Reinventing Nature Conservation Education as a key tool for EE and ESD

Dr Erach Bharucha, Director, Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environment Education and Research

A surgeon by profession, Dr Bharucha has been active in wildlife and nature conservation for nearly fifty years. A well-known wildlife photographer, he has traveled extensively and studied Indian National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. In 1993, he began developing the Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environment Education and Research (BVIEER). He has been engaged in implementing a variety of environmental education programmes for schools and colleges and for the public at large.

The educational processes of the life sciences have had a long tradition of Natural History. Taught to children as ‘Nature Education’, it was primarily done through developing their observational skills in the field. This
led to some people developing a deeper interest in Natural History, Botany and Zoology. Others became professionals in specific fields of biosciences. For some it continued as a hobby and some even became great amateur naturalists, or researchers. The educational inputs were primarily taxonomic. However, in more recent times this has led to an interest in behavioral ecology of species and finally habitat and ecosystem studies.

Globalization has led less-developed nations to damage their own natural resources, including degradation of soil and water resources. The growing impacts of economic development during the last few decades required
a change in the nature education approach. Ill effects of climate change and other disturbances of Nature such as biodiversity loss, serious human health issues and abject poverty were portrayed to society through a gloomy perspective of approaching doom.

In many instances this grew into a negative feeling, especially among children and young adults. It provided a sense of guilt, unhappiness, and an inability to act against the enormous load of degradation changes that the Earth was suffering on their account. It paralyzed rather than created pro- conservation action.

During this period, the beauty of nature was overshadowed by the need to reverse human impacts on our earth. This trend in Environment Education which was followed in the ‘70’s and into the ‘90’s through formal curricular processes, was expected to lead to corrective measures through societal change. In our country EE was also furthered at the behest of the Honorable Supreme Court, giving a directive to the Ministries of HRD and MoEF to introduce EE into curricula. This infusion of EE based on issues such as pollution control, tree plantation, and energy conservation thus seeped into school curricula. Nature Education was left behind as being essentially non-formal and unimportant.

A new paradigm for Sustainable Development emerged in the 80s
and 90s. It also created the need for newer learning tools, which could demonstrate the linkages between ecological issues, societal concerns and environmental aspects, embedded in an overarching umbrella of governance. For many individuals Education for Sustainable Development was seen as EE in another form, and was perceived as a vehicle for unnecessary complex and quazi scientific jargon. It was yet another ‘turn off’, leaving behind the need for empathy to Nature.

At the turn of the century the approach of a possible biodiversity extinction spasm began to be viewed as a major environmental catastrophe. Biodiversity conservation, as a key concern for humanity, has led to the need for a new and currently relevant approach to Nature Education that can recreate empathy with Nature. The old educational pedagogy will have to move away from
a purely taxonomic approach (as in the past) to a deeper understanding of the linkages between species, ecosystems, landscapes and human beings.

Understanding Biodiversity Knowledge

The growing trend of wildlife tourism in India and the popularity of Discovery Channel and Animal Planet are evidences of growing interest in nature in India.

Studies at BVIEER show that there is a need for reinventing connected-ness between individuals and the ‘natural world’. As part of a BVIEER outreach
project, flash cards of animals were shown to rural and urban children to appreciate, which they knew, what species interested them or excited their curiosity. The children who lived around a Protected Area and had a personal exposure to the wilderness, (unlike children from an urban background) did not have the advantage of appropriate formal education, or other extracurricular inputs. They had a heightened awareness of local wildlife as they saw these animals around their settlements.

Content analyses of school text books showed that greater and more relevant inputs on biodiversity are needed at school level. However urban children who do not get a chance to experience nature first hand are not necessarily unaware of the richness of biodiversity in our country. Much of this information is from electronic media and non- curricular books. This understanding of the ‘existence value’ of wild species cannot be expected to be as effective as real life ‘experiential learning’.

