Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land

Sustainable Development Goal 15 (SDG 15) focuses on protecting, restoring, and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. It aims to combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and prevent biodiversity loss. The goal emphasizes the importance of sustainable land management, conservation, and the restoration of ecosystems to foster biodiversity and ecological balance.

• By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.
• By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.
• By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land, and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.
• By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development.
• Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
• Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources.
• Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products.
• By 2020, introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species.
• By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies, and accounts.
• Mobilize and significantly increase financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems

• Project Vikalp: Empowered 625+ rural women
• Empowering rural womenfolk in the local community economically through manufacturing of environment friendly ‘woodless pencils’, ICT assisted Handicrafts & growing Medicinal & Aromatic Plants suitable to the climate & soil in the region.
• Rural Women Technology Park has been involved in empowerment activities for the women of neighbouring villages surrounding the university campus since 2015. The project supports initiatives related to recycled paper products; ICT-assisted art and craft design; and identification and cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plant species. Additionally, these budding entrepreneurs receive assistance from experts on the campus for the marketing of their products.