Imparting Nature Education through organised workshops for Teachers and Students of Government Schools around Bannerghatta National Park

Teachers Workshop 25th and 26th February, 2015, Bannerghatta Nature Camp, JLR, Bannerghatta.

Students Workshop2nd and 5th March, 2015, Auditorium, Butterfly Park, Bannerghatta.

Supported by Implementing Agency

Karnataka Ecotourism Development Board Giving Earth, an Opportunity. ™

A Report

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Capacity Building and training for stakeholders in the high human – animal conflict area of the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) has been a mainstay for the Karnataka Forest Department (KFD) and the Non-Governmental Organizations alike. In this endeavor, the KFD through the Karnataka Ecotourism Development Board (KEDB) has envisaged a thought provoking Nature Education Workshop for Teachers and Students alike in the area of conflict.

People are an integral and dominant part of any ecosystem. And if the

ecosystem involves flora and fauna as important and pertinent actors, then

the issue needs further attention. Considering that there has been human-

animal conflict in the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) area; one needs

to understand the dynamics further and make efforts towards resolution of

the issues being faced; which otherwise would propel into a humongous

warzone. The study being proposed has an ultimate vision to try and make

the rural environment around BNP sustainable and to make the children

and communities around the park the long term guardians of the natural

ecosystem. This is an antithesis of the top-down approach that hitherto

is being followed without much mitigation. In this scenario; targeting the

community as a whole and the student community in particular is a better

solution considering the objectives at hand. Teach and train the citizens of

the future, the teacher educators; there is sure to be a mark change in the

outlook and thence a near resolution to the conflict in picture.

ExEcutivE Summary

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Needs Assessment

I. BackgroundEnvironmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably. The term is often used to imply education within the school system, from primary to post-secondary1. Another way of looking at the nuances of EE being a learning process that increases people’s knowledge and awareness about the environment and associated challenges, develops the necessary skills and expertise to address the challenges, and fosters attitudes, motivations, and commitments to make informed decisions and take responsible action2.

In areas where the Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) exists, education is one facet wherein education of the stakeholders supports and helps in mitigating many of the issues and provides opportunities for co-existence of the stakeholders. From a definition perspective HWC occurs when the needs and behavior of wildlife impact negatively on the goals of humans or when the goals of humans negatively impact the needs of wildlife3. The impacts are often huge4. People lose their crops, livestock, property, and sometimes their lives. The animals, many of which are already threatened or endangered, are often killed in retaliation or to ‘prevent’ future conflicts.

BNP area has witnessed some of the worst of HWC cases, leading to anger among the local people and the communities that inhabit the area. The park lies between 120 34’ and 120 50’ N latitudes and between 770 31’ and 770 38’ E longitudes. The park area has been divided into three wildlife ranges, viz., Bannerghatta, Harohalli and Anekal Wildlife Range for the convenience of administration. It is highly irregular in shape and measures a maximum of 26 km in length from North to South and varies between 0.3 and 5 km in width from East to West5.

Statistics shows that in the State of Karnataka there have been 30 human deaths since April, 2013. While 23 were killed in elephant attacks, the rest succumbed to attacks by tigers, leopards, wild boars and bears. In the same period, around 300 head of cattle were killed by wild animals6.

Clearly the BNP area provides immense opportunities to track the HWC and help in creating interventions that

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_education accessed and retrieved on 28th January 2014.

2 The Tbilisi Declaration, UNESCO/UNEP, http://resources.spaces3.com/a30712b7-da01-43c2-9ff0-b66e85b8c428.pdf accessed and retrieved on 28th January 2014.

3 Madden, Francine (2004). Creating Coexistence between Humans and Wildlife: Global Perspectives on Local Efforts to Address Human–Wildlife Conflict”. Human Dimensions of Wildlife (Taylor & Francis Inc.) 9: 247–257. doi:10.1080/10871200490505675. ISSN 1087-1209.

4 http://assets.wwf.ch/downloads/conflictw.pdf accessed and retrieved on 27th January 2014.

5 Rajeev, B.M.T. (2002) Wildlife Management Plan for Bannerghatta National Park, 2003-04 to 2007-08. Government of Karnataka.

