Minister for Environment and Climate Change Siva V. Meyyanathan on Sunday said 10,000 mini-forests would come up in the State this year. Industries, including those under the red and orange categories, and even quarries would be roped in to plant these forests, he said.
Speaking at the inauguration of an International Conference on Sustainable Development in Hilly and Coastal Ecosystems at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) here, he said industries would have to plant saplings of native species about 12 feet in height. “If they do not have space inside their premises, then the Revenue Department officials can help identify land for them to plant and take care of the trees,” he said.
He added that a bio-shield was to come up along 500 km of the State’s coastline, where bamboo, palm trees, mangroves, neem and seaweed would be cultivated to mitigate issues due to climate change. The Minister, who inaugurated the MSSRF ‘Every Child A Scientist’ Centre (online) at Poompuhar, also released the foundation’s annual report on the occasion.
