CGR’S CNN NATURE NEWS Vol. 2, No.10 July 2020 Editorial Health, education, justice and a wholesome environment are the most important sustainable development goals. Progress in these goals will positively impact the other goals. As time moves by, any society, or a nation, needs periodical introspection, new thought of reform, restructuring, and paradigm shifts in critical development sectors. And the thought must come from a collective conscience of the wider horizon of society. The relative slow down of the rush of life due to the prevailing Covid pandemic has provided a space for contemplation. Given the scope and need, CGR has launched two competitions seeking essays and articles with suggestions to improve - rural primary health, and environmental laws. And this month we are launching a competition on school education. The best articles will be honoured and selected articles will be compiled into vision documents and will be shared with the concerned policymakers and made available in the public domain. Digital earth reel is another ongoing short films competition, Inside… which received a huge response nationally. We Webinar on village biodiversity 2 wish all these competitions reach a large number World Environment Day 3 Webinar with singers 4 of people to participate. Webinar on green village 5 Webinar on green village 5 In June 2020, CGR has intensively conducted Webinar on green village 5 webinars and began its annual plantation activity Webinar on green village 7 th on 20 June 2020 by planting saplings in 60 Webinar on youth for environment 8 villages. This year CGR has made an MoU with Green village plantation 9 Mahabubnagar district administration to take up MoU on Palamuru Vanachaitanya Yatra 16 Palamuru Vanachaitanya Yatra - massive tree Digital Earth Reel 17 plantation all over the district through Cmopetetion on Rural Primary Health 18 involvement of children from government schools. Competetion on Environmental Laws 20 We placed brief profiles of unassuming rural Seed balls soldier 21 youth for their inspiring work. Welcome to the A unique green campaigner 22 folios ahead in this edition. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 CGR’s Nature News Vol. 2, No. 10 July 2020 (No.22) Webinar on village biodiversity Participants of the programme are; Mr Intending to sensitize rural youth and Mahesh-Pillalamarri village, Suryapet villagers on the present challenges to the district, Mr Naresh, Nadipadu village, biodiversity, CGR has organized a Narayanpet district, Mr Ravi, Renivatla webinar on “Village Biodiversity’ on 2nd village, Narayanpet district, Dr. Jagan, June 2020. This programme has been the VMF, Mr. Shekar Chouhan, Kalwakurthy, second in the World Environment Day Mr Rakesh, Mr. Sitaram, Mr Parvatalu series on biodiversity. About 20 youth from Ankironipally in Achampet mandal, and others from different villages have Nagar Kurnool district, Mr Rajinikanth, participated in the meeting. Mr C. Mucherla village Knadukur Mandal, Umamaheswar Reddy, Environmental Ranga Reddy district, Mr. Narsig Rao, Scientist, CGR made a keynote Kothur, Mahabubnagar, Mr Manoj, MG presentation emphasizing the University, Nalgonda, Mr Jagan, importance of biodiversity for the Maisigandi, Kadthal mandal, Ranga survival and sustainable development of Reddy district, Mr Anil, Andugula village, villages. He presented the diverse array Madgul Mandal Ranga Reddy district, Mr of biodiversity be it in the genetic level, Chandrashekar, Dhanwada, Narayanpet species-level or ecosystem level. Today district. Mr Koppu Krishna, CGR Co- as many as 31000 species are under ordinated the programme. threat of disappearing permanently from the living planet earth.He made the mention of the lost glory of rural wilderness and the scope of its renewal and rejuvenation, recognition and protection of flora, fauna, and natural landscapes. He asked the participants to strive for a 33 % green cover with local plant species of mixed verities. Dr. Sai Bhaskar Reddy, Director, Earth Centre spoke about the need of establishing village earth centers. He felt that they will become the real natural and social heritage of villages. Smt K. Leela Laxma Reddy, President, CGR felt the need for a proper plan for planting and overall development of the village. She felt the need of sanitation, health, organic farming, and integral education to achieve the rural vision. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 2 CGR’s Nature News Vol. 2, No. 10 July 2020 (No.22) World Environment Day forests, wetlands, grasslands. She felt a On the occasion of World Environment collective action by environmental Day on 5th June 2020, CGR organized a groups is the need of the hour. webinar on "Time for Nature-Celebrate and Protect; Biodiversity” which is the Smt Padma Koppula, Director, Aranya theme of the day for the year 2020. We Agricultural Alternatives felt the need for are all aware of the importance of an integrated and realistic plan for the biodiversity and its rapid decline, the conservation of biodiversity. She felt the webinar was intended to discuss the need to emphasize on the biodiversity pressing issues related to its through farmers. She felt it that conservation, mechanisms to create afforestation by the government should massive awareness, ways, and means to focus on restoring and enhancing conserve it, and bring forth insights for biodiversity in the degraded forests and robust policy and governance. The elsewhere. Dr Donthi Narsimha Reddy, webinar will discuss the local, regional, Policy expert urged upon a holistic view and national contexts around the theme. of the situation. He presented on climate change and biodiversity and mentioned the many-sidedness of the drivers of ecological collapse in the agricultural sector, forestry, and common-pool resources. Dr D. Srinivas Reddy, Asst. Professor, School of Agribusiness Management, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University felt the farming sector can be a vital and most essential area to address the manifold challenges of biodiversity. Dr M. Maheshwar, Scientist, NIN shared the glimpses of his research findings that how much bearing Sri R. Dileep Reddy gave welcome and potential the wild food resources address while the opening message was have on the health food security of given by Dr. Ramalaxmi IFS (Retd.). She people in the forests and villages. He emphasized the ecosystem values and cautioned that the collapse of wild the need to protect it. Ms Farida Tampal, frontiers also imply a catastrophic effect State Director World Wildlife Fund(WWF) on the dietary supplies of present and mentioned the unprecedented pressures future generations. faced by all sorts of ecosystems, be it _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 3 CGR’s Nature News Vol. 2, No. 10 July 2020 (No.22) Dr Vikram Aditya, a post-doctoral fellow Webinar with singers at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology CGR organized a webinar on the topic of and Environment (ATREE) felt that the ‘Role of Singers in Environmental youth should be encouraged towards Protection’ on 10th June 2020. The nature conservation education, research meeting was participated by noted and practice. Mr. Kumar Kakumanu, singers, teachers and CGR personnel. Mr Founder, Tiger First mentioned that there Shnkar Headmaster, Khanapur, should be facilities and support and Talakondapalli mandal, Mr Shekar guidance to the researchers and Chouhan, Rangapur Tanda, Kalwakurthy, environmentalists to pursue their studies both famous singers started the and research in the wild frontiers. Mr K. programme with their songs. As we the Laxma Reddy wished the collective impact song as an effective cultural conscience can change the situation for instrument in the social and cultural good. Smt K. Leela Laxma Reddy, progression of humanity, it is an President, CGR said that the youth and evergreen art form for social and intellectuals should work together and environmental revolutions and cultivate earth leadership for a better campaigns. world. Mr Kotesh Devulapalli, Independent Researcher, Sociologist, Prof. Vamshikrishna Reddy from Centre for Environment, JNTUH, Dr N. Sai Bhaskar Reddy, Director Earth Centre, Mr M Lakshmana Rao, Ms Padmanjali, Mr Putta Kotesh, Mr Matsyavardhan. Mr Krishna Koppu, Mr Prem, Mr P. Yashwant, Mr R. Venkatesh, and others have participated in the webinar. A pledge was administered by Sri Dileep Reddy with chorus from all the participants. The programme was co-ordinated and moderated by Mr C. Umamaheswar Reddy, CGR. Dr Indrasena Reddy, Scientist suggested the webinar can be organized by the limited experts to speak in detail and the others can interact with them. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 CGR’s Nature News Vol. 2, No. 10 July 2020 (No.22) The meeting felt that the cadres of village. Mr Anil an active youth from the singers and artists have to be prepared village actively involved in organizing the from children. There is ever more need webinar. Participants discussed the ways to use a song for the emergence of earth and means to achieve green Andugula leadership. Dr N. Sai Bhaskar Reddy village, and involving the youth for moderated the program, Mr C. environmental protection and overall Umamaheswar Reddy, Scientist, CGR development of the village. The spoken on rural biodiversity. Mr Koppu programme was and co-ordinated by