6 Times of India, 3rd December 2013, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/30-die-in-human-animal-conflict-in-just-8-months/articleshow/26765051.cms accessed and retrieved on 28th January 2014

would go a long way in engaging the local communities to organize themselves keeping in mind the natural instincts of the wildlife that abounds.

II. The Rural Education as a programme:The Rural Education programme being envisaged for the BNP areas provides enormous opportunities considering the fact that there are a total of 151 schools ranging from Lower Primary Schools (LPS), Higher Primary School (HPS) and High School (HS). Besides the area also boasts of Anganwadis that cater to the needs of children till the age of 3.

The primary idea of the study team is to instill in the minds of the students and the teacher educators the nuance of the issue being pertinent in the area, and how one should mitigate. Considering that children will help bring about change in the minds of the community, the study will focus on building tools and interventions that will go a long way to encourage the education system to adopt and adhere to mitigation norms. Education has been increasingly mentioned as one of the major strategies to managers to manage disasters like HWC and being particularly effective at the preparedness end of the prevention preparedness response recovery spectrum7.

III. Workshop StrategyThe workshop for teacher educators and students learners is envisaged with an intent to bring in roll models and ambassadors of environment and its conservation leading to protection and co-habitation with the flora and fauna that we are part of. The primary idea is to be inclusive and ensure the nomenclature of, “we have not inherited the earth from our ancestors, but merely borrowed it from our children” would be the core to the deliberations. Once the teacher educators and students learners get to the nuances, they are the ambassadors, the champions in their respective schools and will continue the mission to ensure the others join and become a positive force to reckon with. . Thence the major components would be to ensure i) field based activities with a focus on grass root interventions and ii) creating opportunities for conservation and livelihood options.

IV. Mapping20 schools were selected out of the 151 Government schools that were spread around Bannerghatta National Park (BNP). Private schools were not considered for this training as they are not present/situated within the ambit of our purpose. 1 teacher per school for a 2 day workshop and 5 students per school for a 1 day workshop, that is a total of 120 participants were selected for the purpose of this leg of workshops. All Institutions are located within the BNP area. Importance was given to the schools in the high conflict village’s viz., (Please see annexure … BEO letter to schools) Banavasi, Sakkalavara, Kadasikoppa, Kaggalahalli, Harohalli, Thatteguppe, S Bingipura to name a few. It was proposed that teachers, who are engaged in teaching EVS, Science and those who have maximum access to students

7 http://eprints.qut.edu.au/12048/1/12048.pdf accessed and retrieved on 29th January 2014.

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were identified for the training program. The Dharthi team learnt that BNP area had four taluks of which Anekal and Kanakapura taluks were selected.

V.The Role of Block Education Officers:In order to ensure the programs were a success Dharthi team contacted the Block Education Officers (BEO) of Anekal and Kanakapura, Mr. Ramamurthy, KES8 and Mr. Shivakumar, KES, respectively; who dynamically supported the noble cause and ensured quality identification of 20 schools in their jurisdiction that fell within the aspect of HWC. The BEO’s letters proved imperative since the schools were not eligible to take decisions without the consent of the respective BEOs. It became further more difficult to convince the schools since, the final examinations were approaching and revisions and preliminary exams were being conducted. But, with continued talks and explanations by team Dharthi (pic6) brought in the desired results. Teachers with Science background, and those who were focusing on the EVS education were identified to ensure qualitative capacity building. The Heads of Schools also identified the students who would participate. So much so that some schools felt that identifying 5 students in each school was difficult as more wanted to participate. Herein we see a scope to penetrate deeper into the school environment and the need to get more students into the network; which will help augment an understanding in the society.

