5 Feb : Advocating the need to adopt the path of ecologically sustainable development, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Friday said that the country has a legacy of according high value to environment and ecology.
“There is no doubt that the objectives of economic and social development of our people and the eradication of poverty are overriding. Nonetheless, the development path that we adopt has to be ecologically sustainable,” she said while addressing a symposium on ‘Urgency in Addressing the Needs of Environment and Conservation of Wildlife’ in Bhopal.
The symposium was organised in Madhya Pradesh Assembly on the concluding day of the Presiding Officers’ meet.
“We have a legacy of respecting rivers, trees and animals. We have a legacy of putting high value on the environment and ecology,” she said.
“It is an obligation and responsibility and also a compulsion for our own survival that we protect and conserve our environment and wildlife while pursuing a development model that empowers our people,” the Speaker said.
She said the greater involvement of local communities and local governments is essential for the success of all the conservation efforts.
The Joint Forest Management (JFM) system is a good example of people’s involvement in forest conservation and management, Kumar said.