SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024
Goa’s Green Manifesto is a collaborative effort involving citizens associated with the Amche Mollem Campaign, youth groups and experts in various fields, who believe this is an important first step in realising a more sustainable future for the State.
The document is a step towards a vision of development that the citizens want to see in Goa, grounded in local cultural, scientific and legal values. The manifesto details the changes and commitments they demand from elected representatives that are consistent with this vision. For this, they took an ecosystems-based approach in creating this manifesto, wherein the demands for each of the broad ecosystems that make up the State have been covered.
When it comes to the three liner projects, the manifesto touches upon the demands under the ‘Forests’ eco-based system approach.
“Goa’s forests are some of the most biodiverse on the planet. Though parts of these are protected, large areas of forest land outside Protected Areas have faced intense degradation. Privately owned forests are of particular concern when considering proposed amendments to the Forest Conservation Act. The large infrastructure projects in Mollem National Park are simply the tip of the iceberg; Goa's forests are seeing rapid conversion which must be halted,” reads an excerpt of the manifesto.
The organisations that have endorsed Goa’s Green Manifesto are: Amche Mollem Campaign; Chicalim Youth Farmers Club; Goyant Kollso Naka; Responsible Tourism Collective; Goa Bird Conservation Network; Goa Heritage Action Group; Mhadei Research Centre; Goa Sea Turtle Trust; Coastal Impact; Carmona Villagers Social Welfare Forum; Environment Front - Youth for Swaraj; Living Heritage Foundation; and Peace Rights and Environment Society of GAIMS.
“Goa’s Green Manifesto is a call to action and a collective demand from the young people of Goa for an active response to the climate crisis and towards the future well-being of the population. We strive to safeguard and create a Goa that future generations can thrive in. Our expectation is that political leaders use this document as a blueprint to create, commit to and deliver on plans that focus on mitigation of the impacts of climate change, ensuring resilience, equity and social justice. These steps must include further consultation with citizens, civil society and experts,” say the groups that prepared this.
“As a politician it is important that you make a public commitment to protect Goa’s natural environment and use this document as a blueprint to create and deliver on plans that focus on mitigation of the impacts of climate change, ensuring resilience, equity and social justice for all the inhabitants of the state,” they added.