Workshop Objectives

I.For Teachers:1. Interaction with peers;2. Getting to know new aspects; so as to improve the

understanding on the importance of nature, wildlife and natural resources;

3. Understanding of the biodiversity of BNP and the human threats posed;

4. The program will ensure a buildup of the capacity within the teaching community to ensure a value add

8 KES: Karnataka Education Service

to already existing pedagogy that will go a long way to bring about a commitment to the cause of environment;

5. Field trips lead to understanding the reality of life through the environment;

6. Support in the understanding of Web of Life, through a simulated game;

7. Discussions with resource persons from the field;8. Become a mentor to students;

II. For Students:1. Expanding their eco-consciousness; 2. Learning about the important of greenery; 3. Positively impacting their peers, families, schools,

communities and planet; (act local, think global);4. Participating in a grass roots movement to sustain the

local habitat and ultimately the planet;5. Support in the understanding of Web of Life, through

a simulated game, wherein the teachers get a hands on experience of leading the students along with the Resource persons;

6. Demonstrate an understanding of the HWC theme through a short play/skit created by the students with the help of the mentor-teachers;

7. Participate in field trip to ensure experiential learning, which will bring about a practical knowledge and know how;

8. Students, are the citizens of tomorrow, which will lead to a better society that will walk the talk of conservation, preservation, protection, lest humanity loses out;

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Two days of teachers workshop: 25th and 26th February 2015Teachers are stakeholders who bring about a conversion in the thought process of the children. They provide information and knowledge that will go a long way to ensure understanding. A total of 20 teachers were invited from select schools of the Anekal and Kanakapura Taluks. The teachers were well aware of the HWC and were prepared for a variety of discussions.

Program schedule for the two-days teacher’s workshop

Day 1: 25th February, 2015

Sl. No. Activity Time

1 Registration 08:30 to 10:00

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Inauguration 1. Mr. Suresh Heblikar, Ecowatch2. Pastor Prema Mitra, Chairman, Arocha – India3. Ms. Freeda, Founder Director, DharthiGroup Photograph at 11:20

10:00 to 11:30

3Session 1 Daniel Sukumar, CAN Trust (General Conservation)

11:30 to 13:00

4 Lunch 13:00 to 14:00

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Session 2 Ramesh Belegere, FEED “Elephants and Education”. Life of elephants in the forest and our knowledge about them. Limited to the understanding level of general public (School teachers)

14:00 to 15:30

6 Tea 15:30 to 15:45

7Session 3 Safari in JLR bus

15:45 to 18:00

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i. Session 4 General Group Discussion (GD) (60 minutes) on, “Teachers role in ensuring proliferation of ideas of conservation to the Students in Schools”.

ii. Debriefing and plan for day 2iii. Bonfireiv. Dinner

19:00 to 21:00

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Day 2: 26th February, 2015

Sl. No. Activity Time

1 Nature Walk (guided by JLR Naturalist and Freeda) 06:00 to 08:30

2 Breakfast 08:30 to 09:30

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Session 5. S. Ravishankar, (Project Officer, CPREEC)Introduction to Bio Diversity and environment, video on impacts of destruction, Nuances of nature, WEB of LIFE activity.

09:30 to 11:00

4 Tea 11:00 to 11:30

5Session 6S. Ravishankar, (Project Officer, CPREEC)Exploring a Tree - Knowledge of Bio diversity, in, on and around a tree.

11:30 to 12:45

6 Lunch 12:45 to 13:45

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Session 7Rajkumar D UrsWildlife Conservation Foundation“Biodiversity of BNP, its importance and the human animal conflicts”

13:45 to 15:15

8 Tea 15:15 to 15:45

9Session 8Feedback session

15:45 to 16:30

10Session 9Valedictory and Certificate Distribution

16:30 to 17:30

VENUE: (Teachers), Bannerghatta Nature Camp (BNC), BannerghattaThe venue for the teacher’s workshop was carefully identified and JLR property of Bannerghatta Nature Camp (BNC), Bannerghatta, was identified, because of the proximity to the 20 schools in the Anekal and Kanakapura Taluks, the facilities (conference room) that BNC boasted and also its closeness to the HWC. The choice proved to be wiser, as the teachers were able to get a feel of the forest besides getting to know nature from a closer quarter. In fact, most of the teacher’s commented that it was for the first time they were part of a forest for almost two days. The JLR team at BNC were always ready to answer any of the queries on sound of a bird or animal; or identify a tree (as in the case of the game that was put up by our Resource Person, Mr. S. Ravishankar). The Naturalist too added a lot of value to the Safari and the Nature Walk which was liked by one and all. In fact, the confidence of walking through the forests during the nature walk was well thought of and the discussions that ensued were thought provoking. The BNC team led by Kalesh, included Mukund, Mahendra Kumar, Manohar, Nagesh, Prem Kumar, Puttannashetty and Anthony, who were always ready to support the participants and the organizers.