College students’ knowledge base
on biodiversity which has been tested through semi structured interviews and visuals of wildlife, demonstrated the poor level of knowledge of biodiversity in college students. Content analysis of the UGC Text Book for the Core Module Course prepared by BVIEER showed that if this text book is read carefully, and understood by students at the undergraduate
level (in all subjects) they will be adequately informed about biodiversity conservation and relevant ecological concepts. During the survey it was observed that students did not take the subject seriously, which was either because of the incompetence of their teachers to deliver the course in an interesting way, or the fact that it is 
not a subject that contributes to their grades.

The study of Nature Interpretation sessions by NGOs and nature tour operators was found to be inadequate to fulfill the needs of the participants. They followed a taxonomic approach which cannot be expected to further a greater interest and concern for biodiversity that could lead to action.

The findings revealed that the knowledge of biodiversity in school children, college students and adults was inadequate to create a pro-biodiversity conservation ethic in a majority of respondents.

Reinventing Nature Education

Innovative strategies have been conceptualized and tested to reinvent Nature Education. For example, participants may be introduced to the intricacies of the web of life on a nature trail and facilitated to explore those on their own too. Sessions that build upon the charisma of the tiger and other species, and emphasize the beauty of nature can be introduced into nature trails. Field exposure must be incorporated into formal and non- formal education systems for enhancing awareness on the values of biodiversity, and creating empathy towards Nature. This leads to actions for sustainability in an individual’s daily life.

At school level the approach to reinvent Nature education may be two-fold. Improving the skills of identification of locale specific species that people can observe, and bringing in a sense of appreciation for the beauty within Nature. This is of prime importance during early childhood when there is a natural interest in animal life. The knowledge
of intricate ecological concepts needs
to be built into the learnings of older school children. School text books should discuss the need for wildlife and nature conservation in great detail. There should be short field trips that foster an appreciation for Nature and help them relate classroom teaching to their own environment.

At college level, experiences in Nature and a scientific documentation of observations made in well planned Nature Awareness Areas should be a

focus. Ecological concepts of a higher level of complexity such as island biogeography and eco-restoration, eco- sensitive areas, the need for Protected Area Networks, as well as threats due
to habitat fragmentation and wildlife poaching need to be discussed in the classroom by their teachers and explored in the field.

Capacity building in adults from different walks of life at various levels is essential. Non formal Nature Education must become more accessible and affordable for all sections of society. Using the feeling of discovery at experiencing nature’s wonders produces a strong empathy towards nature. This initiating ‘Ah ha!’ must be used by an interpreter to take the individual closer to nature, appreciate ecological services, and link this to human impacts that can destroy the splendor of the wilderness.

These initiatives, when put together, reorient Nature Education towards current needs. The empathy for Nature produced through these newly developed strategies for Nature interpretation and education must move through the thread of Natural History into Environment Education and Education for Sustainable Development. Nature herself provides the trigger and real life experiences of wildlife and an appreciation of its beautiful habitats. It provides the key to an empathy with the earth.

Thus, reinventing Nature Education can create a better and deeper understanding of the concepts related to EE and ESD and lead to sustainable lifestyles.

For more information contact:

Dr Erach Bharucha, Director

Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environment Education and Research

Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University,

Katraj, Pune – 411043

Ph: 020 – 24375684; 24362155

Email: bvieer@vsnl.com http://ieer.bharatividyapeeth.edu

SeasonWatch: Building Connections with Nature through Observing Trees

Dr Suhel Quader is a Senior Scientist at the Nature Conservation Foundation, and Head of Citizen Science at the National Centre for Biological Sciences. One part of his work is on investigating the adaptations that animals have to survive and reproduce; the other is on designing programmes, like MigrantWatch and SeasonWatch, to involve members of the public as participants in ecological research.

The natural world is changing so rapidly that entire landscapes are being unrecognisably altered within a few decades. The need has never been

greater for individual and collective action to stem this tide of change. Only then will future generations be able to wonder at the beauty of a coral reef, the grandeur of a rain forest, or the hypnotic stare of a wild tiger. What is required for this action to occur? Simply put, we need an emotional and intellectual engagement with nature. We need to have an emotional connection, through which we value nature for its own sake; and we need to use our intellect to understand the problems facing the natural world, and to devise solutions.

How do we begin to engage both the hearts and minds of children in nature? One way is through school-based activities that encourage children to become careful observers of nature. What is it that they can observe? 

