Srinagar, Aug 3 (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday called for placing nature-based solutions at the centre of development planning to strengthen climate resilience in the Himalayan region, saying conservation and development must go hand in hand.
Addressing a conference on “Strengthening Climate Resilience and Livelihoods in the Himalayan Region through Nature-based Solutions” at the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Sinha highlighted the growing impact of climate change in the Himalayas and stressed the need to integrate ecological restoration with infrastructure development.
He said the Himalayan region witnessed natural disasters at an alarming pace, while Jammu and Kashmir has faced repeated flash floods and cloudbursts that have damaged public infrastructure, including roads, water supply schemes and power feeders.
“There is no dichotomy between development and conservation. Nature itself is infrastructure,” Sinha said, citing watersheds, wetlands and forests as natural systems that help mitigate floods, conserve water and prevent soil erosion.
The Lieutenant Governor urged scientists, policymakers and engineers to make nature-based solutions an integral part of development projects and recommended greater use of technologies such as remote sensing, geospatial mapping and artificial intelligence to monitor glaciers, forests and water resources.
He also stressed the need to involve farmers, shepherds, orchard owners and tribal communities in environmental planning, saying their traditional knowledge of rivers, mountains and forests is invaluable.
Sinha called on universities to promote nature-based solutions as a multidisciplinary subject covering ecology, engineering, disaster management, economics and traditional knowledge to prepare future professionals for climate-related challenges.
Recalling the Green Jammu and Kashmir Drive launched in 2020, he said the initiative has helped raise the Union Territory’s forest cover to nearly 55 per cent and reiterated the importance of sustainable development.
During the event, the Lieutenant Governor inaugurated the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Block, IUST’s Larmoo Campus and the Law School. He also released a special edition of the university’s monthly magazine Times Echo on the 100-day anti-drug campaign and a policy brief on the Nasha Mukt Jammu Kashmir Abhiyan.
Acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Justice Sanjeev Kumar, IUST Vice-Chancellor Prof Shakil A Romshoo, faculty members, scientists, experts and students were present on the occasion.(NVI)
