Development and environment conservation have to go hand-in-hand, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. He was speaking after inaugurating a biodiversity museum, established by the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB), at the boathouse at Vallakkadavu, in connection with the World Environment Day celebrations here on Tuesday.
The Chief Minister said development to the exclusion of environmental conservation or vice-versa were not acceptable. This had been made clear in the White Paper on environment brought out by the government.
The government’s aim was to ensure sustainable development though biodiversity conservation, he said. “The biodiversity board is working to ensure people’s support for protecting biodiversity,” he said.
The museum had been set up at the Vallakkadavu boathouse which was a commercial hub of estwhile Travancore in the early 20th century, he said.
Among its features was a 3-D theatre that throws light on protection of resources and their sustainable use and biodioversity hot spots. The Science on a Sphere (SOS) spherical projection system helps create awareness of climate change, environment pollution and so on. He also gave away biodioversity awards.
