TERI SAS extends its profound gratitude and thanks to Shri Brijendra Swaroop, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) & Nodal Officer (Forest Conservation Act), Department of Forest & Environment, Govt. of Sikkim, for taking his time out from his busy schedule to address the webinar participants. He oriented the participants on the drivers of biodiversity loss and the mechanism and framework of biodiversity offset policy in India. He explained how the Ken-Betwa River Interlinking project in Bundelkhand might incur an estimated loss of nearly 10% of Madhya Pradesh's Panna Tiger Reserve, and the primary area of the reserve might submerge in water. Similarly, he talked about the diversion project of 120 ha of forest land for construction, rehabilitation and upgrading to 2 lane section from Roleph to Menla section of NH-717B in Sikkim, which is expected to remove 56,259 trees, 49,367 poles, 2,48,456 bamboo, and 6, 91725 of important herbs and shrubs.
