Shillong, March 08: The Governor of Meghalaya, Shri. Ganga Prasad on Thrusday inaugurated the two days National Seminar on Himalayan Plant Diversity: Taxonomy Conservation and Sustainable Utilization at the auditorium of the Botanical Survey of India, Lower New Colony. The Seminar is being organised by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Eastern Regional Centre in collaboration with the East Himalayan Society for Spermatophyte Taxonomy (EHSST) and the North Eastern Hill University.

Speaking on the occasion, the Governor said that our Nation is rich in biological resources due to the diversified climatic conditions and geographical condition ranging from the sea level to the high hills of the Himalayas. The North Eastern region which is the abode of almost 50% of India’s biodiversity alone, is a recognised “biodiversity hotspot” worldwide. The Governor added that the different kinds of unique and valuable plants found abundantly in the North Eastern Hills are of immense value in sustaining our existence today and a treasure for future generations. Therefore he stressed on the importance of plant research for the welfare of mankind and expressed hope that seminar would help create awareness and encourage more scientists, researchers to undertake researches on plant diversity, identifying significant species and work on applications for sustainable uses.

Delivering the Presidential Address, Dr. A.A. Moa. President of the EHSST and Chairman of the Seminar gave an insight on the functions of the BSI and EHSST and also focused on the significance, from the ecological and evolutionary point of the view of the Himalayan region, which contains more than one third of the country’s total biodiversity.

In his keynote address, Prof. A. K. Koul, Chairman, Research and Advisory Monitoring Committee besides dwelling at length on the rich biodiversity wealth of the Himalayan region, exhorted the taxonomists who are considered as the custodians of green wealth of the country to do more than just document the plant wealth. He urged them to broaden their mandate and plunge in halting species loss in the country, which is likely to lose 1000 plants species in the near future.

Earlier the Governor also released a Souvenir commemorating the two days seminar.