Miao town launches tree plantation drive

ITANAGAR: To mitigate the effect of climate change, the administration of Miao, a sub-division under Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, launched the ‘Mission Green Miao’ campaign on Saturday by planting over three thousand tree saplings on both sides of the 26-kilometer stretch of Namchik-Miao Road. The plantation programme is under the ‘Mission Arunachal LiFE Campaign’, a part of the Pakke Declaration.

On November 13, 2021, the state cabinet adopted the ‘Pakke Declaration 2047’, aimed at "climate resilient development" in the state. The declaration envisages a multi-sectoral approach towards low emission and climate-resilient development through five broad themes, or ‘Panch Dharas’ namely: environment, forest, and climate change; health and well-being of all; sustainable and adaptive living; livelihoods and opportunities; evidence generation; and collaborative action. With the motto ‘Plant a tree, plant your future’, Mission Green Miao is an initiative of the administration of the sub-division, in collaboration with the environment and forest department, coke coal units, wood-based industries, brick kiln units, tea factories, panchayat leaders, and villagers. "The sub-division has witnessed rapid climate changes in the recent past due to the changing environment due to an increase in human activities, including, deforestation, agriculture, and horticulture activities, besides rapid industrialization. We decided to initiate a rejuvenation plan to mitigate the climate change effect with the hope that human intervention will surely reduce environmental impacts," Miao additional deputy commissioner Ibom Tao said.

It is a noble initiative with an objective to reduce the impacts of ecosystem, natural risk, socio-economic risk, and beautification of the sub-division to attract more tourists who come to visit Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve, besides Vijoynagar, an emerging tourist destination of the state, the ADC added. "Under this new mission, we are planning to plant more than 5,000 ornamental trees along the roadside and fruit bearing trees at the targeted and vulnerable villages. Our plantation drive will continue until World Environment Day on June 5 this year," Tao said, adding that panchayats and community leaders would continue tree plantations in their villages.

State Civil Supplies Minister Kamlung Mossang, who launched the plantation programme, exhorted the people to take care of the plants so that they grow with care. "We should take care of our forest, or otherwise our future will be at stake. As global warming is a serious threat to mankind, through such efforts we can minimise the effect of climate change," Mossang, who is also the local MLA, said. He called upon the people to take a pledge to carry forward the mission, and responsibility should be fixed on the departments to take care of the saplings, who have been planted in specific slots (areas) allotted to them. "There should be a give-and-take policy. What we take from the forest, we should give back in return so that the ecosystem is balanced in a proper way. By planting more trees, we will be able to reduce carbon emissions by 2047, as envisaged in the Pakke Declaration," the minister added.

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