Conservation Education in Meghalaya and Mizoram: Beyond names and comparisions

Nimesh Ved

Workshop featured here was undertaken during Nimesh’s association with Samrakshan Trust in Meghalaya and Mizoram. Nimesh currently works independently and enjoys taking up actions that help him comprehend complexities that conservation offers. He loves long walks and is interested in conservation education and history.

During my association with Samrakshan (NGO working on Conservation) I was engaged with an interesting program on Conservation Education. As a part of the program I got to communicate on nature with students and their teachers as also other segments of the society – youth associations, forest department personnel and religious bodies. 

In course of the journey, one that enriched me beyond my own expectations, on issues concerning nature and communications, I realized that we would need to not teach but create platforms to discuss and deliberate on conservation. This was all the more pertinent in landscapes like Baghmara (Meghalaya) and Saiha (Mizoram) where Samrakshan then had field bases. Here, there were forests around towns and villages but on account of changing lifestyles, within space of a single generation, the connect with and concern for wildlife had eroded beyond imagination. This to an extent that while an old person in the village told me the behaivour of Hoolock  Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) a school going girl asked (on seeing its image) if it was the King kong?

 

The journey also pointed out the need for a program spaced over a period of time and questioned the utility of bombarding students with excess information. The idea was to encourage questions and curiosity and not burden them with names. Setting example was far more crucial than asking single answer questions. I have often wondered at the benefit of asking the differences between Asian Elephant and African Elephant and then pointing them out.

As a corollary I worked on activities that would enable what I thought was good Conservation Education and over a period of time with a view to share the learning, get feedback and in turn learn from participants we had organized a workshop where members of non-government organizations and teachers participated besides Samrakshan team members.

This workshop was held at the Circuit House at Baghmara, a lovely location overlooking the

Simsang river as it proudly flowed into the fertile Bangladeshi plains. Over the course of 3 days we discussed Conservation Education, actions taken up by Baghmara office on Conservation Education and also looked at actions that could be taken up. Some of which I share below. These I have tried and have found them to be invigorating for the participants and of course me!

Film Screenings

We began with Sekhar Dattatri’s ‘Point Calimere – Little Kingdom by the coast’. In course of the screening we built in halts at strategic points and put to appropriate use the field guides. Species like Jackal (Canis aureus) and Black Buck (Antilope cervicapra) were discussed (their local names and presence in Saiha and Baghmara landscapes) while the carnivorous plant was compared to Pitcher plant (Nepenthes khasiana; endemic to Meghalaya and carnivorous). We discussed analogies used in the film like “match-box size” for the beach crab (and their impact) as also terms like RAMSAR, Important Bird Areas and Wildlife Sanctuary mentioned in the film for describing the location. 

When then had an open session to discuss the screening and all of us were vocal here. Participants mentioned it as being interesting to learn of different approaches to same activity (film screening) and that of the activity being done with higher level of intensity; both they felt to be useful. Participants were asked to ponder on whether

• Augmenting awareness on the fashion in which a film can be screened would be of help?
• Issues depicted in the film like road-kill and salt-production could be taken as a point to deliberate on issues in the landscapes?

We also screened the BVIEER film that depicted their efforts under the ICEF project at 3 sites in northern part of our country. Post the screening we got into 3 groups each of which was to talk on separate aspects of the film.

• Content of the film.
• Species seen in the film.
• Learning from the film in context of Samrakshan’s efforts.

Participants saw the manner in which organizations other than Samrakshan too undertook Conservation Education programmes in separate parts of our country and the open session had them in discussions on involving more segments of society as partners in such program. 

Participants suggested generating synergies with partners (specifically other non-government organizations) for organizing Conservation Education programs at which they were asked if it would help to have them involved from the planning stage itself? 

Imitating Wildlife

Forming a circle we stood outside the Circuit House and each of us imitated sound of a wild species that s/he was familiar to. This rest of participants had to identify. Initially the participants were slow but as one by one we started making sounds we all had more than few laughs and loud ones at that. The collated list was invigorating! 14 species that included Hill Myna (Gragula religiosa), Flying Squirrel (Petaurista petaurista), Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) and Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock). 

