Guwahati, July 21: As part of the Government's Mission LiFE campaign aimed at mobilising people to become "Pro-Planet People", prominent Assam-based biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak and the Guwahati Wildlife Division of Assam Forest Department organised a ‘Nature Walk’ in the picturesque Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary near here on July 18. The programme was organised under the aegis of Wipro Foundation and Lea Associates South Asia Private Limited (LASA), according to a Press release.

The purpose of the nature walk was to facilitate participants a close look at the flora, fauna and over all biodiversity of the wildlife sanctuary so that they can experience and  feel the  continuous interactions of living creatures with the environment. It is expected to help participants acquire a penchant for conservation of nature in whatever capacity they can. Thirty individuals attended the nature walk, including students and teachers from Sonaram Higher Secondary School, Narengi High School and New Guwahati Adarsha High School.

Parinita Singh, Range Officer of Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary, provided detail information about the sanctuary to participants while engaging them in discussion about various habitats and aspects of nature. Aaranyak's Senior Manager, Jayanta Kumar Pathak, emphasised the importance of forest ecosystem in urban landscapes and the effectiveness of Forest Therapy like tree hugging during the nature walk.

Expert ornithologist Dr Nilutpal Mahanta, Wildlife Researcher Jigyas Baruah, Aaranyak’s Avishek Sarkar and Akshay Upadhyay facilitated the nature walk as resource persons and gave an overview of forest and wildlife ecology. Senior official of LASA Basanta Bezbaruah also attended the programme and interacted with the participants.

The nature walk gave the students an opportunity to interact with nature and gain in-depth knowledge about biodiversity in urban settings. Aaranyak officials Pranab Goswami and Wasima Begum coordinated the programme.