Climate change and phenology

One of the dramatic effects of climate  warming is on phenology – the timing of seasonal events in the natural world. Seasonal cycles in temperature and rainfall influence bird migration, the flowering and fruiting of trees, and the reproduction and growth of virtually every living organism. The change in phenology in response to changing climate has been well documented in North America and Europe. Summing over various phenological measures, including migration time and the emergence of leaves and flowers, Spring is calculated to be arriving 3 days earlier every decade in these regions.

In the tropics and the developing world in general, and in India in particular, very little is known about decade-to-decade changes in phenology in response to changing temperature and rainfall. There are anecdotes about drastic shifts in flowering, for example of the Amaltas (Cassia fistula) in Kerala, but we simply don’t know how widespread such patterns are.

SeasonWatch

To document these possible changes we have a started a project called SeasonWatch, in which we invite children (and indeed anyone interested)

Courtesy: SeasonWatch

to contribute their observations on the timing of fruiting, flowering and leafing of trees. The basic activity consists of choosing a tree to monitor, visiting that tree once a week, and noting down simple details of its leaves, flowers and fruits. The tree can be anywhere – in your garden, along your street, at your office, or in your school premises. A year’s observation allows you to draw up a calendar for your tree; which can then be compared with other trees of the same kind, with other parts of the country, and with other years. Here is an example of a year-by-year comparison, taken from phenological observations of trees at Rishi Valley school.

Forty individuals of each species have been monitored fortnightly since end 2007. Each dot represents a tree with fresh leaves. Clusters of dots mean that many trees had fresh leaves. You can see that the emergence of fresh leaves begins a little later for Wrightia than it does for Neem each year. For both species fresh leaves emerged over a longer period in 2008 than in 2010. Wrightia shows a particularly shortened period with fresh leaves in 2010. The difference between the years might be because of differences in rainfall in the previous years: total rainfall was around 900 mm in 2007, but only 600 mm in 2009. The reduced rainfall in 2009 may have led to lowered food production and storage by these trees, and therefore a delayed and shortened leafing period in the following year.

Courtesy: SeasonWatch

What can these observations tell us? At their most basic, they build up a basic documentation of seasonality. But they also allow us to compare yearly changes in phenology with year-to-year changes in climate, and to warn us about potential disruptions in ecological networks. The possible disruptions arise from the fact that plants are the backbone of any ecosystem. They produce food out of carbon dioxide, water, sunlight, and little else. Everything else depends directly (herbivores) or indirectly (carnivores, decomposers) on the food that plants produce. Since much of this food is produced seasonally (as leaves, flowers and fruits), any change in plant seasonality can profoundly affect the animals that depend on plants.

So SeasonWatch helps to document potential changes in phenology and

to provide a warning if things are not going so well. But how can it contribute to an emotional connection with nature? The idea here is that, by noting down what a tree is doing, week after week, a person develops a bond with that tree. As I begin to understand the various inter-connections affecting my trees – the rain that stimulates fresh leaf growth, the soil that provides nutrients, the birds and butterflies that visit it, and the constant threat of the road-widener’s axe – my sense of responsibility broadens out from the individual tree to the larger world around. Whether, in fact, such an emotional connection develops in those who participate in SeasonWatch remains to be seen. This may not happen spontaneously, and so we must develop additional tools and activities that encourage it.

SeasonWatch in schools

In our schools programme, children monitor trees, and teachers coordinate the activity. The activity can be class based, or it can be carried out as part of a school nature club, as in many of the schools we work with in Kerala. The basic activity is standard: a child chooses or is assigned a tree, and then spends five minutes at the tree every week, noting simple information about its leaves, flowers and fruits. This information is written down in a notebook and eventually transferred through a free account on the SeasonWatch website.

This basic activity is just a first step in getting children outdoors and making observations. Teachers play a crucial role in reinforcing the connections with nature by encouraging children to do other things around the tree: observing ants, butterflies or birds; making bark rubbing and leaf paintings; comprising works of verbal or visual art inspired by the tree; and so on.

