Despite the second wave of Covid-19 Pandemic, the entire humanity did not forget to observe the World Environment Day. This year’s theme of World Environment Day “Reimagine – Recreate – Restore” reminds us to rethink for our planet’s ‘Ecosystem Restoration’. Ecosystem restoration broadly speaks about preventing and reversing the degradation of ecosystem – to go from exploiting nature to healing it i.e. landscapes, lakes and oceans to regain their ecological functionality. As we know, healthier ecosystems, with richer biodiversity, yield greater benefits like more fertile soils, bigger yields of timber and fish, and larger stores of greenhouse gases.

Keeping the above background in mind, CYSD, in its south Odisha operational area, has observed the World Environment Day (5th June). The purpose was to spread awareness among the people in the community, especially the tribals about the threat to our environment owing to rising pollution level & climate change; and the necessity of improving the quality of forest through forest protection and regeneration. Reducing disaster vulnerability and addressing climate change concerns being one of the most important thematic interventions of the organization, efforts were made towards forest protection and regeneration through organizing village/community level meetings, creating awareness, initiating plantation and seed dibbling drives.

The Day was celebrated in 20 villages under 7 Blocks – Kundura, Boipariguda, Dasamantpur, Laxmipur and Narayanpatana of Koraput District, Khairiput Block of Malkangir District and Kolanara Block of Rayagada District. A total of 250 members including Foresters, PRI members, village leaders, members of Producer Groups, Students and VDVKs members participated in the programme adhering the Covid-19 protocol behaviour.