REPORT of WEBINAR on “ECO SYSTEM RESTORATION AND ECO-DRR” Jointly Organized by National Institute of Disaster Management and Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow on 5th June, 2021 INTRODUCTION:- National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) and the AMITY UNIVERSITY UTTAR PRADESH, LUCKNOW, jointly organized, a webinar on “Eco System Restoration and Eco-DRR” on 5th June, 2021 at 1400 Hrs, to disseminate information with respect to ecosystem restoration and multi-disciplinary understanding of the issues pertaining to managing disasters associated with that. The main objective of this programme was knowledge up gradation of Students, Researchers, Faculty Community of Educational Institutes with respect to Ecosystem Restoration and Disaster Management, sharing of informational updates with respect to how the DRR measures can and need to be mainstreamed with developmental policy/plans and most importantly bringing in the continuity of propagating the idea of education and delivery during the tough times of Covid 19. OBJECTIVES:- 1. Understanding the term Ecosystem restoration; 2. Develop understanding about various methods of Ecosystem restoration; 3. Basic Disaster Risk Reduction Concepts & its importance for society with regard to Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration; 4. Discuss the current challenges and gaps in recent interventions in this regard; INAUGURAL SESSION:- Mr. Ashish Kumar Panda, Consultant & Faculty Member, ECDRM Division, NIDM, initiated the programme by highlighting the continuous collaborative efforts being done jointly by NIDM and Amity University, Lucknow to propagate education and training in the field of DRR and DRM. He further informed that the World Environment Day is observed on June 5 every year with the purpose to spread awareness about the threat to the environment due to rising pollution levels and climate change. The first World Environment Day was observed in 1974, giving a global platform for inspiring positive change in the environment. The United Nations designated June 5 to be observed as World Environment Day after a call for saving the environment from possible damage due to industrialization drew attention. On this day, governments, NGOs and citizens put their efforts to spread awareness above the importance of conserving the environment and negate the impact of human activity on the environment. The theme of 47th World Environment Day is Ecosystem Restoration as tackling climate change and the loss of species is crucial to the restoration of ecosystems. This year Pakistan will act as the global host of the day in 2021 in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). He expressed his pleasure in organizing this programme and hoped that the participants will be hugely benefitted through the presentations and discourses that would take place in the programme. Prof. Anil K. Gupta, HOD, ECDRM Division, in his Welcome Address, welcomed guests, participants by emphasizing on the need for keeping synergy with development vis a vis environmental conservation. He mentioned that Covid 19 has showed us where we have gone wrong in environmental degradation and how we can come out of such problems. He said that its high time to recognize the damage we have done to environment and to replenish the loss we have done to environment. It is time we should think about giving lands back to the nature as well as accommodating urban forests in our own habitats. Increasing trend of disasters, losses to ecosystem services and biodiversity degradation have forced us to think seriously that hereafter we should do any development in a sustainable manner. Honorable Pro Vice Chancellor, Prof. (Dr.) Sunil Dhaneshwar, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow Campus, in his Inaugural Address, mentioned that environment day should not be celebrated on one day rather it should be celebrated every day. He cited examples of the European countries where they work full of the year working on such causes. Now time has come that other than the Governments, each and every one should do a bit to save the environment. If we want our own existence in check and safety, we should learn the call of the Environment and do everything to not only protect it but also conserve and make it prosper. He also expressed his desire for many more such future collaborations in the field of capacity building of disaster management with NIDM. Dr. Upasana Yadav, Assistant Professor, Amity School of Applied sciences, Amity University, Lucknow gave the Context Setting Address. She highlighted the background of the speakers as well as their presentation topics, covering most of the facets and aspects of Ecosystem Restoration and Nature Conservation. She also moderated the entire programme. She thanked everybody for the Inaugural Session and carried forward the programme with the Technical Session. TECHNICAL SESSION:- Dr. Shalini Dhyani, Sr. Scientist, NEERI, Nagpur presented on the topic “Ecosystem DRR”. She mentioned that environmental justice is important for the environment. We