North-Eastern Regional Workshop
As part of the ongoing consultations in India and abroad ahead of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), a regional workshop was held by the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) set up by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), on February 8, 2002 in Guwahati to discuss issues of concern in the Northeastern region. Experts from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya highlighted the key issues that need to be addressed in the Northeastern states.

Three separate panels discussed:

• Environment and development concerns
• Biodiversity
• Water

Environment and Development Concerns

Degradation & depletion of natural resources

• Forests & wetlands are key not only to livelihoods of people of northeast but also are the habitat of many species.
• Deforestation has been taking place in the region at an alarming rate. This needs to be checked and the forests protected.
• Land degradation is also a major concern that was raised. Ecosystems of northeast are very fragile because of high rainfall and sloping terrain. Soil fertility is going down giving rise to the threat of food insecurity.

Poverty & Population

• Fast-increasing population was identified as a major problem leading to additional food requirements, job scarcity and poverty.
• Participants averred that population explosion was due to excessive migration. Therefore, population control is key for Sustainable Development.

Pollution

• The problems highlighted with respect to pollution were waste disposal in water, excessive use of pesticides and excessive oil exploration.
• Energy planning was highlighted as one of the key factors for increasing the efficiency of energy use, also crucial for forest conservation and reduction of indoor air pollution.

Education and awareness

Issues that need to be addressed in the area of education and awareness are as follows:

a. Our education system should be changed to bring about a change in our value system.
b. Create awareness about the environmental laws in place.
c. Suggest alternative means of livelihood to the people whose economic interests are affected due to these laws.
e. Use of education to sensitise outsiders to local environmental practices.

Sustainable Development would be possible only if awareness is created about existing resources and the application of suitable technologies are shown to the people dependent on these resources through model programmes.

Biodiversity

• Documentation

Documentation was highlighted as the fundamental issue for the following reasons:

a. It is an indication of the comparative levels of biodiversity in each state of the region.
b. A full assessment of biodiversity would enable the authorities and the people to know what they need to protect
c. It would also help protect Intellectual Property Rights.

Protection of the areas & the species

• The need to protect the biodiversity of the region and to prevent bio-piracy was emphasized.
• Settlements in protected areas would need to be prevented, as these areas are the basis of gene pool for future food crops.

The need for funding, recognition and compensation

A region giving protection to a vast area of biodiversity, more than any other state, needed special compensation by the nation.

Funding was identified as a major issue. Funds are required for:

a. Research and development work to regenerate species that are exploited,
b. Rehabilitation of people encroaching areas that need protection, and
c. The introduction of new technologies for conservation.

Biodiversity should be incorporated in the planning process and there should be a better coordination between departments.

Awareness and the economic development and security of the people

Contrary views were expressed on people’s awareness and understanding of issues such as the link between food security and biodiversity and the importance of biodiversity of grasslands.

However, all the participants accepted that:

a. Poor people would conserve only if it is tied to eco-development and income generation, and
b. There is a need for exploration of natural resources that can be exploited through sustainable means for commercial purposes.

Water

Utilisation of abundant water

Two important suggestions were made on how the abundant water in the region should be utilised:

a. The utilisation of the hydel power potential of India (estimated at 41per cent) is low for a region that has 30 per cent of the country’s water.
b. The region can leverage the excess supply of water by supplying it to others areas of the country.

Prevention of diseases & need for legislation to protect the quality of water

• The problem of diseases spread through water were attributed to dumping and release of sewage in the waters and due to the high population of the region, the poor living conditions and lack of sanitation among the human settlements
• The need for legislation and statutory measures to stop dumping in water bodies and to ensure local agencies treat their sewage so as to maintain the quality of the water was emphasised.

Improve capacity to carry out Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)

• The region would need to reduce its reliance on outsiders who do not completely understand the area for evaluation of projects from a biodiversity and environment point of view.
• The region is seeking support from government agencies and international agencies to improve their capacity to carry out EIA for upcoming projects in the region.

International financing for an international problem

Global warming is causing the Himalayan snow to melt. This is likely to have an impact on the water system of the region. Therefore international financing was needed to preserve the water system of this region.