forest ecosystems in India.

✦ The structure and stability of tropical forestsand their role in the carbon cycle in thecontext of future climate change.

✦ Participatory Natural Resources monitoringin selected villages in Uttara Kannada districtof Karnataka

Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and NaturalHistory (SACON), Coimbatore

Objectives

The Centre was established in 1990. Themain objectives of the Centre are to design andconduct research in ornithology covering all aspectsof biodiversity and natural history.

Activities undertaken

During the year, SACON has undertaken 30research projects which deals with a variety ofspecialized topics related with ecosystems in generaland with different biological components inparticular. Species specific studies on birds andreptiles, and studies relating to ecosystems /community ecology, impact assessment,

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environmental contamination, and environmentalchemistry were the broad categories of studies.SACON also continued ENVIS programme onwetlands, and pursued its nature educationprogramme intensively during the period.

Major activities of the centre during the year

✦ Studies in the Andaman & Nicobar Islandsfocused on rare and endemic birds such asthe Andaman Crake. Valuable informationon the data deficient Andaman crake isrecorded. In situ & Ex-situ conservationprogramme for the Edible-nest Swifttlet beingpursued since 1999 showed very encouragingand positive results, in terms of establishingnew colonies and successful rearing of chicks.The results reveal that the strategy of makinglocal communities responsible for theconservation and also the beneficiaries of theprogramme can be very fruitful in conservingthe species.

✦ Species specific studies included studies onGrey-breasted laughing thrush, Indian Grey

Hornbill, and House sparrows. The study onGrey-breasted laughing thrush, a globally nearthreatened endemic species, generatedvaluable information on its population,habitat use and threats, which can be used indeveloping a conservation strategy for thespecies. Among other specific studies the oneon House Sparrow is expected to bring outinsights into their reported fall in populationfrom many urban Centres of the county. Thestudy also examines the possible impacts ofurbanization on the species. A study onadaptation and tolerance of birds tourbanization and one on plant-birdinteractions were also in progress.

✦ The study on butterflies was undertaken inthe Silent Valley National Park with specificinquiries on the relationship between forestgaps and butterflies diversity. Several rarespecies were recorded during the study.

✦ The four year ecological study on themammals, birds, herpetofauna and butterfliesin Teesta river basin was completed during

Fig 73. A flock of rosy pastor (Sturnus roseur), at Bhuj, Gujarat

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the year. The study documents the richnessof the biodiversity of the area, and highnumber endemic and exclusive species. Anature awareness workshop was alsoorganized targeting especially school andcollege students to communicate andemphasize the need for immediateconservation measures to protect theecologically rich area.

✦ Documentation and ecological investigationsof herpatofauna was undertaken in the UpperVaigai plateau. The study is expected todocument species distribution acrossaltitudes, endemicity and habitatrequirements. A research project on ecologyof Python in Keoladeo National Park was alsoinitiated.

✦ As part of monitoring environmentalcontaminants in Indian avifauna, birdcarcasses were collected from different partsof the country and analyzed fororganochlorine residues. The results indicatevarious levels of contamination. Studies werealso undertaken on fish collected from varioussources with respect to pesticide residues.

✦ The ENVIS Centre on Wetland Ecosystemcontinued to disseminate vast information onwetlands systems to various stakeholders.

✦ A study undertaken on the structural andfunctional aspects of wetlands of the Indo-Gangetic plains focusing on the Utter Pradeshexamined over 37 wetlands, and reportedsignificant losses of the habitat since 1970-72. Another study on status of wetland andwetland birds in Tamil Nadu was undertakenand has already covered about 60 wetlands.

✦ As part of environmental assessments,SACON undertook studies on Kundhapumped storage hydroelectric project,Mumbai Trans Harbor Sea Link project,Blewitts Owl habitats in view of the proposedbauxite mines in Arakku valley, and India basedneutrino project at Masinagudi. The scopes ofthe projects were mostly limited to impacts onbirds, other fauna and floral aspects.

✦ During the year, SACON conducted aVacation Training Programme for schoolchildren, a residential program that extendedfor 25 days. The People’s Biodiversity Registerthrough children, in collaboration withcertain schools and Sálim Ali Nature ClubNetwork was continued. As part of natureeducation programme, SACON organizedguest lectures, nature awareness campaigns,nature camps, school nature club networks,children’s ecology congress, Sálim Ali rollingtrophy nature competitions and trainerstraining programmes.

