Ecology - 
- Originated from Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Indian Subcontinent.
- It can grow on a wide variety of soils and climatic conditions but are generally found in dry areas.
- The temperature requirement for its growth ranges from 15 - 28°C with the rainfall in between 100 mm – 1500 mm.

Use of Babool: 
- The bark of A. Nilotica is used as a tan.
- The timber is very durable and is used for wheels, as fuel and well-curbs. The wood of this tree is resistant to termites and therefore, it can be used for furniture.
- Tender leaves act as a blood purifier and are also used as fodder for cattle.
- The leaves are also used as a treatment for diarrhea and gonorrhea.

a thematic side event "People's Participation Approach: A Bottom-Up Approach Towards Migratory Species Conservation" at the thirteenth Conference of Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS COP13) on 17th February 2020 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. TERRE was represented by Dr. Rajendra Shende, Chairman TERRE and Former Director UNEP.

On 18th of February 2020, the 5th edition of TERRE Olympiad Award Ceremony (2019-20) was celebrated in S.M. Joshi Hall, Pune. Chief Guest for the award ceremony was Mr. Sitaram Kandi (Vice President of TATA Motors, Employee relations, Skills and Corporate Social Responsibility). TERRE Olympiad was supported by TATA Motors, Symantec, CAF India, Little Planet Foundation and TATA Motors Gram Vikas Kendra Jamsedpur. More than 2,60,000 students participated in the competition in 3 categories - Tree, Sapling and Plant. 

Top 10 students were awarded from Sapling and Plant category and top 3 students from Tree category. 100 students were selected for consolation prize. According to the categories Laptop, Smartphone, Hard Drive, MI fitness band, Bluetooth speaker, Pen Drive, Trophy, Medal, Certificate and India’s National Flag were awarded to the students. Total 9 Schools and 2 Academies were awarded for student participation under different categories.  

Hon. Mr. Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, appreciated the students, teachers and parents for showing their enthusiasm for TERRE Olympiad. Hon. Mr. Prakash Javadekar congratulated all the winners in a video message

"A house you can rebuild; A bridge you can restring; A washed-out road you can fill in. But there is nothing you can do about A tree but mourn."

- Louise Dickinson Rich

According to the 2019 report of Forest Survey of India, 21.40% of forest cover in India is prone to fires, with forests in the north-eastern region and central India being the most vulnerable. Considering an emergency situation, TERRE Policy Centre donated essential air blower to Pune forest division on February 20, 2020.

'TERRE Sandhya', an interactive session was organized by TERRE Policy Centre on the evening of 25/02/2020 at Indradhanushya Environment and Citizenship Centre, Pune. Hon. Chief Guest and Speaker Dr. Hemant Bedekar - Principal Director Bamboo Society of India, Maharashtra Chapter gave an interesting presentation on "Extraordinary World of Bamboo" - "Bamboo for the Sustainable Development". From ancient times, bamboo has been an important part of the human life. Bamboo has different varieties that are beneficial for environmental conservation. In rain shadow areas or drought prone areas, fast growing bamboo will be the best option for cultivation in the forest and agricultural land. It helps to reduce soil erosion of the water basin and restore forest cover for biodiversity conservation. Bamboo is a green gold or golden stick so there's a need to register bamboo plantation on 7/12 document. In international markets, bamboo products are available in low price compared to Indian products. Bamboo-based industrial set up will help India to stand strong in international markets. It will also help to create strong economy.
The event was concluded by a vote of thanks by Dr. Vinita Apte, Founder Director, TERRE and felicitation of Dr. Bedekar by Dr. Rajendra Shende, Chairman, TERRE.

