Uttarakhand’s plans to create 100,000 ‘ecopreneurs’
- Posted By
10Pointer
- Categories
Environment
- Published
29th Apr, 2022
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Context
Uttarakhand is planning to train 100,000 ecopreneurs in the next three years to create green jobs that help to address the large-scale out-migration that is occurring due to the limited employment opportunities in the inaccessible, hilly landscape.
What is an ‘ecopreneur’?
- They are building businesses while being ecological.
- It is one of a new class of entrepreneurs whose businesses conserve natural resources through low-carbon, nature-based livelihoods.
- Currently, such jobs are relatively rare in Uttarakhand.
- The term is the mix of “eco” from ecological = green and entrepreneur = someone building a business.
- They do not just look at profit, but also on the planet and people.
- This means putting people and the planet first instead of having money in mind.
Uttarakhand’s Biodiversity
- Uttarakhand has 34,650 square kilometers of forest, accounting for 64.8 percent of the state’s total area.
- The state have:
- six national parks
- seven wildlife sanctuaries
- four conservation reserves
- The state has the second-largest number of tigers in the country.
- Other highly endangered species like snow leopard, musk deer, elephant and king cobra are also present.
- There are 102 mammal species, 710 birds, 124 fishes, 69 reptiles and 19 amphibians.
- This biodiversity and the region’s forests, mountain peaks, rivers and meadows present opportunities for local youth.
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