2006-7 annual report - Nature Conservation Foundation

Conservation education in the Indian Himalaya
There is a general lack of awareness among citizens
about the unique and threatened wildlife of India’s
high altitude areas. Led by Pranav Trivedi, we are
now in the process of implementing the conservation
education strategy that has identified the main threats
to Himalayan wildlife, the human groups responsible
for those threats, and the target groups for various
aspects of the education programme.
Several activities and products are being developed
as per the priorities already identified in the strategy.
Some of the products that have already been brought
out include a storybook for children (above 10 years)
titled Nono, the Snow Leopard and a set of four posters.
The latter were chosen from paintings made by about
350 children representing 10 schools of Spiti valley.
Complimentary copies of these products have been
sent to over 60 institutions and individuals involved in
the fields of wildlife conservation, research, and education.
We are also in the process of distributing copies to
schools in Spiti. Several copies of the book have been
ordered by individuals and institutions, including the
State Forest Department of Himachal Pradesh. We are
now in the process of making this book available to a
larger audience through book stores and local youth
groups (in Spiti and Ladakh).
As part of improving nature interpretation skills
of local youth, an outdoor module was conducted during
July 2006 for eight youth of Kibber village. The process
included hands-on learning in the outdoors and its
application in simulated conditions. The oral feedback
indicated that the module generated interest among all
the participants. The simulation interpretation exercise
showed that the youth retained and applied the learning
in conducting a nature trail. They also showed a desire
for further learning. To strengthen this process and
as an aid to the Guest House to be set up for communitybased
tourism, we intend to conduct two more workshops
of this kind this year. To communicate the results
of the education strategy, we are also in the process of
finalising the draft of a research paper to be sent to a
reputed journal.
A pilot conservation education effort involving
formation of Nature Clubs in 20 schools, establishment
of Youth Awareness Clubs in 10 villages/village clusters
and orientation/training of school teachers and local
youth to conduct various awareness and conservation
activities is under way. Several products are also under
development for this programme. The above initiatives
are helping strengthen the ongoing conservation efforts
in the Spiti region. Besides, the modules and products
would also be used in other high altitude regions of the
Indian Himalaya.
Assisting Himalayan neighbours in snow leopard conservation
Central Asia’s highlands and its associated wildlife is
spread across 12 countries, several of which are our
neighbours. It is timely that a concerted effort to conserve
this common heritage is initiated. Led by Yash
Veer Bhatnagar, we are now in the process of assisting
Bhutan in developing science-based conservation programmes,
tailored for the Himalayan kingdom.
We were approached by the Nature Conservation Division,
Royal Government of Bhutan and WWF-Bhutan
to assist in an overall conservation programme for the
Himalayan high altitudes. We agreed to a collaborative
programme to assist them in (i) catalysing a conserva-
tion policy along the lines of Project Snow Leopard for
Bhutan, (ii) capacity enhancement of wildlife managers
and research students, and (iii) a detailed study on
snow leopards and prey species.
We conducted a workshop in Thimphu to initiate
the process of capacity building and knowledge
sharing. Laboratory (conservation genetics and diet
analysis techniques) and field training courses (snow
leopard and other wildlife monitoring) for Bhutanese
wildlife managers is planned later in the year in partnership
with our colleagues and collaborating institutions.
6
annual
report