FRI Concludes Three-Day Training Programme on Conservation and Management of Forest Ecosystems for Eco Task Force Officers.

The Forest Ecology and Climate Change (FE&CC) Division of the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, under the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), concluded a three-day training programme on “Conservation and Management of Forest Ecosystems” for officers of the Ecological Territorial Army (Eco Task Force). The programme, sponsored by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), was held from 13 to 15 October 2026.

At the valedictory session Dr Parul Bhatt Kotiyal, Scientist-F and Head, FE&CC Division, welcomed the gathering and presented a short video of the three days of training. Dr. Sudhir Kumar, Director, FRI, then addressed the participants. He highlighted the growing environmental pressures from habitat degradation, forest fires and invasive alien species and stressed the need to train Eco Task Force officers for effective restoration of degraded areas. Dr Abhishek K. Verma, Scientist-C, FRI, proposed the vote of thanks.

Expert speakers from FRI, the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) delivered lectures on forest ecosystem conservation, geospatial tools and technologies, forest fire management, ecological restoration, biodiversity monitoring, soil health, invasive weed management and soil and water conservation.

A field session at Benog Wildlife Sanctuary, Mussoorie Forest Division, exposed trainees to long-term ecological monitoring, watershed processes and soil dynamics under changing climatic conditions. Participants also visited FRI’s museums, Xylarium, Herbarium and forest nurseries to gain practical insight into forest resources and sustainable management.

The programme aimed to strengthen the technical capacity of Eco Task Force officers through expert lectures, field exposure and practical demonstrations, promoting science-based approaches to forest conservation and ecological restoration. The training concluded with a note of thanks to MoEF&CC for sponsoring the programme and to the participants for their active engagement.