President Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday asked probationary officers of the Indian Forest Service to keep themselves abreast of the changing international and domestic forest management issues and adopt the best practices.

 

 He said the management of forests and its governance is a challenging task.

 

 "The probationers must keep abreast of the changing international and domestic forest management issues and adopt the best practices in their profession," he told the Indian Forest Service probationers who called on him.

 

 "The world has woken up to the threats to the very survival of mankind due to environmental degradation, depletion in forest cover and above all, global warming leading to climate change."

 

 "That is why environment has emerged as the prime agenda for the 21st century, of which forests are an integral part," he added.