By IANS,
Shimla : Himachal Pradesh will set up a centre to study the impact of the changing environment on climate, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said Wednesday.
The centre will promote research and generate scientific database relating to the sectors that are vulnerable to climate change like agriculture, horticulture and forests, Dhumal said during his budget speech in the assembly.
“Besides carrying out research in the areas of disaster management and glaciers, it will also work towards evolving appropriate strategies towards climate change,” the chief minister added.
Dhumal said a Rs.900-crore project was sent to the World Bank by the state for environmentally sustainable development.
“The project proposes research in environmentally sustainable development and promoting energy efficiency and conservation through renewable and alternative sources of energy for low carbon economy,” he said.
According to official records, 66 percent, about 37,033 sq km of the total 55,643 sq km of the state, is under forest cover.
The lush green valleys and snow capped mountains of the state are home to 36 percent of the country’s species of birds. Of the 1,228 species that have been reported in India, 447 are in this state alone.
Similarly, 77 species of mammals – from the spectacular snow leopard to the common Himalayan tahr, a type of wild goat – have been recorded by the Himachal State Council for Science, Technology and Environment in its biodiversity report.
The storehouse of biodiversity also supports 3,120 species of flowering plants, including 187 species of medicinal plants.