Climate wakeup call: Mkg Forest Div bridging the ‘Knowledge Gap’

February 9, 2024 11 Views No Comment

Mokokchung, February 9 (MExN): A Forest Resource Centre, an initiative of Mokokchung Forest Division was inaugurated by Hemant B Kamdi IFS, Conservator of Forests, Nagaland on February 8.

Sharing the concept of the Forest Resource Centre, the Divisional Forest Officer, Dr Sentitula IFS said, “we are fortunate to be abundantly gifted with our existing biodiversity while the developed world struggles to restore it. As the stewards of the forest, we have been taking proactive measures to tackle deforestation, forest fires etc. However, the communities are least aware.”

“It is our responsibility to bridge the knowledge gap so that children and stakeholders know the local forest, the indigenous flora and fauna, the dangers of human activities and solutions that the forest department has been offering,” Dr Sentitula asserted.

She said that in the wake of climate change and climatic extremes evident today, knowledge beyond the school curricula is of practical essence.

Pipping Ceremony for the Field Executive staffs held at Mokokchung Forest Division on February 8.

The Forest Resource Centre aims to bridge the knowledge gap by imparting awareness on global, national and local forests using advanced interactive panel with latest educational software, display plinths with signature specimen from the Mokokchung Forest Division, touch display for interactive quizzes and a virtual based forest experience.

Students, visitors and academicians can get an idea of the common terminologies, facts of Nagaland, watch movies of the local forest, participate in quizzes and collect resource material such as pamphlets, newsletters or leaflets to spread the word.

‘First of its kind in Nagaland’
The Conservator of Forest, Hemant B Kamdi stated that this Forest Resource Centre is the first of its kind in the state to employ the augmented reality approach in a game mode to make forest awareness programmes interactive and interesting.

“We use an active learning approach to keep the students engaged and take away atleast one message home- to save the forest. Once the individuals develop a sense of belongingness of the surroundings, they become instruments of change. The Resource Centre is also central area for online meetings, interactive sessions, collaborative learning and divisional meetings,” the Conservator stated.

The inauguration was followed by Pipping Ceremony for the Field Executive staffs who were promoted from Forester Grade II to I and from Forest Guard to Forester-II.