TN inks pact with UK for setting up botanical garden, green rating framework for industrial de-carbonisation

The garden will conserve and propagate native plant species including rare, threatened and endangered species, an official release here said.

The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday inked a pact with the UK government for setting up a botanical garden near Chennai as well as to launch a project to conserve mangroves, forests and wetlands, besides releasing a green rating framework for industrial de-carbonisation.

Ahead of the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministerial meeting here on Friday, UK Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Therese Coffey and Minister for Climate, Energy and Net Zero Graham Stuart launched key projects with the state government for setting new milestones in the strategic climate partnership between the UK and Tamil Nadu.

In technical partnership with Kew Gardens of London, the Tamil Nadu government has planned to establish a botanical garden in Chengalpattu district. The garden will conserve and propagate native plant species including rare, threatened and endangered species, an official release here said.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Additional Chief Secretary to Tamil Nadu Environment, Climate Change & Forest Department Supriya Sahu and Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew Richard George Deverell was exchanged in the presence of TN Forests Minister M Mathiventhan, and Secretary Coffey. As per the MoU, Kew will provide advice and expertise to Tamil Nadu around landscape planning, plant collection development, botanical garden management and other related matters.

UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT’s) mangrove project was launched by Coffey. The project will work in 3 climate-smart villages, focusing on three ecosystems — forests, mangroves and wetlands. It will specifically build capacities of forest communities, especially the tribals of the Nilgiris district, the fisherfolk of the Pichavaram mangrove ecosystem in the Cuddalore district, and small-holder subsistence farmers and agricultural labourers, living in inland areas of the wetland of Coimbatore district.

The 'Roadmap for Green Indexing of Industries — low carbon industrial development in Tamil Nadu’, a strategic imitative on industrial de-carbonisation was launched by Minister Stuart and Tamil Nadu Environment Minister Siva V Meyyanathan. As part of this initiative, the ministers jointly released the green rating framework for industries to motivate businesses to take up low-carbon commitments and action to advance the state government’s climate change ambitions of achieving net zero before 2070.

Oliver Ballhatchet, British Deputy High Commissioner for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry; Sally Taylor, Director Development, Climate, Science and Tech, UK Government; and Chairperson, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board Member M Jayanthi participated.