Education for Change • Volume 17

For more information contact:

Dr Suhel Quader

Head, Citizen Science Division

National centre for Biological Science

GKVK Campus, Bellary Road

Bangalore – 560 065 Karntaka

Website: www.seasonwatch.in

Email: sw@seasonwatch.in

More about SeasonWatch

SeasonWatch is a Citizen Science project run by the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, and the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, with support from Wipro Applying Thought in Schools. Anyone who is interested is invited to help monitor flowering, fruiting and leafing times of trees, and track changes that are expected as the climate changes. All you need to do is choose a tree, visit it for 5 minutes once a week, note down a few basic observations on flowers, fruits and leaves, and upload your observations through your account on the SeasonWatch website. The project covers about 100 species of trees, but for our schools programme, we focus on a subset of 25:

Jackfruit,Jamun, Pride of India, Indian Gooseberry, Campbell’s Magnolia, Box Myrtle, Mango, Banyan, Mast Tree, Himalayan Cherry, Himalayan Maple, Himalayan Rhododendron, Devil’s Tree, Purple Bauhinia, Indian Coral Tree, Flame of the Forest, Indian Laburnum, Pongam, Tamarind, Neem, Walnut, Gulmohar, Egyptian Mimosa, East Indian Walnut, Red Silk Cotton Tree

Our Nature, Our Land, Our People... Let Us Learn to Value and Conserve...

Dr Ganesh T, Senior Fellow at ATREE is a Conservation Ecologist and specializes on bird and small mammal conservation. He believes in proper and factual education of children and youth to foster conservation ethics in the young minds.

Abhisheka K, is a Senior Research Associate at ATREE and trained Visual artist and an ecologist. She uses her experience in field ecology and the medium of art to teach children about the environment. She is also an urban wildlife rehabilitator.

“Hey... what’s that? A black bird with
a long tail had just moved in the bush. Sujay and his friends were looking around in the bush to identify it. This was the beginning of a 3 week Vacation Training Programme conducted by ATREE during the summer vacation for children to learn about and explore their environment.

The most convenient way to relate
with nature today is to watch television or pay an occasional visit to some natural area. Academically, children have to clear the Environmental Studies course, which may have limitations with relevance to the local environment and issues.

The Vacation Training Programme (VTP) on Bio-resources was started
by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), GoI in 2002. The idea is to expose school children to various fields and experts through a 3-4 weeks summer vacation programme in several cities in India with help from various partners. The program, besides focusing on promoting interest and knowledge about the natural resources and
the environment, also provides opportunities to acquire attitudes, values and skills needed to protect and improve the natural environment.

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) at Bangalore is one partner of the
DBT and has helped conduct this programme since its inception. ATREE also ensures to expose students to various possible courses of study and enable them to choose future careers in related fields.

Selection 

Advertisements for the VTP programme are circulated in all popular newspapers, online groups, websites, and personalised letters to schools each year in the months of February and March. Students are required
to send in a write up as to why they wish to attend the course. Based on their level of interest, a maximum 30 students are selected.

Course 

The three-week course at ATREE involves lectures, field visits, assignments and project submission. The lectures are made using power- point presentations to hold the attention and interests of the students. Some of the topics discussed are - diversity of plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, insects and amphibians, issues related to bio-resource conservation such as wildlife living in cities, rehabilitation of displaced wildlife, waste management, sustainable agriculture, sustainable living and forest products, indigenous people living in the forests etc.

Field trips to places like Biligiri Rangaswamy Wildlife Sanctuary, Ranganthittu bird sanctuary and Butterfly Park in Bannerghatta National Park take the students close to wildlife and offer a chance to see them at close quarters. The observations impact students greatly to realise the importance of protecting natural habitats for the wild plants and animal.

The students are also exposed to field activities that make them learn new skills such as tree climbing to appreciate the tree canopies, map reading and navigation to orient themselves in a new landscape, sharpening observation skills by sketching birds and plants for identification, identifying plants, insects, diatoms, testing the quality of water and learning to read and taking latitude and longitude of a place using a Global Positioning System.

In addition there are movie sessions on wildlife and conservation which give students an opportunity to gain insights into some of the important issues related to the environment and assignments/ projects independently.