Day OneThe two day workshop was set to roll with Freeda, Founder Director of Dharthi sharing the objectives and goals for the workshop. Mr. Suresh Heblikar, well known Kannada film personality and active environmentalist, Chairman of Ecowatch brought in unique facts of the human and

environment conflicts. Mr. Heblikars’ pitch on the greed of human being was well received. How lakes had disappeared over a period of time, was reverberated by the participants. In fact, the BNP area itself was facing issues in regards to shortage of water for the wildlife in the area. Pastor Prem Mitra, Chairman, Arocha – India, explained to the participants the role that Arocha has played in the BNP area with the research projects. Pastor Mitra helped the teachers to understand how Arocha and other bodies along with the Karnataka Forest Department (KFD) had supported in the cause of the HWC, by building barricades, asphalt and pepper ropes, digging trenches, such that the elephants would not come in the way of harm with the local populace that was multiplying with new residential areas being identified. The inaugural session became an open house after the guests agreed to take a few questions and the volley of interesting questions that following ranged from the basic to the scientific. The guests answered all the questions with élan and ensured the participants got a feel of what they are in for in the next two days of deliberations.

After the initial pleasantries and networking the session of Mr. Daniel Sukumar, brought about the gross reality of the HWC. Mr. Sukumar spelt out the practical issues and the way human beings had interfered with the environment that had brought about the conflict. By showcasing examples from across Karnataka, Mr. Sukumar ensured a rapt attention of the participants and also had lead questions that became pointers of discussion and reasoning. It was the session of Mr. Ramesh Belegere

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who has along with his team has done intensive research on elephants that kept the participants on the edge. The video feeds that Mr. Belegere presented got to participants to understand the behavior of the elephants crucial to the area of BNP.

It was the Safari conducted by the Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR) that got the participants exited post Lunch. Armed with their cameras the participants set out with the Naturalists, to what for some was their first tryst with the wild and deep forests. The two-hour Safari and viewing of the animals ensured plenty of food for thought for the teachers, who wanted to know more. On return to the Nature Camp the participants sat and discussed with the Dharthi team and the resource persons on various aspects of conservation and preservation. It was not surprising to find that they were now hungry for knowledge and information, which they wanted to carry back to their students.

Mr. Sukumar and Mr. Belegere continued with the deliberations after the participants came back from the Safari and showcased videos taken of elephants in various jungles of India and showcased the issues of behavior of the wild animals in general and elephants in particular when confronted by human beings. It was here that we found the participants willing to walk the extra mile and learn about the scientific and behavioral issues that hitherto was unknown to them. Before the teachers retired for the day, they were found sharing notes, and discussing how they should teach the students on various issues of HWC and general conservation. It was bonfire set by the JLR staff, wherein the qualitative discussion took place with teachers openly mentioning that larger number of teachers should be addressed such that the issues of HWC would be mitigated. Most of the participants suggested that similar programs should organized in the beginning of the academic year, such that, they have at least seven to eight months planning ahead of them. Some even thought that the School Management Committee should be involved such that the outreach to the parents and finally to society can also be achieved. In all this one stakeholder the ‘student’ would be critical mass with the teachers acting as mentors.

Day twoBegan with a bang with Freeda along with the Naturalists taking the participants on a Nature walk to understand the reality of the wild. A spectre of silence could be felt by the team as they found themselves humbled by the bounty of nature. The Birds, the wild animals, the sounds in the distance, ensured the participants provided an opportunity for themselves to understand nature in all its glory. They even got to analyze the dung of various animals and get to know about the health of the animals based on the dung analysis. The walk through and around the lakes provided another unique opportunity for the participants to understand the eco-system. Back at the nature camp, and after a well-earned breakfast, Mr. S. Ravishankar, Project Officer of the CRPEEC provided the best opportunity to analyze and understand the position of humans in the eco-system. He played a video that spoke of we humans after 20 years, our state and need for water. The ‘web of life’ a real time game inducing the nature and its creation brought about a multitude of questions and the very position of humans in the eco-system. Each of the participants had to enact a role of an important element in the environment, be it Sun, Soil, Water, Air, Algae, Fish, Frog, bird, leaf, earthworm, and of course the human. Mr. Ravishankar struck an emotional cord which went well with the participants; who wanted to carry forward the game to the students in their schools. Mr. Ravishankar helped the teachers to explore a tree and derive the knowledge of bio-diversity, in, on and around a tree; which got the teachers to think about the contribution of a tree to the eco-system.

