Visit of M.Sc. Environment Management students to Hathipaon & Mussoorie

Students of M.Sc. Environment Management I^st semester went on a study tour cum practical demonstration to Hathipaon & Mussoorie, on 25^th February  2021 under the guidance of Dr. H.B. Vashistha to study the restoration work and vegetation analysis of the area.

The location was mainly degraded with limestone mining which was practiced in the 20^th century. Plantations play a critical role in restoring productivity, ecosystem stability, and biological diversity of the degraded area. This mining area has been taken up in a restoration project by the government of Uttarakhand which was headed under the guidance of Dr. H.B. Vashistha under the Environmental Impact Assessment scheme. Dr. H.B. Vashistha demonstrates to the students about the ecological importance of several plant species and the importance for the restoration of degraded mining sites and also unveils the students various patches which were restored by them. Students also got the opportunity to identify various plants and their medicinal and economical importance. Some of the common plant species spotted in the study area were Debregeasia hypoleuca, Thysanolaena maxima, Cedrus deodara, Cupressus torulosa, Urtica Dioica, Ficus sp., Berberis aristata, Dalbergia hypoluca, Strobilanthes sp., Chrysopogon fulvus, Eupatorium adenophorum, Alnus nepalensis, Rumex hastatus, Coriaria nepalensis, Eriophorum comosum etc.

The trip helped the students to learn about the various plant species which can be utilized to restore degraded land. Also, the trip enabled the students to have practical knowledge of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, restoration of degraded land, and ecological assessment of restoration site.