What has the course done to the young minds?

This course, running for several
years now at ATREE, has proved to
be an eye opener to the students in Bangalore and surrounding areas, bringing them directly into contact with experts from various fields. It also gives an opportunity to learn hands-on about disciplines that students may have theoretical and textbook understanding of. The VTP helps students to look at issues, concerns and solutions from a very fresh and unbiased perspective that they may have thought is the domain of adults.

The immediate impact of the programme is ascertained from the feedback from the parents. Mostly parents reflect that the course is an important and useful way to spend a vacation. The parents also get to know and learn about bio-resources among other things that their child observed or learned each day. Each interaction brings some change in the routine
at home. For instance, parents have reported purchasing clay idols, natural colours, practicing rainwater harvesting and composting at home.

The programme also helps build team spirit. At the end of the course the students build a network and wish
to work together and collectively find solutions to societal issues/concerns. While some of the students have taken up courses in environmental science and related subjects, many are finding their own ways to build awareness in their residential areas or institutions.

Mythri, a student of the 2006 batch, pursuing her Masters in Ecology says “The VTP has been a great influence
in my choice of a career. The network established during the programme
has strengthened my will and passion to continue working in this field. Sometimes, I refer to the notes and reading material that was provided during the course. I am highly grateful for the programme. The trainers have been an inspiration for me and are thorough mentors even after 5 years of doing the course”

Rohan Krish Menzies, a student of 2008 batch, pursuing his Bachelor’s
in Environmental Science says “It
was only after the VTP that I made
up my mind about what I would like
to pursue, what I would like to study and what kind of life I would like to lead. It changed my perception about wildlife and how to approach it. I learnt many interesting things on our field trip to BRT Hills. Many of those lectures still encourage me and I recollect the knowledge I gained during the course.”

“The VTP is an excellent platform for young and enthusiastic students to gain exposure to the work that is being done by many senior scientists and conservationists. I am sure that this experience, especially the time spent
in the field will inspire many of the young participants to take up careers in biological research and conservation. Even for those who do not pursue careers in research or conservation, such exposure will make them more sensitive to research and conservation initiatives. Given the environmental problems and conservation crisis that we are currently facing, such programmes play a key role in informing and inspiring the younger generation.” says Dr. Ravi Chellam, Director - Research, Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology.

There have been instances of parents joining the students in their campaigns. A few students also volunteer with organisations like ATREE and help in the research and outreach programs.

The programme makes the students think about the importance of environment and bio-resources in our life, no matter what profession or course they choose. This may be a small step but a very cost-effective initiative by the government to create future guardians of our environment and would ultimately reach out to the larger community to conserve our bio- resources.

For more information contact:

Dr T. Ganesh and Abhisheka. K

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment,

Royal Enclave, Srirampura,

Jakkur Post, Bangalore – 560064

Ph: 080-23635555 ext 219

Email: tganesh@atree.org, abhishekagopal@gmail.com

Vacation Training Programme

The National Bioresource Development Board, Department of Biotechnology supports the programme on Bioresource Development and Utilization.

Each year, the Department invites application from Universities, Research Institutes, Colleges, Registered Societies (NGOs) which are involved in active research, have equipped laboratories, and technical expertise on bio-resources/biodiversity/biotechnology to conduct the Vacation Training Programme for school children.

The programme is designed to train school children and enhance their awareness about the relevance of Bio-resources, and the relationship between Bio-resources and Biotechnology. The training programmes comprise of laboratory work, interactive lectures, individual projects, field visits etc. Each batch consists of 20-30 students.

Duration: Three to four weeks. Eligibility: Students who have appeared for class X examination

For more information visit: http://tinyurl.com/DBT-Vacation-Training

The Shikra

Shatanik Shyamsundar Kasab, is a trainee Assistant Conservator of Forest at the Central Academy for State Forest Service, Coimbatore. He enjoys exploring the untamed wilderness, writing his wild encounters and photography. He sees this as a means to express his compassion for the wildlife and its conservation.

