National workshop on forest fires in capital from tomorrow

New Delhi, Nov 12 (UNI) The Ministry of Environment and Forests is organising a two-day National Workshop on forest fires here from tomorrow.

The workshop is being held in the backdrop of increasing concerns over global warming, as forests both impact and are impacted by climate change. Forest fires, not only contribute significantly to GHG emission but loss of resource renders the area more vulnerable to climate change.

About 120 experts from the field of forest, environment, department of space are likely to attend the workshop, which will be inaugurated by Minister of State for Environment and Forests S Reghupathy.

There will be sessions on prevention, detection and monitoring of forest fires, fire suppression and management, ecological effects of forest fires, fire management in protected areas and fire monitoring proforma and data base development.

The workshop will enable participants invited from all over the country and government officials to interact with each other on various issues like non-availability of funds, different traditional and local managements to improve water retention, effect of fire on forest dynamics, fire identification using satellite imagery, application of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), ecological disastrous effects of forest fires besides other aspects.

Principal Chief Conservators of Wildlife and Chief Wildlife Wardens from states, organisations like Indian Council of Forestry, Research and Education ( ICFRE ), Dehradun, Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) and officers from the ministry are participating in this workshop.

UNI