---

TERRE conducted its 12th edition of Teachers Olympiad, which is an online competition scheduled every month. TERRE Policy Centre in collaboration with Earth Day Network launched this Olympiad to encourage the teachers to spread awareness about environmental issues among students.   
                                                        

Winner of Teachers Olympiad - February, 2020: 
Mrs Jyoti Khandelwal  
Faculty at Government Secondary School Bayana Bharatpur, Rajasthan

Interested teachers can register anytime for the Olympiad using the link given below:
http://terrepolicycentre.com/TERRE-Teachers-Olympiad.asp
 
For any queries regarding the above competition, feel free to contact us : 
Email ID: terrepolicycentre@gmail.com
Contact: 020-25448650

TERRE has declared national level 'Young Research Fellowship' in the reverential memory of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Dr. Kalam had high expectations from the youth of India and keeping this in context, TERRE has announced this noble award on the occasion of Late Dr. Kalam’s birth anniversary - 15 October 2019.

Academic qualification: Under-graduates, post-graduates, Ph.D. of any stream.

Age eligibility: Minimum 19 years and maximum 25 years of age (as on 01.01.2020)

Research themes: Plastic, Clean Air, Agriculture and Environment Friendly Technology & Innovation.

Fellowship details: Young researchers who have worked or are working in the themes (as mentioned above) will be considered and upto 50 participants will be shortlisted for the fellowship. Innovative & unique idea will be awarded with INR 10,000 along with a Citation, Scroll and Medallion.

Fellowship will be awarded on remembrance day of Dr. Kalam i.e. 27^th July 2020. Scrutinising committee headed Mr. Ashok Mangotra an Ex Chartered Officer and close acquaintance Late of Dr. Kalam.

Registration details: The registration portal is open till 15th March 2020.

Follow the link for more information: 

Land remediation is the removal of pollutants and contaminants from the soil or groundwater, reinitiates the former state or “baseline condition” of the land. This process restores the deterioration of the Earth’s land surfaces, improving the soil quality. With an increase in environmental hazards, the importance of land remediation goes beyond the restoration of quality of the land, to safeguard the natural habitat against potential harmful effects from exposure to the land.

Causes of land degradation -
Industrial operations that leave behind the untreated toxic chemical residues directly on the land surfaces are the major causes of land deterioration. Activities such as mining, quarrying, construction, improper disposal of solid waste, landfills, etc. also contribute to land contamination. Land degradation is associated with a number of threats including but not limited to – soil erosion, soil contamination, salinization, decline in the organic matter, loss of biodiversity on the land, etc.

Process of land remediation -
Firstly, a site assessment is conducted to determine the extent of environmental damage caused to the land surface. Based on the investigations and surveys conducted, one or more appropriate solutions for the process are chosen. Modern technologies such as thermal desorption, dredging, excavating, solidification and stabilization, soil vapor extraction, nanoremediation, bioremediation, collapsing air microbubbles, pump and treat method, etc. provide pertinent solutions to the problem of land degradation.

Why is land remediation necessary?
Land remediation helps in controlling, reducing, and completely removing contaminants in the soil. This ensures that the land no longer poses a threat to the surrounding environment and the environmental sanctity is restored. Improving the quality of land results in an increase in soil water storage, enhanced water infiltration and increased resistance to erosion.

 - Advait Khare
BYK College of Commerce, Nashik

Sushilkumar Yadav to TERRE team on Volunteering activity at Smritivan Warje.
 

"It was well-maintained forest land. Water reservoir are  placed at multiple places so that people can easily supply water to the trees. Coming to the activity, early morning work to nurture the place was nice experience. Working in a team, about whom I hardly knew something was a great exercise and we had fun working together. Would like to contribute to more such activities.
Thank you."

Sushilkumar Yadav
Persistent Foundation 

NUMBER OF THE MONTH


13

The 13^th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP13) was held in Gandhinagar, at the kind invitation of the Government of India from 15 to 22 February 2020. 

If you know the answer, send us at
info@terrepolicycentre.com

Answer of last month's question:
D) Convocation

Winner of the last month's question: Rahul Autade


 

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Editor NewsleTERRE:
Dr. Vinitaa Apte 
(Founder Director, TERRE)

Editorial Team :
Rajkumari Suryawanshi, Dinah Gengmei, Sagar Lakhotiya, Sachin Anpat, Prasad Mane and Shreeram Nijampurkar