I first saw it two years ago, just out of its nest, a little scared and unsure of the surroundings. It had the majestic look but had to yet learn the ruling nature and sharpness of a raptor. Otherwise what do you make of it sitting on an antenna, next to a crow? This was unusual, so I cross checked to confirm if this was a Shikra. The stomach had reddish/brown bands, the back was turning bluish black but the reddish-brown colouration was still seen, the round-pointed flesh tearing beak and the two round piercing eyes, yellow in colour.

Yes, this was a juvenile Shikra sharing the antenna with a crow.

Perhaps like a child bunking school for the first time, this juvenile also sat in one corner unsure of its next move.

The crow sharing the antenna was also true to its breed. Why leave an opportunity to make some trouble? He glanced at his companion and suddenly attacked the Shikra with its beak. The poor Shikra had to abandon the perch and move quickly.

On the Neem tree nearby, the bulbuls and squirrels started an uproar.

The crow watched the Shikra disappear in the distance. The four foot antenna now belonged to him! He moved an inch to right-left, turned his high head to left and right side to show this was his territory! Many onlookers had seen him attack the Shikra.

I spotted the Shikra on the terrace again after a couple of days. He had the same blank look. The squirrels on the Neem tree that had noted his presence started their usual hullabaloo.

After that day I kept a watch for the Shikra, but he did not come to our building or the trees nearby. One morning, I heard a high pitched call. I looked out of my window and there 
I saw the Shikra on the Neem tree! It was not just visiting the place, this time he was making an announcement that he was here to stay!

In these 35-40 days many physical changes were visible on him. One could almost feel the raptor blood in him. He looked like a young royal prince. That day I completely lost track of time admiring him.

It became a routine. The Shikra would visit early morning and announce his arrival through loud calls. He would perch and observe the birds and for fun, it would mock attack squirrels
and see them scamper for shelter. Perhaps I imagined a smile flicker on the corners of his beak. Even if he only boasted a tender moustache, he had the true blood of a killer. He did not bother much about roguish crows now. The Neem tree was his kingdom. The message was clear to the crow who left its regular place for the ruler.

For days I observed the bird visiting at specific times.

The head and upper parts turned more blue and grey. The under parts became much clearly barred, the reddish barrings were more prominent on the breast. The yellow eyes turned deep red in colour.

Then, for a few days he did not turn up at his usual time. I did not worry much about this absence, thinking he was now in his prime and must be enjoying his youth. But the days turned into months. By now he had become a part of my life and to not see him was like missing someone, very close to me.

Unhealthy thoughts filled my mind. I recollected the accident near the forest plantation at the Avsari Ghat of Pune Nasik Highway. A speeding vehicle had knocked a Shikra and zoomed ahead. I had stopped my car to see. The bird was still warm, but didn’t move. The pulse was missing. The haughty neck that would pick up prey midair in a fraction of second, was hanging on the shoulder. Eyes were half open, and they still had a lively glitter in them. But it was dead.

This memory sent a chill in me. I wondered what had happened to my Shikra. I silently prayed to God for his safety.

In time, I was back to my routine grind of life and forgot about the bird. Then one day I saw two black kites taking very low level circular filghts near my building. It is normal for kites to start gliding in circular movements at lower levels before soaring high. But to keep moving at low height meant there was something unusual. I was curious, so came to my window.

Something shot out of the Silver Oak tree like an arrow and attacked a black kite with its beak. It was the Shikra! Who dared attack the kite double its size. The kite turned in mid air and returned the attack. With agility the Shikra changed its direction. The kite moved ahead and the Shikra swooped and again attacked. The kites had to abandon the place. The Shikra went back in the Silver Oak. I was so proud to see it back! I had seen it as an immature baby, sitting in one corner, unsure of its own move and today I saw him defending his territory! Where was he for so many days? Did he find a mate for self? If he was in the same area, then why did he not visit the Neem tree? Many questions popped up in my head that moment. Anyhow, even if these questions couldn’t be answered, my day was already made by a glance of the bird.

