UGC on the Move to Encourage Research on Ecology

Following the recommendations of National Forest Commission (NFC), University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a missive asking various universities and institutions to encourage research on ecology.
In its recently issued letter to the institutions, the UGC deputy secretary, Shakeel Ahmad, has made it clear that the move is taken to meet the recommendation of NFC headed by Justice BN Kripal, a former Chief Justice of India. The NFC submitted a report to the Prime Minister that contained 360 recommendations including the promotion of research on ecology.
"The forest departments and the Union government should encourage universities and organizations to take up research proactively, particularly applied research,'' Justice Kirpal report had stated.
NFC recommends research on grassland ecology, fire, flood, invasive species, forest regeneration, wildlife diseases, inter-relationships and inter-dependence of species, groups and habitat. It further recommended for a multidisciplinary integrated ecological research that encompass scientific and socio-economic aspects related to protected area management, reintroduction, and rehabilitation of species in different eco-regions with funding by the government and provision of facilities by the forest department.
According to the report of NFC, a special attention should be paid to the research for making use of ethnic knowledge in wildlife conservation and management, and to the applied research focused on obtaining intellectual property rights capable of benefiting the local communities and the country.