✦ SACON published about 15 research articlesin peer reviewed journals or edited volumes,10 research reports, and more than 30seminar / conference papers during the year.

Centre for Environmental Management ofDegraded Ecosystem, Delhi

Introduction

The Centre for Environmental Managementof Degraded Ecosystem (CEMDE), under the aegisof School of Environmental Studies, DelhiUniversity has been functioning as Centres ofExcellence of the Ministry since 1997.

Activities undertaken during the year

✦ Fine Ore Dump (Deposit 5, 10,11 A) ofBailadilla Iron Ore project of NationalMineral Development Corporation atBacheli, Chattisgarh has been transformed into a grassland ecosystem consisting of 20 grassspecies and 5-10 legumes through therestoration technology developed at theCentre. This grassland ecosystem will bedeveloped into a tropical semi evergreen forestin a phased manner.

✦ A 10 acre plot of degraded forest belongingto ‘Beed’ area of Vidya Bhawan Society inUdaipur range of Aravallis was selected forecological rehabilitation after eradication ofweeds such as Lantana. Using the cut rootstock method, Lantana has been successfullyeradicated. In the first phase of ecosystemsredevelopment a grassland having 14 grass

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species has been successfully established; othernative tree species will be introduced in aphased manner.

✦ A total of 30 acres of Lantana infested areadistributed across Corbett Tiger Reserve,Satpura Tiger Reserve, and Kalesar NationalPark was selected for eradication of Lantanaand restoration of weed free habitats tograssland ecosystems, primarily to enhancethe trophic levels in the Protected Areas aswell as enhance the biological productivityof the protected areas. Lantana camara hasbeen successfully eradicated at the local level,using the innovative cut rootstock methoddeveloped by the Centre together with thephysical control of new invasions brought outby generalist birds. The areas selected inCorbett Tiger Reserve have been restored tograssland ecosystems, which are now beingused by different species of herbivores. Themanagement of Corbett Tiger Reserve hasalready eradicated Lantana from 620 ha of

Lantana infested forestes using this technique.In Satpura Tiger Reserve and Kalesar NationalPark grasslands are being developed on weedfree landscapes.

✦ A workshop on “Eradication of invasive weedsand habitat Restoration” was organized forRange Officers, Assistant Conservator ofForests, Divisional Forest Officers, etc. someof whom have already initiated Lantanaeradication in areas under their jurisdiction.Another workshop of the InternationalSymposium on the “Management of InvasiveWeeds” was organized at the Centre. Theworkshop was attended by the Principal ChiefConservator of Forests, Chief WildlifeWardens, Chief Conservator of Forests andother senior officials of different State ForestDepartments. All the officials attending theworkshop expressed that eradication ofLantana should be taken up on a priority basisusing the innovative cut rootstock methoddeveloped by the Centre.

Fig 74. Spotted deer in Lantena grassland developed by CEMDE

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Foundation for Revitalisation of Local HealthTraditions (FRLHT), Bangalore


Medicinal plants being recognized as animportant national resource of economic andcultural value, which needed to be conserved andsustainably used. The Ministry setup a Centres ofExcellence on ‘Medicinal Plants & TraditionalKnowledge’ at FRLHT, Bangalore in October, 2002to undertake six major activities viz.:

✦ Creation of a Bio-cultural repository ofMedicinal plants of India

✦ Development of Educational Materials (onthe rich traditional knowledge of theMedicinal Plants of India)

✦ Training to Village Botanists in identificationand monitoring of Medicinal Plants

✦ Establishment of an ethno-medicinaldemonstration garden in Bangalore

✦ Pharmacognostic studies on prioritizedmedicinal plants

✦ Preparation of Medicinal Plants DistributionMaps using GIS

Progress / Achievements during the year

Creation of a Bio-cultural repository of Medicinalplants

✦ Botanical expeditions were conducted inSouthern India regions namely Javvadi hills,Kovilpatti, Kodaikanal, Tuticorin, Cuddalore,Mahabalipuram, Kanyakumari and Nilgiris(Tamil Nadu) & Bangalore district andChitradurga district (Karnataka), North-Western Himalayas, Trans-Himalayan regionsof Pangi and Lahaul valleys (HimachalPradesh). North-west Plains of Ajmer andJodhpur (Rajasthan), Gujarat and NEHimalayas (Arunachal Pradesh). A total of942 field records were collected foridentification of the specimens.

