May 24, 2006	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 25, 1427

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GILGIT, May 23: Students and teachers of FG Inter College Chalt, Nagar, 60kms north of Gilgit, observed World Biodiversity Day and speakers at a seminar highlighted the importance of biodiversity for balancing the ecosystem.

Botany lecturer M. Sanaullah said the day was being observed to raise awareness about a judicious and sustainable use of natural resources without harming the interests of future generations and a protocol had been signed in 1992 in Brazil to protect biodiversity.

He said Pakistan was a signatory to the protocol and therefore efforts were afoot to promote biodiversity in Pakistan.

He said natural resources in Northern Areas were depleting fast due to plantation of exotic trees, non-sustainable agriculture practices, population explosion, poverty and use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.

Associate Professor Syed Mehboob Hussain Shah said that it was the need of the hour to maintain an equilibrium between the prey and predators otherwise the exploitation of natural resources for small profits would ruin the whole region, adding that it could be reduced through practical steps.

Zakir Hussain and Rajab Ali said that environmental education and environmental clubs in schools may mobilize people for the conservation of natural resources and students being future natural resource managers could be instrumental in dissemination of information about biodiversity.

They said industrialization, overgrazing and lopsided urbanization are the factors that have been affecting the fragile ecosystem and biodiversity in the region. “The region is home to medicinal plants and endangered species but carelessness may deprive the region of this natural resource,” they remarked.

A quiz competition was also arranged on the topic which was contested by the students of FG Boys High School Chalt and Nagar Academy and won by the latter.