We discussed how lucky we were to be in such a location and that we had to discontinue cutting trees and hunting wildlife to be able to hear these around us and ensure that our children heard them as well in the years to come.

Debates and discussions

Debate was organised on whether Posters are useful tool for Conservation Education. Initially the participants took 3 separate stands; yes – no – don’t know; clarified their understanding of the topic and reason behind adopting the stand.  They then attempted convincing those in other groups to agree to their points of view and move over to their group! It was interesting to see participants, otherwise silent, animatedly put across their point of views! They talked of

• Posters being ineffective in isolation.
• Posters being effective when focus was on a specific issue.
• Posters requiring lot of planning.
• It being difficult to understand if posters made a difference.
  

Debate had participants alter their stands and argue aggressively. It also brought dissimilar points of view to fore. Participants are aware of the issue and the idea is to make them think and explore possibilities!!

This had a time limit to it and we discussed the process at the end as also issues that we could deliberate on with partners.

Since interest and energy levels were high we began another round of debate. This time on Mining in Garo Hills.

When we discussed it was invigorating to see how a debate had been generated between those contending that large topics were suitable for debates and those contending otherwise.  One participant was of the view that debates would have to be on larger topics for partners would find them simpler to converse on while the other mentioned that since we talked of sensitive issues we should have topics that bring out the larger or core issues from their end i.e. partners themselves. To enrich the session and clarify this point we put together 3 possible points for debate on a single issue. 

• Should we have wild species as pets? 
• Do wild species kept as pets survive for long? 
• Do wild species kept as pets get adequate nutrition?

Most of us agreed however that debate would hinge on comprehending level of our partners and interest level of the facilitator and that it need not necessarily be in isolation, it could (for example) even be organized on a topic arising from a film. 

Discussion

Discussion was on whether We should organize events like environment day and wildlife week. Participants expressed their views in the language they were familiar with, made comments on views of co-participants, sequencing was absent so was a stipulation on contributing more than once.  One of the participants made and shared a synopsis at the end. It went thus

• Events help us work with partners other than those with whom we work on a regular basis.
• Events have little impact.
• Events are essential in order to involve people other than those at Samrakshan.
• Events are more of a celebration and not a regular programme, meaning they should be looked as such.
• During events participants listen but do not understand.
• Events are not good for common people

This session underscored crucial issues pertinent to planning and implementation of these efforts at Baghmara and the approach towards partners. 

It was also agreed to by most participants that discussions need to be designed thoroughly and can help us get a sense on a particular issue.

Presentation

We saw a presentation on birds, having bird pictures accompanied by their calls. The slides advanced and so did interest levels of participants. When the slides started repeating we shut the volume off and heard the participants! They shared of local names of birds, where in and around Baghmara they occurred and whether they were kept as pets! 

We discussed how different birds stayed in different kinds of habitats (in forests, around human beings, near water bodies) and how some of them were seen more as individuals and others in larger groups (like some of us!) and that some of them were not resident but migratory i.e. they did not stay with us across the year but came during specific periods. 

During this participants were handed over field-guides and asked to look for species they saw on screen. The wildlife team-members of Samrakshan then also showed them how best to use the field-guides.

Participants shared of having enjoyed the lively and participatory presentation.

Posters

The debate had majority of us believing in posters and we got on to working in groups on posters. Idea was to make posters in groups and then share experiences. 

Two groups each worked on land use planning and wild species in captivity, two issues on which work in Meghalaya field base focussed on, and came up with compelling posters. After these were presented we considered issues we had to bear in mind for posters

• For whom?
• From what distance will they be seen?
• What language will they be in?
• What will be the size?
• What material will be used to make them?
• Where will these be put up?
• Will we use pictures or maps or diagrams?
• How will we decide the content?
• Who will be our collaborators?

The workshop ended on an invigorating note and one feedback that stays with me is that the participants were happy with the time given to their queries and comments throughout the workshop. 

