By Fr. Felix Anthony –
Miao: The second edition of Namdapha Butterfly Meet got underway with a difference at Miao in Changlang District of Arunachal Pradesh on 21 February.
The Society for Education and Environmental Development (SEED) inaugurated its second edition of Namdapha Butterfly Meet (NBM) with painting and essay competitions for school children on butterflies and the importance of wildlife preservation at Miao to promote awareness among the student community.
Chief Organizer of the event Minom Pertin highlighted how it is important for the young students to realise the significance of butterflies and wild life conservation. “This is our humble effort to spread awareness about Namdapha, a rich bio-diverse region of our country and also to make young children aware of wildlife conservation”, he said, speaking to the 45 environmental enthusiasts from across India.
A total of 60 enthusiastic students from nine schools around Miao participated in the literary competitions on butterflies, Namdapha National Park and Wildlife Conservation.
Inaugurating the four-day event, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Miao Tage Rumi appreciated the organizers for the steps they have taken to promote the rich biodiversity of the last corner of India.
The second edition of NBM has brought together enthusiasts from nine states around the country, made mostly of college students and environmental scientists. There are seven students from North East Regional Institute of Science and Technology, Itanagar, six from Jawaharlal Nehru College, Tezu and seven from Indira Gandhi Government College, Pasighat.
Assistant Field Director of Namdapha National Park Pusam Tangha also spoke on the occasion and gave an overview of the park to the participants, prior to leading them to the camping zone at the park.
Monsoon Gogoi, environmental scientist from Bombay Nature Historical Society will guide the participants through the event which comes to an end on 24 February, when butterfly enthusiasts of the second Namdapha Butterfly Meet and winners of the essay and painting competitions will be given certificates of participation. The Namdapha National Park is located in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, near the international border with Myanmar. It spans an area of 1,985 kms, including a buffer zone of 177 kms and a core area of 1,808 kms.