JICA Supports 11th Annual National Seminar cum Workshop on Climate Change and Technology
Kodaikanal: The 11th Annual National Seminar cum Workshop on Climate Change and Technology based Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, organised by the Forest Department, Government of Tamil Nadu with support from JICA was inaugurated today in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu. The seminar cum workshop provided a platform for the exchange of ideas and innovative approaches with regards to climate change and technology based planning, monitoring and evaluation among the forest departments of various states, research agencies and technical experts that will help to enhance the outcome of JICA-supported forestry and natural resource management projects.
The seminar was inaugurated by Mr. S Kallolikar, Principal Secretary Environment and Forest Department in the presence of senior officers of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Tamil Nadu State Forest Department and JICA. Technical Agencies such as National Remote Sensing Centre (NSRC), Hyderabad; Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Trivandrum (Kerela); Network of Certification and Conservation of Forests (NCCF), Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Coimbatore participated in the workshop and shared insights on various aspects of climate change mitigation, development of carbon registry and forest certification. Other experts made presentation on carbon balance, carbon finance and climate risk mainstreaming.
During the course of the workshop, senior officials from State Forest Departments including Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Sikkim, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Karnataka, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh made presentations on technology based planning and monitoring using GIS and MIS in JICA supported projects.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Toru Uemachi, Senior Representative, JICA India, said, “On the outset, I would like to thank the Tamil Nadu Forest Department for organizing this workshop and providing us with this excellent forum for cross learning and experience sharing amongst various stakeholders of JICA-supported projects. JICA has been a long-term partner of MoEF&CC and State Forest Departments for nearly three decades. We hope to continue to work towards enhancing the outcomes and impacts of our projects by applying new techniques and approaches. This seminar cum workshop will help us come up with “out of the box” ideas and concrete solutions that could be adopted in our projects.”
On behalf of JICA, Mr. Vineet Sarin, Additional Chief Development Specialist, JICA India made the lead presentation on JICA’s support for the forestry sector over the last twenty eight years and perspectives on climate change mitigation and technology based planning, monitoring and evaluation.
In line with its commitment to support environmental conservation, JICA has helped State Forest Departments organize ten annual workshops on forestry and natural resource management, facilitating knowledge sharing among executing agencies across the country during the last decade. JICA has been a long term partner of MoEF&CC and State Forest Departments and has provided ODA loan assistance, amounting to JPY 270 billion ( INR 17,000 crore) to 27 projects across 14 states of India in last 28 years. In addition, JICA has implemented technical cooperation projects on capacity building of State Forest Service officers with MoEF&CC and on natural disaster management in forest area in the state of Uttarakhand.