A Tamil Nadu Forest Archives and Data Centre (TNFADC) will be set up at Chennai as a repository of information about the State’s flora, fauna and its rich conservation initiatives.
The Centre will be a repository of forest research reports, scientific publications and documents, old manuscripts and historical references, forest maps, books, handbooks of flora, fauna and herbaria as well as rare photographs. It will also have forest working, management plans, annual reports, research publications, forest manuals and SOPs, unique resources covering the conservation movement and forest-related resources from around the world among others.
The TNFADC will contribute to a greater understanding of forest initiatives. It will be a treasure trove of the rich archival material related to forest protection and conservation, said Supriya Sahu, principal secretary, Environment and Forests.
The data centre will strive to digitise all the resources into an e-library, to provide access to information quickly and meaningfully. The TNFADC will be extremely useful in research, publication and educational outreach, and valuable to anyone interested in the history of TN forests, according to a government order passed by Ms. Sahu. Apart from research fellows, college and school students also stand to benefit.
TNFADC will document, preserve and showcase the heritage of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department to the outside world.
An agency with a proven track record of working on such projects, will be appointed for collecting, collating, coding and coordinating the collection of documents needed for TNFADC from various circles, divisions and field offices. The agency will also help in digitising them into an e-library for online access and preservation for posterity simultaneously.