For more information write to

Nimesh Ved, House Number 11 – 3- 296 / 15 / A, 2^nd Floor,

Srinivas Nagar, Padma Rao Nagar,

Old Post Office Building,

Secunderabad – 500061, Andhra Pradesh

Ph: 89782-79595

Email: nimesh.ved@gmail.com

Blog: http://nimesh-ved.blogspot.in/

All photograph courtesy: Nimesh Ved

Western Ghat - Shekru Habitat                                                                                  

Sahyadri Fortnight Launched with Shekru Festival

Delicate, cute and shy, this creature is the indicator of the health of forests with tall trees with dense canopies, found in the Western Ghat mountain range. This is the reason that the first Sahyadri Fortnight has been launched by the Environment Dept, Government of Maharashtra with a focus on the Shekru. 

Under the Environment Dept’s Western Ghat (Sahyadri) Special Eco-club Scheme, which is implemented by CEE, eco-clubs have been set up in 246 schools in 63 Talukas of the 12 Districts in Maharashtra that have a segment of the Sahayadri mountain range. Of these, 30 schools from Pune, Ahmednagar, Satara, Raigad, Nashik, Kolhapur, Sangli district participated in the Shekru Festival and will be taking up a variety of activities to celebrate Sahyadri Fortnight from 1 to 15 July 2013 for reaching out to the community with awareness activities, collecting seeds of tree species important for the survival of shekru. Here is a brief report of the event:

The event, started off with a rally by participating school children from Chaturshringi to Yashada, the venue for the event. The rally was a new experience for the students most of whom were visiting Pune for the first time. Their excitement reflected in the slogans they called out during the rally. The onlookers got to learn a few things about the Giant Squirrels from the rally.

The event was inaugurated by Environment Minister Shri Deotale by planting a Mango tree at YASHADA, signifying the importance of tall trees with dense and spreading canopies in the habitat of the Shekru. Shri MK Rao, Chief Conservator of Forests, Pune Wildlife Division informed the students and teachers about the conservation issues of Shekru and its habitat.

Shri Chindu Dhondu Asavale, who in the 1990s, was the local guide in Bhimashankar for Dr Renee Borges in her surveys and scientific research on the Indian Giant Squirrel was felicitated by the Minister. Dr Borges, currently based in London, communicated over e-mail her best wishes for the event and appreciated the initiative of involving school children.

Of special interest to students and teachers were informal interactions with experts, researchers, community workers Dunda Rama Shengale and Sakharam Dhondage, community artists from Rajpur in Bhimashankar performed folk songs on the theme of Shekru. Participating students learnt these songs and also prepared their own poems on the themes of Shekru, Sahyadri etc.

 
A mela was organised for the children, this included games, quiz, film screening and an exhibition on the Sahyadris, ecology of the Giant Squirrel, threats and conservation efforts. The Web of Life and Ropes and Ladders games helped students understand the ecology of the shekru, threats such as habitat degradation and fragmentation  and some dos and don’ts related to biodiversity conservation.  

Seeds of trees used as food plants and nesting plants, such as Hirida, Beheda, Wad, Umbar, Mango, were displayed at the Festival. Each school was also presented seeds of all these species; schools will raise saplings and plant them over the coming months.

 

A Tree of Hope encouraged students to think and write one positive action that they would take up for conserving the giant squirrel population. 

An informative poster about Shekru developed by CEE for the Sahayadri Fortnight was released at the event.

The participating schools got an opportunity to display their projects at the venue. Some examples included display of scientific information on all the 8 species of Giant Squirrel, display of collected seeds of food plants of the Giant Squirrel, stuffed toys of the animal, articles made from a local grass variety called Tambat, cloth bags made from discarded saris, cloth materials.

 

For more information contact:

Satish Awate 

Programme Coordinator

Centre for Environment Education
A 1 Garden Estate, New D P Road
Aundh, Pune - 411 007
Ph +91-20-25884077, 25894066
Fax +91-20-25884067
Email:sahyadri@ceeindia.org

 

Photograph courtesy: CEE Central photo bank 

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