That evening I sat near our terrace door, reading a book. I must have
read for 30-45 minutes when I felt something move on the terrace wall right above my head. I thought it must be one of the rock pigeons parading on the wall. I didn’t look up. There
was no movement, everything was quiet for sometime. I was about to start reading again, when I felt two 
red burning embers looking at me. I didn’t believe myself for a second, ‘the’ Shikra was looking at me! Untill now I had observed him from a distance, and today it chose to sit so close and observe me! I don’t know since when it was sitting there. The Shikra suddenly got alert by my stare and excitement. He kept the feet (until then kept close to its stomach for comfort) back on ground and sat upright. I didn't want him to fly away. So I covered my eyes with palm and started observing him through the gaps of my finger.

The bird that had fiercely defended its terrority forcing the kites to abandon the sky in morning, was 8-10 feet from me! Why did he choose to sit so close to me? In this mad world, did he find me, “a suitable candidate” to observe? There was a piece of red flesh on his beak. So I guess he had just finished a kill and was now resting. For a few seconds the Shikra observed me closely, then started looking around. I slowly got up from my chair. The Shikra sensed my move and again gave me hard look. I froze in my position and he again started looking around. I again moved an inch. After many such attempts, I went on the other side of the wall. I opened my cupboard, took my camera and focused on him.

I took my position and held on to 
my camera with support from the chair. For a good shot I had to make slight movements and I couldn't possibly hide/cover myself there. My movements must have made the Shikra curious. His complete attention was now focused on me. I took umpteen photographs of the bird. He did not fear me anymore. I was very close to him but he was not concerned about this nearness now. It was past 6 pm, the darkness was setting in. I kept my camera aside and observed the bird in the fading sunlight.

The Shikra fluttered its wings. This led to a commotion between the bulbuls and squirrels on the nearby Saptaparni (Alstonia) tree.

One Sunday afternoon after a couple
of weeks I heard the loud calls of the bird again. Suddenly a bird, spreading its brownish wings flew out of the leaf bunch. This was a Shikra but this was a ‘she’ not the ‘he’ I was looking for. But just after her, the male Shikra followed.

Now I knew, it was because of this female company that he was not frequenting the Neem tree. The birds swooped in the air before my eyes and vanished beyond the horizons. Our next meeting was going to be decided by him.

The prince was now ready to take the sky under his wings.

For more information contact:

Shatanik Shyamsundar Kasab

Flat No. 72, Siddhi, Meenatai Thakare Nagar,

Karvenagar, Pune-411052

Email: arishtanemi@yahoo.co.in

All photograph courtesy: Shatanik Kasab

Addressing the Nature Education Deficit

BNHS Conservation Education Centre

Dr. V Shubhalaxmi, General Manager (Education), BNHS in conversation with Sanskriti Menon, Editor, Education for Change describes how her work is helping address the ‘nature education deficit’ in Mumbai. An entomologist and a Fulbright Fellow, Shubhalaxmi has been with the BNHS for about twenty years. As the head of the BNHS Conservation Education Centre (CEC), she has shaped a number of nature education programmes and helped CEC reach out to over 15000 people every year.

EfC: You’ve been with BNHS for several years. How did you fi rst get interested in wildlife and who or what has shaped your interest?

V Shubhalaxmi (VS): Being a science student, I was always attracted towards wildlife, however being a student member of BNHS, the interest grew stronger and finally when I got recruited there was no stopping for me to explore the wilderness of our country.

EfC: When did you make the transition to education about environment and biodiversity?

V Shubhalaxmi (VS): It may sound strange but I started my career with BNHS in 1993 as an Administrative Assistant where I worked in accounts and office administration for three years, but I meanwhile I pursued with my M.Sc. by research which finally helped me to get into the education officer post when the vacancy was open in 1997, since then it has been a self-learning and exploratory phase for me.

EfC: What is the main thrust of the conservation education programmes at BNHS?

VS: Our education and communication is about Biodiversity. We feel that people, especially in Mumbai, are aware about issues like plastic waste and pollution and they experience these in their day to day life. 

But, seeing and touching a delicate thing like a plant tendril or watching a butterfly emerge – these are experiences that city people rarely get the opportunity for. The ambience of the CEC, the forest silence and sounds, these are perhaps restful and rejuvenating. People come back again and again just to experience the forest. Some participants in our programmes at CEC don’t want indoor sessions – they just want to be in the forest. 

