President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Dedicates Lacones to the Nation
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ISSN 0409-7467 VOL 57 NO 4 28 FEBRUARY 2007 President of India Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam dedicates LaCONES to the Nation President of India Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam visited and dedicated the Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) to the Nation for the Cause of Conservation on 1 February 2007. He also released the book You Deserve, We Conserve — A Biotechnological Approach to Wildlife Conservation authored by Dr M.W. Pandit, Dr S. Shivaji and Dr Lalji Singh and published by I K International, New Delhi. India is home to enormous biodiversity. However, destruction of forest areas is causing fragmentation of habitats of wild animals and is threatening the very survival of big cats like lions, tigers and leopards, especially because these animals require huge area for sustaining a certain minimum number. Fragmentation is also causing inbreeding of animals, leading to reduction in their genetic diversity, ultimately making them sterile and paving the path to extinction. 28 FEBRUARY 2007 53 President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s Address After examining various alternatives and working out scientific strategies to tackle this problem with biotechnological intervention, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, is pursuing a major and unique research programme with the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZA), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Government of Andhra Pradesh as its partners. The Government of Andhra Pradesh allotted seven acres of land and CCMB constructed LaCONES at Attapur under the leadership of Dr Lalji Singh, Director, CCMB and Dr S. Shivaji, Group Leader, CCMB as its Principal Investigator, essentially to deal with the issues related to the conservation of biodiversity among the wildlife. LaCONES has already started making its international presence felt and has been honoured as a Member of the International Consortium of the Frozen Ark – an international depository of DNA representing the Indian subcontinent. Even if a species becomes extinct, the DNA and the viable cells that LaCONES is storing in the Frozen Ark freezers will be of inestimable value in reconstructing the evolutionary history of Indian wildlife. NATURE AND ITS UNIQUE CREATIONS Address by President of India Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam during dedication of LaCONES to the Nation Nurture Nature for Future I am happy to participate in the products. The need for conserving and My experience with Olive dedication of the Laboratory for the preserving wild animals and forest Ridley Turtle Conservation of Endangered Species species will be fulfilled by the (LaCONES), Hyderabad, which is a laboratories like Laboratory for It was interesting to find from unique inter institutional research Conservation of Endangered the LaCONES write up, that Olive mission, supported by the Central Zoo Species. Of course LaCONES is Ridley turtles are the ancestors to Authority of India, the Department of indeed a project of CCMB. other known Ridley turtle species. I thought of sharing with you about Biotechnology, Council of Scientific Contribution of CCMB is well known my experience with Olive Ridley and Industrial Research and the in understanding that nature has turtles in Orissa coast. In my Government of Andhra Pradesh. It is hidden species and specific codes of previous assignment, I was leading apt that the project proposes to deal signatures in a small fragment of gene. a missile team and established a with conservation of biodiversity The CCMB scientists have also launch complex in the Wheeler among wild life including their developed primers to decode Islands. While working on the preservation through bio- molecular signatures from samples and launch complex, I received a technological intervention. The food have created database of signatures of message from Prof Padma Hejmadi, system world over uses plant genes as over 2000 animal species. I a Conservationist saying that the a means to provide quality food. congratulate Dr Lalji Singh and lights in the range created problems Similarly, the importance of animal his team of scientists and staff in hatching of the Olive Ridley turtle. I invited her. We discussed genetic resources is also recognized for many achievements in the field of and studied the problem with our world over and being used for Life Sciences. I would like to share team. To my surprise, we found that improving the productivity and with you few thoughts on “Nature and the neighbouring wheeler island was nutritional value of food and other its unique creations”. full of Olive Ridley turtles which had 54 CSIR NEWS President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s Address come for hatching from is some 10,000 years thousands of kms. old while writing Olive Ridley turtles lay evolved only a few large number of eggs thousand years ago. All probably with the hope this phenomenal that at least few will progress has been survive after the attack achieved