✦ Ninety four raw drug samples were collected(market samples), identified and accessed tothe repository. A total of 60 authentic rawdrug samples were collected from different

Fig 75. Sarsiva – an endemic medicinal plant of Southern India

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fields and added to the raw drug repository.Seven hundred herbarium specimens withproper identification and authentication wereselected, scanned at 300 dpi resolution andstored at a size of 500 to 700 kb. Onethousand quality photographs depictingwhole plant, plant part, exudates, population,habitat, etc. were selected, digitized (300 dpi),edited and appended to the main imagelibrary.

Development of Educational Material on therich traditional knowledge of the Medicinal Plantsof India

The following four CD’s on medicinal plantsof India were produced during the year:

✦ Plants in Charaka Samhita,

✦ Plants in Siddha system of medicine,

✦ Plants in Homeopathy system of medicine

✦ Plants in Unani system of medicine.

Another two CDs are at completion stage:

✦ A CD on 500 clinically important medicinalplants of India,

✦ A technical report on bio-cultural identitiesof 100 controversial medicinal plant used inAyurveda.

Training to Village Botanists in identification andmonitoring of Medicinal Plants

It has been recommended in policy circles thatthe training of para-taxonomists is an importantpriority for bio-diversity documentation andmonitoring. A directory of the Village Botanists(VBs) of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh has beenpublished for the VBs who were trained in the

Fig 76. Ramvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth Ex Kurz commonly known as Sarpagandha

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previous years and formal training manuals for VBshave been prepared in Tamil and Telugu. Duringthe year, a cadre of 35 village botanists fromKarnataka, are undergoing training in identificationof the medicinal plants of their eco-regions. Thesubjects on which they are being trained are plantmorphology, identification, nomenclature,classification, herbarium methods, preparation ofinventory of medicinal plants of their locality, foresttypes, traded medicinal plants, plants in Red List,CITES and Negative lists, field exposure tobiodiversity rich and protected areas, patenting &intellectual property rights of Indian medicinalknowledge, national biodiversity act,documentation of medicinal and culturalinformation of plants, seed bank, nursery andpropagation techniques. A website for villagebotanists has also been hosted at URL :www.villagebotanist.org

Establishing an ethno-medicinal demonstrationgarden

An area of 6.5-acres of land has been plantedwith around 750 medicinal plant species on theFRLHT campus. During the year, various thematicsub-gardens have been added in the main gardenviz., Plants of important Ayurvedic formulations,Plants showing specific biotic associations like: Hostspecificity & Symbiosis, a garden of endangeredspecies, traded plants used as Substitutes andAdulterants. The nursery in the garden hasdistributed over 20,000 numbers of seedlings to thehouseholds and institutions in Bangalore city.Signages have been introduced for all the newadditions to the garden.

Pharmacognostic studies on prioritized medicinalplants

The lab carried out studies to compare‘Embelin’ from Embelia ribes & E. tsjeriam-cottam,which are the two species used in trade. There wasno difference in CHCl

3 and hexane extracts in

HPTLC fingerprinting, and in HPLC profile ofmethanol extracts of the two spp. using C18column, MeOH. However difference were foundin general profile of methanol extracts of Embeliaribes and E. tsjerium cottam on RP-TLC plates onHPTLC. Studies conclude that there is no

significant difference between the chemoprofiles ofE. ribes and E. tsjeriam-cottam and Embelin is foundin both. It was therefore recommended thatmanufacturers can use both these species as sourcesof Vai-vidang

The Preparation of a draft monograph on‘Vidanga’ is being finalised.

Preparation of Medicinal Plants DistributionMaps using GIS

The design and preparation of digital atlas of1,000 short-listed medicinal species in respect oftheir distribution and eco-distribution is beingcompleted by March 2007. The Geo DistributionMaps of 250 species of conservation concern arebeing prepared. Detailed Eco Distribution Mapsof 80 species which give latitude/longitude valuesfor the distribution of the species are also beingprepared for endemic species. These maps alsocontain GIS layer on rainfall and altitude.

Centre of Mining Environment, Dhanbad

Introduction

The Centre for Mining Environment wasestablished in 1987 in the Indian School of Mines,Dhanbad under the sponsorship of the Ministryfor raising awareness, conduct training programmesand undertake research for improving MiningEnvironment.

