A one-day seminar titled ‘Human-Wildlife Coexistence’ was organised by Government Model Degree College (GMDC) Zanskar in collaboration with Wildlife Conservancy Trust India on October 27.

Around 50 students and faculty members participated in the day-long program.

Kirti Chavan, a Researcher, and conservationist associated with the trust spoke extensively about the wildlife of Zanskar. He particularly spoke about the Himalayan Brown Bear on which he has been working for the last 4 years in Zanskar and shared valuable information about the evolutionary history, food habits, and habitat of the wildlife species and its recent conflict with humans.

Chavan said that wild animals which are specific to a region are an important heritage of nature. He focused on the importance of living in harmony with this heritage so that they continue to provide ecosystem services to the people of the area.

A nature group consisting of 12 students was also constituted on the occasion who will be trained for a practical field survey relating to plant and animal species of Zanskar by the trust.

Principal, GMDC Zanskar, Professor Nasir Shabani urged the Wildlife Conservancy Trust India to collaborate with compatible departments of the college for short-term research projects so that students and teachers can get benefit from research methodologies.