The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) hosted a two-day nature camp for school children at Jayanti in the Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) to inform them about the region's rich biodiversity.
The camp that concluded on Tuesday was held in north Bengal for the first time.
“Usually, NGOs, adventure clubs and organisations associated with the conservation of nature and wildlife conduct such camps in north Bengal, specifically during the winter. This is the first time in recent years that a state agency like the WBPCB has hosted a nature camp in north Bengal. We welcome the initiative,” said Tridibesh Talukdar, the secretary of Alipurduar Nature Club.
Sources said the WBPCB had arranged nature camps in the Sundarbans and Purulia earlier.
Around 100 boys and girls, studying from Class IX to Class XII in 10 schools of Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts, participated in the Buxa camp. Some teachers also joined the camp, for which tents were set up on the forest range office campus in Jayanti.
Kalyan Rudra, the chairman of the WBPCB, said the board aimed to make the students aware of the need to keep the environment neat and clean and maintain ecological balance.
“The nature and environment are under threat across the globe. The students spent a couple of days in the forests and learned a lot about the flora and fauna, and various other aspects of nature. We believe such initiatives will encourage the students to work for the conservation of nature and curb pollution,” said Rudra.
At the camp, students were trained in identifying plants and birds and were taken on nature trails. Workshops on different topics and an exhibition of models were held at the venue.
“We explained to the students the necessity of maintaining the ecological balance and how nature plays a vital role in our daily life,” Rudra said.
At the camp, the WBPCB authorities handed over saplings to the participants. “They have been asked to plant and nurture the saplings at their schools. After two years, the PCB will inspect the schools and the institution that has taken the best care of the plants will be felicitated,” said a source.