World Environment Day (June 5) is an occasion which brings together millions of people across the country for awareness and action for the environment. This year, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India envisages to celebrate the World Environment Day 2023 with a thrust on the Mission LiFE. The concept of LiFE, i.e., Lifestyle for Environment was introduced by the Hon'ble Prime Minister, at the World Leaders' Summit in Glasgow at the 2021 UNFCCC COP26, when he gave a clarion call to rekindle a global pursuit to adopt sustainable lifestyle and practices. Mass mobilisation across the country on LiFE are being organized in the run-up to the celebrations.
The National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) has taken yet another initiative towards promoting the themes of Mission LiFE at the Royapuram fishing harbour. This fishing harbour is one of the major and busiest fishing hubs in Tamil Nadu and is located at Kasimedu in the Royapuram area of North Chennai. The harbour is also equipped with shipbuilding yards, chiefly for building fishing boats, catamarans, and fishing net mending yards. The harbour can accommodate approximately 600 mechanised fishing boats, handle nearly 200 tonnes of fish per day, and provide livelihood support to almost 1000 families.
As part of the LiFE event, beach cleaning at the N4 beach was carried out with the active participation of about 125 members of the fisherfolk community, 50 college students, and 25 Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) staff members. NCSCM staff and Greater Chennai Corporation members collected nearly 160kg of plastic waste in the fishing hamlet. This waste consisted of 70kg of discarded fishing nets, the rest being single-use plastics and packaging. The collected waste was handed over to the GCC authorities to improve the value chain.
As part of the sensitization, NCSCM staff explained to the local fishing community about responsible and sustainable fishing, hygienic fish handling and processing including fish drying and raising awareness about energy and water conservation. Further, they emphasised the need for management strategies to control fishing-related litter. During the event, emphasis was given to clean sea initiatives such as “fishing for litter” to encourage fishermen to bring abundant lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) to shore-based reception facilities as a measure for the circular economy and to close the plastic loop in the marine environment. This event trained the fisherfolk in a simple manner about the sensitivity of the marine habitat, climate change and the need to live in harmony with nature. As a part of this event, participants took part in a LiFE pledge against littering and the reduction of plastic pollution. Placards and pamphlets were displayed on the beach as part of this event. NCSCM scientists explained the importance of Mission LiFE to the local fishing community.
Garhwal Regional Centre (GRC) of the National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE) conducted an awareness and action campaign under mission LIFE. To promote ‘Adopt Healthy Lifestyles’ theme of mission LiFE, a plantation drive of medicinal and horticultural species was organized with the students of Shemford Futuristic School, Srinagar Garhwal, Uttarakhand. A total of 58 participants, including faculties, students, teachers, and social workers, attended the programme. The participants also took the LiFE pledge and were made aware on the 'importance of the mission LiFE' to sustain the resources in the long run.
Zoological Survey of India
Zoological Survey of India under the guidance of Dr Dhriti Banerjee, Director, ZSI conducted more than 16 events of Mass mobilisation of LIFE in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh and reached out to the more than 300 people from different age group at different workplace like schools, colleges, offices, market place to spread awareness among the mass on different life themes .The programs were conducted by Dr Sandeep Kushwaha and his team from ZSI Jabalpur.