So, our main aim if to facilitate these experiences for people and to garner support for biodiversity and wildlife. We of course have a number of programmes that go deeper into learning how to care for biodiversity.

EfC: What are some of the major conservation education initiatives of BNHS?

VS: The major educational activities are being carried out through the BNHS Conservation Education Centre at the edge of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. We have regular day-visit based programmes, online courses as well as custom designed educational programmes for colleges, corporate groups etc. (See box)

The key thing about our programmes is that we are seeking to transform. So, we incorporate activities for seeing, doing, experiencing. Activities such as ‘Breakfast with Butterflies’, ‘Meal with Moths’ and ‘Fun with Frogs’ are highly interactive and combine nature education with fun. These are followed up with support for people to set up their own Butterfly Gardens. They can buy host and food plants from us, as well as contact us for advice.

EfC: Are you seeing change, are people getting more involved?

VS: We’ve had families coming for programmes because the children had a school picnic at CEC. Students who were involved in nature club activities have come back as volunteers, and some have gone on to do doctoral research in wildlife. We have been offering summer internships for students. Every year, eight to ten students become involved in conservation work way in some or the other manner.

EfC: Which parts of your work do you enjoy most of all?

VS: I enjoy material development including books for teachers and slide shows etc, as well as designing innovative programmes that people would enjoy as well as learn from. The aspect I feel most involved in and concerned about is getting schools to integrate research into nature education. I personally believe that every student should take up a small research project involving data collection, collation, interpretation, analysis and presentation. I’ve been guiding teachers and students to take up such studies in and around their schools. For example, students of Gold Crest school in Navi Mumbai is in the middle of a concrete jungle, but we took them for several field trips. Different groups made observations about different aspects of the local environment. Another school in Alibag was able to make a number of nature observations in their own school campus.

For more information contact:

Dr. V. Shubhalaxmi, Center Manager,
Conservation Education Centre
Near Filmcity, Filmcity road, Goregaon (E),
Mumbai - 400065, Maharashtra, India.
Ph: 91-22- 28402931
E-mail: vshubhalaxmi@gmail.com

Programmes at Conservation Education Centre

There are mainly three types of programmes:

• Short duration experiencing nature programmes offered to interested individuals, families, educational and corporate groups at a charge
• Longer term education projects for which we seek donor funding
• Courses, such as on Leadership in Biodiversity Conservation and Entomology, offered in blended learning form in distance mode with components of field trip, field work, chat sessions and face to face sessions

The short duration programmes are of several types and typically involve a day visit to CEC with outdoor and indoor activities. We also offer camps with a stay at the CEC. We have developed thematic packages such as ‘Child in the Wild’ which is about survival strategies, ‘Eco-warriors’ which provides insights into community linkages with the forest.

We also develop a few special programmes every year providing unique nature experiences, such as ‘Breakfast with Butterflies’, ‘Brunch with Birds’, ‘Meal with Moths’, and ‘Fun with Frogs’. These are highly interactive, combining nature education with a few fun activities as well, such as face painting with nature patterns, comparing the human body to that of other species such as the ability to jump, leap, run, or weight or arm span etc.

We also organized a Green Lifestyles workshop last year.

For those who are interested to go much deeper into wildlife investigations, we have the Scientist for a Day programme. Participants help to survey the flora and fauna of the forests around us. We have been conducting monthly surveys of plants, birds, herps etc.

School Outreach

BNHS conducts lectures and educational sessions at schools in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai. Students are taken for nature trails and also introduced to the project method.

Volunteer Training

Organized every year, the Volunteer Training helps young and old volunteers work out a schedule and learn to contribute to and manage some of the educational programmes. The work contribution of the volunteers is immense since we have a pretty small staff otherwise. The volunteers bring in their own experiences and enrich the content and quality of the programmes too.

Educational Materials

A number of field guides, posters, slide shows and activity books have been developed. Educational Activity Trunks including exhibits, activity support materials etc have also been developed. The CEC staff themselves use these in conducting some of the outreach activities in schools.