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ENVIS
(ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION SYSTEM)
The Environmental Information
System (ENVIS) in the country was established by the Ministry
of Environment and Forests, Government of India which has at
present a network of 78 Centers on various subject areas and a
focal point in the Ministry.
ENVIS
Centre at BNHS
 In the fitness of things, the Bombay
Natural History Society (BNHS) was selected as an ENVIS
(Environmental Information System) Centre by the Ministry of
Environment and Forests, Government of India during the year
of the Sálim Ali Centenary celebrations. Though the BNHS did
have quite a few other larger than life personalities as was Sálim
Ali, what made the 'old man' stand out was: 1) He was the
first Indian pioneer in the field of ornithology and
conservation; 2) He was instrumental in popularizing the study
of ornithology through his evergreen bestseller The Book of
Indian Birds and 3) His magnum opus, The Handbook of the Birds
of India and Pakistan, co-authored with S.D. Ripley.
The ENVIS Centre at BNHS will deal with
information on 'Avian Ecology and Inland Wetlands'. The choice
of BNHS for such a Centre is understandable, as it has been
related in one way or another with studies on ornithology,
natural history and conservation. Another distinction is the
publication of its journal, The Journal of the Bombay Natural
History Society since 1886, which is a required reading for
studies on any aspect of the ecology
of the subcontinent. Besides these, the Society has a
large collection of books, scientific journals and bird
skins, some of which are more than a century old and
available nowhere else. It has a team of experienced
scientists, both professional and amateur, many of whom
were pioneers in scientific studies on birds in India.
This issue of the Newsletter, being
the inaugural issue, is devoted to information on the
recently setup ENVIS Centre at the BNHS. It gives the
reasons for naming the Newsletter Buceros and discusses
the objectives and plans of the Centre. It also provides
information on the Society: its history, growth, future
plans, activities and publications.
OBJECTIVES
OF THE ENVIS CENTRE AT BNHS
The primary objective of all ENVIS
Centres is to collect, collate, store and disseminate
environmental information to various user groups,
including policy planners, decision makers, researchers
and the layman. The Focal Point of the present 78 ENVIS
Centers in India is at the Ministry of Environment and
Forests, New Delhi. This ENVIS Focal Point acts as a
regional service Centre to INFOTERRA (International
Information System on Environment) set up by the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), to cater to
environmental information needs in the South Asian
Region.
As mentioned earlier, the Centre at
the BNHS has been assigned the responsibility of being
the focal point for information on 'Avian Ecology and
Inland Wetlands'. The plans envisaged for the ENVIS
Centre at BNHS are:
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To create a bibliographic
database of published work related to Avian Ecology
and Inland Wetlands. This will access information
from scientific papers, notes, project reports,
theses, books, bulletins and popular publications.
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To create a database of organisations
(governmental and non-governmental) related to work on
Avian Ecology and Inland Wetlands, including a database of
scientists in these organisations and their areas of
specialisation.
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Publish newsletters and reports
pertaining to Avian Ecology and Inland Wetlands.
Inauguration of the ENVIS Centre at BNHS by
Mr. N.R. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Environment and
Forests on 18.6.1996
BUCEROS
With this inaugural issue, the ENVIS
newsletter published by the BNHS will take the name of
BUCEROS. Buceros, to those unfamiliar, is the genus under
which the Great Hornbill (Great Indian Pied Hornbill) is
classified. The Great Hornbill is the crest or logo of the
BNHS. The Society already has a popular publication, HORNBILL
named after its mascot.
To honour our mascot's more than half a
century's relationship with the Society, which has seen the
Society become one of the premier research and conservation
organisations in the country, we have decided to honour our
mascot once again. As it is not possible to have two
publications with the same name, we take recourse to using the
generic name, Buceros for the Newsletter as its output will be
mainly of a scientific nature. We are certain that the
distinctions that our mascot has brought us will continue -
after all it is the same old bird under another name! |
