MADURAI

Curriculums followed in a majority of educational institutions in India failed to educate children on local flora and fauna, the knowledge of which was important for conservation efforts, said K. Kalidasan, president of non-governmental organisation Osai that works for environmental protection.

Speaking at a conference on ‘Western ghats – threats and conservation’ at The American College here on Wednesday, he highlighted that students who easily recognised animals such as giraffe, zebra and panda that had no habitats in India often failed to recognise even birds like common koel and emerald dove, the State bird of Tamil Nadu.

“Our textbooks rarely showed pictures of these local flora and fauna. While it is important to know about panda that is facing the risk of extinction, it is even more important to know what is around us,” he added.

He said the western ghats, which was one of the 18 biodiversity hotspots in the world, was the source of almost all the rivers flowing in south India and its conservation was imperative to ensure water security for future generations.

Reckless constructions and other intrusions into the forest in the name of development, tourism that was insensitive to the environment and presence of invasive species of trees were the key issues that had to be addressed for the protection of the western ghats, he added.

J.R. Samartha, District Forest Officer, Madurai Forest Division, who delivered the inaugural address at the conference, said a majority of the environment-related issues were man-made. He stressed the need for younger generation to take a lead in the conservation of forests and educate others in this regard.

M. Davamani Christober, Principal and Secretary of the college, also spoke.