have done a great harm to the nature and very less time is left. It is high time to conserve the nature and if we do not conserve our nature now, then we will be lost on one day from earth. She stated that one has to feel for the nature and have to give some time to the nature. Students of all discipline can contribute in conservation of nature. She mentioned about the drivers of biodiversity loss viz; various developmental activities like road construction, mining, industrialization, deforestation, overgrazing, dam construction etc. Insufficient interest in biodiversity and ecosystem are affecting our ecosystem drastically. It is causing irreparable damage to the ecosystem. Covid 19 and various disasters are the alarm in this regard that we should stop encroaching into the habitats of other species. Every species has a right to live on Earth. She further mentioned that she has successfully restored various areas in Himalayas which has led to less landslide and increase in the area of forest. She mentioned about some projects where she has resorted various mining areas, where there was no vegetation but due to their work, now those areas have turned into a fertile land filled with trees and vegetation. She further discussed that one should understand what to plant and where to plant. She concluded her talk with discussion on the green infrastructure and various collaborative efforts required for ecosystem restoration in a country like India. Professor Kavita Shah, Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, BHU, Varanasi presented on the topic “Restoration of degraded land: Success stories from across the World”. She mentioned that 6-7 million hectares of forests are lost annually through soil erosion, desertification that affects one sixth of the world population. She discussed about the drivers of land degradation which are various developmental projects. She further discussed about the successful restoration Kali Bein river, Jadav Payeng, the forest man of India who devoted 30 years of his life planting trees to create whole forest of 550 hectares by himself, called the Mulai Reserve on the Majuli river island, the world's largest inhabited river island in Assam. She detailed about the restoration of Jharkhand’s Piparwar opencast coal mining area and the restoration plan of the lake Anasagar, a threatened water body of Ajmer Rajasthan and lastly the mangrove restoration in Andhra Pradesh among many more other restoration examples. The examples she gave in her presentation gave lots of motivation and hope that if one wants to restore the ecosystem one can do anything under the blue sky. Nothing is impossible. Mr. Shailendra Singh, Founder & CEO, Sustain Mantra, presented gave a presentation on the topic “Ecosystem Restoration a Business Imperative”. He discussed how climate change will impact businesses keeping in mind the requirement of Net zero carbon emission by 2030/2050. Renewable energy will be major source of power giving examples of Solar energy, Wind Energy, Coastal Wave Energy etc. He also mentioned that now it’s going to be a global trend that those projects will be sanctioned which will not create any kind of pollution. He also focused on the sustainable method of development. He stated that if there will be no biosphere, there will be no society and thus there will be no business. He mentioned it’s high time to be serious and everybody should work in task of ecosystem restoration otherwise it will be too late. He mentioned about the challenges in achieving sustainability. He said that India is doing great job in restoration of ecosystem and its conservation. He mentioned that leading government Agencies and the Departments have collaborated with international agencies to build an SDG Map for India. India can be a global leader with regard to meeting goals of SDGs, Paris Climate Change Agreement and Sendai Framework of Disaster Risk Reduction. VALEDICTORY SESSION:- Prof. (Dr.) Asita Kulshreshtha Coordinator & Head Amity School of Applied Sciences (ASAS), in her Valedictory Address gave a brief of the topics covered by all the speakers in the programme. She mentioned that World Environment Day is a reminder for us to pause and reflect on our actions and their subsequent consequences on the planet. We are living in a world where averting our eyes from the climate crisis is not an option. That’s why public and private stakeholders are setting targets to reduce their carbon emissions. However, it’s not enough, we need the world to come together and there’s real merit in this. She expressed satisfaction upon the successful completion of the programme and wished the participants success and good health in their lives. Mr. Ashish Kumar Panda, Consultant & Faculty Member, ECDRM Division, NIDM, in his Concluding Remarks, mentioned about the need to follow the Buddha’s Madhyam Marg, where we have to set new definitions of Growth side by side giving equal importance to Ecosystem Restoration. He cited the climatic crisis of Delhi which has observed erratic behavior of climate in the last 11 months here.