Few natural phenomena have been amalgamated into so many scientific fields as has the issue of climate change. The possibility that different causes are active at different time scales adds to the challenge. The role of insolation in weather and climate deals with the possible effects of alterations in the earth’s energy budget.

Land is degraded when it suffers a decline in its capabilities or loses its productive capacity. Soil is the non renewable natural resource which supports life on earth. It is estimated that one-sixth of the world’s soils have already been degraded by water and wind erosion. This has two important consequences: the reduced ability of society to produce sufficient food due to loss of quality and depth of soils; and pollution associated with erosion.

India accounts for about 2.4 per cent of the world’s geographical area but supports about 17 per cent of the world’s human population and 15 per cent of the livestock.

Nestled amidst the mountain ranges of Mekal, Sihava and Ramgiri and watered by numerous rivers - Mahanadi, Shivnath, Indravati, Hasdo and Kharun – Chhattisgarh owns an ancient cultural heritage that begins from the Stone Age.

Sarasvati, a majestic river, originating in Himalaya, flowed through present day Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat to join the Arabian Sea. Ancient Vedic culture flourished on its banks and important towns like Kurukshetra, Pehowa, Shatrana, Sirsa, Kalibangan, Pilibangan, Suratgarh, Beriwal etc., gained prominence.

Biodiversity sites are of global importance, having tremendous potential for future economic development, especially as a result of emerging new trends in biotechnology.

India is a large developing country with nearly 700 million rural population directly depending on climate sensitive sectors (agriculture, forests and fisheries) and natural resources (such as water, biodiversity, mangroves, coastal zones, grasslands) for their subsistence and livelihoods. Further, the adaptive capacity of dryland farmers, forest dwellers, fisherfolk, and nomadic shepherds is very low. Most regions of India experience adverse impacts of climate variability at frequent intervals that lead to reversal in development achievements.

Conservationists are aware that depletion of jungles and over harvesting limit the capacity of medicinal plants to proliferate. But a larger threat is the sensitivity of rare species to changes in temperature and humidity. With herbs and plants responding negatively to warming cycles, we are probably on the brink of losing not only our plants but also our legacy of traditional knowhow.

Joint Forest Management (JFM), the cornerstone of forest management in India since 1990, is facing new challenges to provide an innovative approach coupled with timely fund dissemination for effective community participation.

The Geodetic and Research Branch of Survey of India has a long history of over 130 years, since 1877, of maintaining tidal data generated from the tide gauge network along the Indian coast and islands. This data is being used by 30 Indian and 14 foreign ports for subsequent processing and analysis for various purposes.