Protect biodiversity, tap resources: Jairam

NEW DELHI - Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh Wednesday stressed the need to strike a balance between protecting biodiversity and tapping resources.

Inaugurating the Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM) at a function here, Ramesh said: “Our coastal areas are the sources of livelihood for hundreds of millions of families. We have to protect these critical reservoirs of biodiversity. Simultaneously, we also have to develop and tap these resources. Through this initiative, we’re trying to make a harmonious balance between the two.”

SICOM will be the nodal agency for the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) project, executed by the central government. The ICZM project assumes significance in the context of climate change since one of the definitive findings of the IPCC relates to the increase in mean sea levels as a result of global warming.

“The World Bank has agreed to provide Rs.1,156 crore to the project. The first initiative taken by SICOM will be Green Action for National Dandi Heritage Initiative (GANDHI),” said Senthil Vel, national project director (ICZM Project).

Ramesh said that after the ongoing project, all the coastal areas of the country will be covered. The World Bank is funding this project for five years.

Speaking about the draft Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification, the minister said it will be available on the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) website for 60 days after which the process shall be initiated to make it a law.