Ride in the Park

And this has come through lessons in the ecosystem and biodiversity, courtesy the Conservation Education Programme run by the Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environmental Education and Research BVIEER in over 60 schools in the vicinity of three wildlife reserves at Bandhavgarh and Sanjay in MP, and the Dudhwa National Park in UP.

Through this programme, over 6,000 students have been learning about rare species of animals, birds and insects in their immediate surroundings. Through innovative card games, jigsaw puzzles and role plays, students learn about different species, as well as their characteristic traits and habitat.

8216;8216;Surprisingly, in spite of living on the outskirts of or sometimes even within the PAs, most of these children have never actually gone inside. This indicates the extent of alienation of the local community from the ecotourism trade in these sanctuaries,8217;8217; says BVIEER Principal Shamita Kumar.

While ecotourism remains a domain restricted to the urban populace, its profits don8217;t always percolate to the grassroots. This coupled with the separation of tribal communities from their traditional resource base, distances the tribal people from all conservation efforts. 8216;8216;Unless local communities are given a stake in conservation, it will not work,8217;8217; feels Kumar. It was with this motive that the Conservation Education initiative was launched two years ago, in collaboration with the local Education and Forest Departments.

The comprehensive programme focused on three target groups: schools, local communities and frontline staff of the forest department, for fostering greater awareness and interest in conservation. 8216;8216;Schools were chosen as a major part of this initiative, because through children we can reach out to the public at large,8217;8217; says BVIEER Director Erach Bharucha. To make the environment education more sustainable, the BVIEER team decided to start with the teachers, who could then carry the programme forward. After due brainstorming, an intensive teachers8217; training programme was developed, complete with teachers8217; manuals, teaching aids and students activity books.

The programme, coordinated from four site offices at Bandhavgarh and Sidhi in MP and Lucknow and Palia in UP, comprised a detailed follow-up on completion of the programme, wherein trainers visited the schools to conduct the pilot sessions and consolidate the teacher8217;s skills in the classroom. Another crucial aspect of the programme was sensitizing the local community.

Apart from involving them in audio-visual seminars and presentations at the schools, awareness is being generated through training provided to local youth in nature interpretation and conservation. The programme also recognises the need to reduce tribal dependence on forest resources by generating alternate means of livelihood.

Thus, through initiatives such as cultural fairs and food festivals, local women are being integrated into the tourism trade by teaching them to market indigenous products like tribal handicrafts and local cuisine. 8216;8216;We train them how to refine their products and add more market value without losing their originality,8217;8217; Kumar says.

Workshops are also being conducted for local forest guides. 8216;8216;Since these areas are primarily tiger reserves, tour guides restrict themselves to speaking on this 8216;glamour species8217;, because that is what tourists want to see,8217;8217; says Kumar. To provide incentives, tour guides take an exam at the end of the sessions, and increased knowledge is linked to increments in their income.

8216;8216;Thus by linking livelihood needs of the people to biodiversity and conservation, the local community also has an interest in preserving the forests,8217;8217; says Kumar. Ultimately, at the heart of BVIEER8217;s multi-pronged project is conservation of the tiger, by fostering a comprehensive understanding of the larger picture: interdependence in the ecosystem.

8216;8216;After all, saving the tiger is not just about saving one species, but the entire ecosystem, since the tiger is at the apex of the food chain,8217;8217; says Bharucha.

With tiger conservation becoming a major issue of concern, Bharucha says alternative solutions need to be sought. 8216;8216;Poaching of tigers cannot be stopped, because of its high value thanks to the use of tiger bones in Chinese medicines. Thus it is only by mobilising mass public opinion that a change can be brought about,8217;8217; he says.