Objectives

The prime objectives of the Centre are:

✦ To impart training to in-service fieldpersonnel in environmental science andtechnology with particular reference toenvironmental management in mining areas

✦ To carry out research in the field of miningenvironment

✦ Initiation of regular academic programmesleading to M.Tech. Degree in EnvironmentalScience and Engineering, and

✦ To undertake consultancy and testing workto help mining and mineral industries in theneighbouring areas in solving environmentalpollution problems.

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Activities undertaken during the year

R&D Projects

The following projects were completedduring the year:

✦ An assessment of overburden dumprehabilitation technologies

✦ Investigations into the Air Quality Status andits Impacts on Social Spectrum of some CoalMining Areas of Korba Industrial belt ofChhattisgarh

✦ Impact of mining on the pattern of Land UseChange in Mines and their neighbourhoodin selected Mining Areas of Jharkhand.

Academic Activities

The Centre offers post-graduate academicprogrammes of M. Tech. (Env. Sc & Engg,) andPh. D. (Env. Sc. & Engg. ). Over 150 studentshave successfully completed these programs and arewell received by the various industrial, research,regulatory and consultancy organizations.

The Centre started B.Tech program inEnvironmental Engineering through IIT-JEE in2006 (first of its kind offered by any NationalInstitute). Currently 26 students are pursuing thiscourse during the year.

During the year the Centre organized thefollowing Environmental Conferences/ Seminars/Workshop/Lecture Organised

✦ “Peaking Oil Production - Facts andChallenges” by Professor Y P Chugh, SouthernIllinois University, Carbondale, USA(December 4, 2006)

✦ Prof. S.K.Bose Memorial Lecture on“Environmental Concerns of Coal Mining –Broad View In Indian Context” by Shri PravatRanjan Mandal, Adviser (Projects), Ministryof Coal, Govt. of India (January 29, 2007).

✦ One Day Workshop on” Life Skills and SolidWaste Management” for school students tocreate awareness among the students aboutstark realities of life by appraising the bleakproblems of solid waste management onJanuary 31, 2007.

Environmental Awareness Programme

✦ The Centre celebrated World EnvironmentDay on 5th June. Various activities carriedout as part of environmental awareness were:

✧ Tree Plantation: Few plants ofmedicinal value, fruit bearing andtimber yielding were planted.

✧ Sit and Draw Competition: About 150students expressed their views throughtheir art on assigned specifical focalthemes under various age-groups.

Madras School of Economics, Chennai

Introduction

The Ministry set up the Centre of Excellenceon “Environmental Economics” at Madras Schoolof Economics, Chennai on March 31, 2002. Theresearch areas of the Centre include : EconomicInstruments, Trade and Environment and CostBenefit Analysis. The Centre is also responsible forthe development and maintenance of a website onenvironmental economics.

Activities undertaken

The status of various programme undertakenby the Centre are as follows:

✦ Research Projects

The following research projects werecompleted by the Centre during the year:

✧ Trade and Environment: A study ofIndia’s Leather Exports

✧ Ecotaxes on Polluting inputs andOutputs

✧ Utilisation of fly-ash by BrickManufacturers – Environmenatl CostsVs. Benefits

✧ Another project on “Economic Analysisof EIA in India: Costs of delays,Impacts and Mitigation Measures is atcompleteion stage

✦ Dissemination Papers

“Hedonic Price Method – A Concept Note”and “Public Disclosures – Using Information

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to reduce pollution” have been completed andput up on the web-site. A third paper on“Economics of Municipal Solid WasteManagement” in also being prepared.

✦ Environmental Economics Website

The Centre’s website http://coe.mse.ac.in wasregularly updated in terms of research studieson environmental economics. Collection ofdata on existing economic instruments likethe water cess was also initiated. Researchreports, dissemination papers, and newsletteretc. have been uploaded in website.

✦ Other activities

In addition to the activities funded directly

by the Ministry, Centre faculty were alsoenbgaged in research projects funded by otheragencies such as the Central StatisticalOrganisation, Central Pollution ControlBoard, Tamil Nadu Planning Commission,Indo-Canadian Environmental Facility, andSouth Asian Network for Development andEnvironmental Economics. During the yearfaculty presented papars at Conferencesincluding the meetings of the InternationalSociety of Ecological Economics and theInternational Society of Environment andResource Economics. A research scholar inenvironmental economics has also beenawarded the Ph.D degree.

Documents

Centres of Excellence - MoEFmoef.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/report/0607/chap09.pdf · Centres of Excellence Introduction and Objectives The scheme of Centres of Excellence was started