UK assures India full cooperation in curbing wildlife crime

New Delhi, Jun 5 (UNI) Taking note of some of India's major concerns on World Environment Day today, British High Commissioner to the country Sir Michael Arthur said the United Kingdom was fully committed to combating the illegal trafficking in endangered species.

'' We support the initiatives to disrupt transnational wildlife crime, and are willing to work with other parties to address this.

Both the UK and India have long-standing commitment to the protection of environment and we are very keen to take this forward,'' he said.

Sir Arthur was speaking after announcing the UK Environment Film Fellowships for 2007 on the theme of energy conservation and climate security at the British Council here.

''Climate change is not just an environmental issue, it's a social, economic and security issue. We would like to encourage filmmakers to apply for these fellowships and to document key issues like energy efficiency that helps us address climate security " he said.

A total of five fellowships worth Rs 6 lakh each will be awarded to environment filmmakers to make documentaries on energy conservation and climate security.

A special preview of films on wildlife crime, Preserve the Future - Conserving India's Wild Heritage, produced under the UK Environment Film Fellowships 2006 in association with Discovery Channel was held at the British Council today. The films will air on Discovery Channel on July 20 at 2000 hrs.

Last year, four similar films were produced which documented the impacts of climate change in India. These were also aired on Discovery Channel.

''Through these films on wildlife crime and the previous films on climate change we are trying to harness the power of the visual medium to tackle important environmental issues,'' he said.

UNI