RONO HILLS, May 3: A four-day national workshop on ‘Identification & Nomenclature of Plants, WINP-2021’, organized by Department of Botany, Rajiv Gandhi University in collaboration with GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (GBPNIHE), North East Regional Center, Itanagar, and East Himalayan Society for Spermatophyte Taxonomy (EHSST), India, was held at the university here from April 27-30 last.
RGU Vice Chancellor Prof Saket Kushwaha, while inaugurating the workshop, advised the participants to develop skills and professionalism in taxonomic research and exploration activities as North East India in general and Arunachal Pradesh in particular is rich in plant diversity which still largely remains unexplored.
He advised the young scholars to be smart and hardworking as the 21st century is highly challenging and more competitive than ever before. While noting that this is the age of survival of the fittest, the VC exhorted the participants to equip themselves with technical skills by regularly attending such skill enhancing workshop in plant taxonomy and other biotechniques related workshop so that they can be really fit to be recruited to a system where sound technical skill is truly required.
Attending the inaugural programme, Registrar N T Rikam appreciated HoD, Botany, Dr Sumpam Tangjang and coordinator Dr Hui Tag for conducting such skill based workshop on plant identification and nomenclature which is timely and essential for those who are pursuing advance professional research in plant taxonomy and conservation science.
Emphasizing on significance of plant taxonomy, conservation, sustainable utilization of plant resources for economic development, Dr Rikam advised the faculty to upgrade the existing RGU Botanical Garden with introduction of more economically significant and rare plant species, develop nursery and conservatories, and effectively utilize the large space of the garden by carrying out more botanical related activities.
Dr Hui Tag informed that taxonomy is the basics of biological science while India is an IUCN recognized mega diversity country and extremely rich and diverse in its flora and fauna. The theoretical and practical dimension of knowledge of taxonomy, especially to the methods of identification as well as nomenclatural practices is must for both amateur and professional plant taxonomists for successful inventory of such a huge repository of phytodiversity for effective utilization and conservation. He said the workshop aimed to impart skill based hands-on training to those deeply motivated PhD/project scholars working in the subject matters of Botany, Environmental Science, Biotech and Forestry science having serious interest to pursue advanced research in plant taxonomy, systematics and conservation.
Key resource person of the workshop, Prof A P Das, also the executive editor of ‘Pleione’, the official journal of EHSST, informed the participants about relevance of having correct name for each species of plant kingdom. Head of Botany Department, Prof Sumpam Tangjang also addressed the participants.
Pro-VC Prof Amitava Mitra while gracing the valedictory session of the WINP-2021 distributed the certificates of participation to all the participants. In his address, Prof Mitra described the skill based workshop on plant identification and nomenclature as highly significant, relevant and timely as our rich plant resources of the Eastern Himalaya need to be properly explored, identified and given a perfect name so that effective conservation and sustainable economic utilization could be possible for the welfare of the people. He said that the environmental economy and quantification of bioresources is important for economic planning and sustainable resource utilization.