Kargil, May 23, 2024 – The Department of Zoology, Government Degree College (GDC) Sankoo Campus, marked International Biodiversity Day with a hands-on workshop centered around the award-winning PARTNERS Principle for ethical and community-based conservation. The event was organized in collaboration with the Wildlife Protection Division Kargil and Peace rChan.

The event brought together wildlife officials, faculty members from biological sciences, and students pursuing skill enhancement course in wildlife studies and research.

The event began with opening remarks by Dr. Javed M. Iqbal, Head of the Department of Zoology and Member of the Ladakh Biodiversity Council, who emphasized the importance of biodiversity conservation in the high-altitude ecosystem of Ladakh and the role of local youth as conservation leaders.

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The program featured hands-on training sessions on tools and techniques used in biodiversity research, conducted by experts from the Wildlife Protection Division Kargil.

Students actively participated in group activities focused on documenting and understanding local biodiversity using various tools and equipment. Faculty members Dr. Ahmad Ali and Dr. Archo Zakiya delivered interactive talks on research skills, field methods and publication.

A key highlight of the event was the workshop on the Ethical Conservation Alliance’s PARTNERS Principle, led by Dr. Javed M. Iqbal, who is also the founder of Peace rChan, an initiative to empower local to become biodiversity champions.

The PARTNERS framework—Presence, Apt Planning, Respect, Transparency, Negotiation, Empathy, Responsiveness, and Strategic Support—provides a guiding model for ethical and inclusive conservation. Students explored how to apply this principle through group activities that encouraged personal reflection and connection with local biodiversity.

Adding a creative dimension, students participated in a reflective group activity where they identified a local species and matched its unique traits with their own personalities—encouraging deeper personal connections to nature and biodiversity.

The organizers expressed sincere thanks to Mr. Raza Ali Abidi, Wildlife Warden Kargil, for his unwavering support to the event and to Dr. Saleem Ahmad Nodal Officer Sankoo Campus, for his continuous encouragement of academic and student development initiatives.

The celebration was a powerful step towards building awareness, fostering student engagement in biodiversity research, and promoting ethical practices in conservation—true to the spirit of International Biodiversity Day.