JALUKBARI, July 25 - The Zoological Society of Assam (ZSA) recently organised an international webinar titled �COVID-19 Pandemic and Biodiversity � the Good, the Bad and the Ugly�, said a delayed press release.
On the occasion the keynote address was delivered by Prof Manideep Raj of Darrang College, Tezpur. His address revolved around relevant facts right from Louis Pasteur�s thoughts to books on pandemic published last month.
Chief guest Prof Ramesh (Zimbo) Boonratana, who teaches biological sciences at the Mahidol University International College, Bangkok, Thailand, in his talk covered relevant aspects like the sixth mass extinction and the catastrophic happenings like flus, HIV, etc. He gave an overview of the COVID-19 pandemic with special reference to the Indian context.
Prof Boonratana also laid stress on the fact that the scientific language used in publications should be made understandable to the leaders and policy makers. He was of the opinion that devastations like Dehing Patkai and Baghjan need to be addressed on a local perspective and the policy makers should be region-specific while deciding on implementation of laws.
An interaction was also held where the speaker attended to each query with a resolving attitude. Apart from ZSA members, the webinar was also attended by professors, post doctoral fellows, research scholars, students and others interested in biodiversity and environmental issues.
