The Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, in collaboration with the Punjab State Council for Science & Technology celebrated World Nature Conservation Day 2024 on July 31, 2024.

The event centered around the theme “Connecting People and Plants, Exploring Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation,” highlighting the critical importance of nature conservation and raising awareness about the essential role nature plays in fulfilling humanity’s basic needs for survival.

The event marked its beginning with inaugural address by Head, Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. She enlightened the participants with the importance of biodiversity conservation.

 Dr. Ranjeet Kaur, Programme Officer, EIACP-Punjab, Punjab State Council for Science & Technology, delivered an insightful speech on conservation strategies, emphasizing that breathing is not optional and, consequently, neither is conserving nature.

The event proceeded with special talk on ‘Importance of Medicinal Plants’ by Prof. (Dr.) Satwinderjeet Kaur. She shared her experiences and discussed about various medicinal plants and their health benefits, she also advised to incorporate medicinal plants in regular diet as preventive measure to avoid ailments. Further, Hands on Training Session on ‘Identification of Plants’ was conducted by Dr. Mayank Dhar Dwivedi. The quiz competition was coordinated by Dr. Kritika Pandit and Dr. Mehak Taneja. The celebration concluded with the plantation drive under the banner ‘Ek Ped Maa ke Naam’, in which students along with faculty participated enthusiastically symbolizing the Department’s commitment to environmental biodiversity conservation. The programme was coordinated by Dr. Astha Bhatia and Dr. Mayank D. Dwivedi. All the faculty members from Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences attended the event.