only within from the birds and the short span of 200 movement of people on to 400 generations, beach! The hatched that is in just 10,000 to young ones and 5,000 years. mothers go back to sea. Such a complex We took number of web of evolution of facilitating measures humans had always such as controlled fascinated the then lighting whenever young Tobias. He was needed and reducing Dr Lalji Singh, Director, CCMB, explaining the activities of Laboratory for the drawn into the study of the movement of Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) to President Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam fossils by Mary and people and vehicles on Louis Leakey, who the beach. This really enabled kms for hatching, their navigational asked him to write a description of unhindered propagation of Olive abilities and their continued evolution. a hominid skull, which they had Ridley turtles. Thus I started liking This will be an important research discovered in the Olduvai Gorge in the promotion mission of Olive contribution to the world on turtles. Tanzania. In 1964, with Louis Ridley turtle. Certain government Leakey and John Napier, he was the regulations were also promulgated Phillip Tobias Lecture 2006 co-namer of Homo habilis, a new regarding the type of permissible species and the first hominid with a fishing nets and prohibition of catching Now I would like to discuss larger brain capacity than Olive Ridley turtles. another important aspect of Australopithecus africanus. Indeed We have a dream to generate an conservation and study of human it was the diabetes of his sister that experimental turtle rookery that evolution propagated by Prof Philip made him to pursue genetic studies. can be used for attracting Tobias, a renowned Paleo- Tobias thus was one among the endangered species such as Olive anthropologist from South Africa. earliest to provide evidence for the Ridley turtles or their relatives in Ancient human history has been evolution of mankind in Africa and one of our islands. This scientific revealed beautifully by to think of a gene for a disease. These endeavour can be undertaken as a Paleoanthropology. Life originated two instances clearly depict that the joint venture among LaCONES of 600 million years ago and enquiring mind is ever alert for CSIR, DRDO, ecologists and continental drift occurred 200 research and discovery. biologists involved in conservation million years ago creating five Newer DNA technologies have of rare and endangered species for continents. Mammals evolved 140 given us better insight in retracing promoting an eco-friendly million years ago, Hominids that is the history of man. ‘The DNA of a environment with the use of scientific the human type, evolved 26 million human being is his history and technological experience. This years ago but modern man only book ever written’. Nowadays partnership will enable LaCONES arrived on the scene some 200,000 intelligence, cognizance, drug to conduct further research on life years ago. He migrated and response, behavioural problems pattern of Olive Ridley turtles, colonized the world only in the last every thing is related to genes: movement pattern of thousands of 50,000 years. The spoken language disease gene mapping is progressing 28 FEBRUARY 2007 55 President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s Address at a faster pace with new age Prof. Philip Tobias. This experience by the editors of science, celebrating DNA technology. It is probably will enable intensive study on the inauguration of the during the 50,000-30,000 years of co- conservation of certain types of developmental biology by Wilhelm existence that societies have evolved endangered species and also Roux a century earlier, in the adopting newer innovations and establish some of the missing book Consilience The Unity of cultures. species. Knowledge by Edward O. Wilson. Thus the ‘Nature – Nurture’ They asked one hundred philosophy holds good even in this My Experience in contemporary researchers in the Genomic Era: ‘Genes’ what we Gumoria Village field of biology to identify what they inherit from our parents is the basis; consider crucial unanswered a beautiful ‘building’ is built over it, When I think of genetic questions in the discipline. The be it any unique creation, the research, I am reminded of my visit responses from the scientists were environment plays a crucial role in to Gumoria village in Assam where (1) The molecular mechanisms of shaping the destiny of the individual the self help groups members are tissue and organ development, (2) and leading to excellence. All developing duck rearing practices The connection between children when they are born are based on inputs from agricultural development and genetic evolution, equally poised to become a great specialists from Kerala and with the (3) The steps by which cells scholar. initiative of the Assam Government. become committed to a particular After the lecture I was This has resulted in improving the fate, and (4) The role of cell-to-cell interacting with Prof Tobias and his economic conditions of the whole signaling in tissue development and team at Durban, Johannesburg in village by improving the duck few more.