Gujarat Ecology Commission
Endearing Environment
Gujarat Ecology Commission
Endearing Environment
Gujarat Ecology Commission is an institution established in 1992 by the Forest & Environment Department, Government of Gujarat to address the State’s environment-issues and develop sustainable technologies. The Commission is headed by a Member-Secretary, who is assisted by gazetted officers, deputed from Forest & Revenue Departments. The Member Secretary is an all India service officer with super time scale. He is the Chief Executive of the Commission. A multi-disciplinary team of professionals (Including Forester, Ecologist, Environment Engineer, Socio-economist, GIS & RS Expert and Computer specialists) support the Commission, along with other ministerial staff.
The major strength of the Commission is its ability to draw on the existing institutional and professional resources of the State and elsewhere, based on felt need. It has worked with almost all the professionally renowned institutions of the State.
The Commission's main role is to design project, execution, monitoring and evaluation. It works in the areas having association with direct action in ecological and environmental protection.
GEC is a platform for providing information and other inputs, which are needed to develop a policy and approach for ecological conservation and sustainable development. At the same time, it undertakes, on its own and in collaboration with other agencies, initiatives for the protection of ecosystems under threat and restoration of ecologically degraded zones. This is done through trial and demonstrative projects, which establish benchmarks for future replication.
GEC’s approach is to integrate environmental concerns with regular economic activity, even to the extent of relating conservation of biological diversity with the livelihood prospects of the present generation in addition to the concerns for future generations.
The Commission views sustainable development as an ongoing cumulative process, rather than an end product. Therefore, it adopts an action-centered network approach to environment management and development; wherein links are established among Government, scientists, experts in various disciplines, voluntary agencies, communication experts, business and industries in problem-solving and consensus-building towards developing a common vision.
Shri E. Balaguruswamy, IFS is the Member Secretary of Gujarat Ecology Commission, since August- 2008.