Instilling scientific temper and environmental awareness at young age crucial for sustainable future: M.C. Dathan

Around 120 students from crossed Kerala participated the 18th State-level Students’ Biodiversity Congress held astatine the Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, connected Saturday (February 22, 2026).

The State-level lawsuit followed district-level Students’ Biodiversity Congresses conducted crossed the State, successful which much than 1,000 young pupil scientists took part.

Inaugurating the event, M.C. Dathan, Scientific Advisor to the Chief Minister, highlighted the value of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board’s (KSBB) inaugural ‘Every Child a Scientist and Artist,’ stating that the programme is gaining wide attraction for nurturing technological curiosity and creativity among children. He added that instilling technological temper and biology consciousness astatine a young property is important for gathering a sustainable future.

Board subordinate K.V. Santhosh Kumar presided implicit the function. College Principal V. Uma Jyothi, KSBB subordinate caput V. Balakrishnan and elder probe serviceman Akhila S. Nair besides spoke.

Dr. Balakrishnan said that the committee aims to scope each colony successful Kerala to animate the younger procreation with a passionateness for biodiversity and biology conservation, thereby shaping them into ambassadors of quality conservation. He stressed that Biodiversity Management Committees functioning nether section self-governments crossed Kerala should actively enactment researchers, national scientists and NGOs successful achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) targets successful a time-bound manner.

On the occasion, 20 uncommon and indigenous histrion saplings facing menace of extinction, including ‘Cherupunna,’ ‘Ponga,’ Karapponnu,’ ‘Palodan Njaval,’ ‘Karingali,’ ‘Chenthuruni,’ and ‘Ennapayin,’ were handed implicit to the assemblage arsenic portion of a conservation initiative.

KSBB subordinate and Chief Wildlife Warden Pramod G. Krishnan distributed the prizes to the winners of the State-level competitions.