GUWAHATI, Dec 15 - Majuli has become the first district in the country to launch an ambitious �Sustainable Action for Climate Resilient Development in Majuli (SACReD)� project that seeks to achieve carbon neutrality on the river island by 2020.
The project that was formally launched on Wednesday comes in recognition of growing climate change-induced threats to Majuli, which is among the world�s largest river islands and a repository of the State�s cultural heritage. At the core of the initiative is the need for Majuli to align all its developmental activities with ecological responsibility.
The endeavour is part of India�s international commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35 per cent by 2030.
The project has been initiated by the Department of Environment and Forest, Government of Assam, to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and is part of the French Development Agency-assisted Assam Project on Forest and Biodiversity Conservation (APFBC) being implemented by the Forest Department.
�The project will be designed and implemented in partnership with other departments of the district for which a district-level committee under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner has been constituted. This will enable landscape planning for reducing emissions and improving the forest health of Majuli besides ensuring improved productivity of other lands and enhanced benefits for the communities,� official sources told The Assam Tribune.
The climate-resilient development model is expected to transform Majuli into a carbon- neutral district by 2020. Once the project is executed successfully in Majuli, the activities would be replicated in other districts in Assam for reducing carbon emissions in the entire State.
�The SACReD project presents a vision and roadmap for a carbon-neutral Majuli. Mitigation through forestry activities and biodiversity conservation will be the starting points for the carbon-neutral agenda followed by other interventions over the next three years,� sources added.
The SACReD carbon neutrality roadmap for emissions reductions analysis and interventions has been developed by the Delhi-based IORA Ecological Solutions, which is assisting the Forest Department in developing the design of the project in Majuli.