Biodiversity Day celebration in Arunachal Pradesh for conserving and promoting livestock in high-altitude regions
28 May 2024, Arunachal Pradesh: ICAR- National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow in collaboration with NRCY and the Department Of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary & Dairy Development, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh, celebrated International Day for Biodiversity for ‘Enabling Arunachali Yak Breeders and Preserving Pastoralism’ at ICAR-National Research Centre on Yak, Dirang from 22nd – 24th May 2024. The International Day for Biodiversity is celebrated every year on 22 May, to commemorate the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity text and provide a unique opportunity to foster wide support for the Convention, its Protocols, and related action frameworks for biodiversity preservation.
The Chief Guest, Dr. Raghavendra Bhatta, Deputy Director General (Animal Science), ICAR, felicitated the yak pastoralists and said that yak is the lifeline of the local community of high altitude region, importantly contributing to food, fiber, and transport. He highlighted the potential of yak milk to promote yaks in the region due to its unique properties and biomolecules, which could benefit human health. Dr. Bhatta urged research on sustainability in yak production amid climate change.
The Guest of Honour, Dr. Danjan Longri, Director, Department Of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary & Dairy Development, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh, briefed about various schemes for Yak and Mithun promotion in the state.
Dr. B. P. Mishra, Director, ICAR-NBFGR, emphasised that the Bureau has cryopreserved the germplasm of many indigenous breeds including two-thirds of breeds at risk.
Dr. Mihir Sarkar, Director, ICAR-NRC on Yak, spoke about various initiatives taken after the registration of Arunachali Yak as a breed, which has created tremendous enthusiasm among yak breeders. He also informed that yak churpi has been registered as a Geographical Indication with the efforts of NRCY.
Dr. Bhatta distributed inputs to yak herders and launched the logo of the Arunachal Pradesh Yak Herders & Products Development Cooperative Society Ltd. He inaugurated the ‘Tibetan Sheep Conservation Unit’ at the Regional Sheep Breeding Farm in Sangti, Dirang, under the ICAR-Network Project on AnGR, as Tibetan sheep in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh face extinction risk. A MoU was also signed for sustainable utilization, promotion, and improvement of Arunachali Yak.
A total of 120 participants were present during the programme.
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