Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU) Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation organised a seminar titled ‘Forest: Nature at your Service’ on Tuesday in connection with the World Environment Day 2011.
Speaking on the occasion, senior forester Rahim Bux Awan said that forests cover one third of the earth’s land mass and perform vital functions, in fact 1.6 billion people around the world depend on forests for their livelihood. “Forests play a key role in battling climate changes, releasing oxygen in the atmosphere while absorbing carbon dioxide,” he said. SALU) Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Director Prof Dr Ghulam Raza Bhatti was of the view that conserving forests and expanding them needs to be recognised as a business opportunity.
“When we sum it up, an investment of US$30 billion against deforestation and environment degradation could provide a return of US$2.5 trillion in new products and services,” he added. Calling upon the government to establish forestry training institute at SALU, many other resolutions were also passed in the seminar, which was also attended by Khairpur District Forest Officer Altaf Ahmed and SALU faculty members and students.