Mr. Rajkumar Devaraj Urs, Honorary Wildlife Warden took the participants through the resolution mechanisms in the HWC zones. Mr. Urs was accompanied by a few villagers who told about their plight to the participants and how they were making efforts to mitigate.

The feedback session provided the participants opportunity to discuss and provide their views about the program. A highlight of the feedback session was the appreciation for the Karnataka Ecotourism Development Board and Dharthi who had organized the two-day workshop. The participants in fact, wanted to part of such sessions in the future. Please see the feedback chapter for more details.

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Two Day Student’s Workshop: 2nd and 5th march 2015

Program Schedule for two days student’s workshop

Day 1: 2nd March, 2015

Sl. No. Activity Time

1 Registration and snacks (milk and short breakfast) 09:00 to 09:30

2 Session 1: Introduction to Human animal conflict 09:30 to 10:00

3 Session 2: Group Activity - Web of Life 10:00 to 11:00

4Session 4: Visit the Butterfly Park accompanied by the Park Scientists and Laboratory staff

11:00 to 11:30

5 Lunch 11:30 to 12:45

6Session 5: Painting completion:Theme: Human – Wildlife Conflict

14:00 to 15:00

7 Milk and snacks 15:00 to 15:15

8 Session 8: Visit the Zoological Park 15:15 to 16:30

10Session 9: Valedictory and Certificate DistributionPrize distribution for painting competition

16:30 to 17:00

Day 2: 5th March, 2015

Sl. No. Activity Time

1 Registration and snacks (milk and short breakfast) 09:00 to 09:30

2 Session 1: Introduction to Human animal conflict 09:30 to 10:00

3 Session 2: Group Activity - Web of Life 10:00 to 11:00

4Session 4: Visit the Butterfly Park accompanied by the Park Scientists and Laboratory staff

11:00 to 11:30

5 Lunch 11:30 to 12:45

6Session 5: Painting completion:Theme: Human – Wildlife Conflict

14:00 to 15:00

7 Milk and snacks 15:00 to 15:15

8 Session 8: Visit the Zoological Park 15:15 to 16:30

10Session 9: Valedictory and Certificate DistributionPrize distribution for painting competition

16:30 to 17:00

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VENUE: (Students), Auditorium, Butterfly Park, BannerghattaConsidering the School children would come for a day, which would be loaded with activities and games, the Auditorium located adjacent to the Dome and Interpretation Center of the Butterfly Park was identified to be the ideal. The Entomologist, Mr. NK Naveen led the team of Scientists and Laboratory Assistants to ensure that the short sojourn of the children was pleasant. The well-manicured lawns, and the pergolas gave a unique opportunity to move out of the auditorium and be part of games and activities that brought about a learning, amidst sounds of birds in the forest and animals in the rescue center. It was scorching heat of the day and moment, that made the students and teachers realize the issues faced in the forest. Clearly nature itself performed to the best of its ability to help the students to learn and also unlearn. The walk through the dome and the Scientific area of the Butterfly Park was a bonanza for the children; as the famous chitte (Kannada for Butterfly), could be seen and they did not have catch it, albeit, some students found the chitte coming close to them, as if to welcome them. The theoretical knowledge of the Butterfly life cycle was very well known to the children and the teachers alike, but then Naveen, Madhuri, Manjesh, Kemparaju, Ranganath, Anil and Srinivas added a new life to the understanding of the Butterfly, its life and the contribution that it makes to the environment. So much so most of students promised that they would make a little garden near their respective houses and ensure they get to see the Butterfly in real life.

The very premise of educating the stakeholders in the HWC has been the impact on children, who as citizens of tomorrow should carry forward a positive frame and ensure a symbiotic relationship between humans and the environment they are in.

After training the teachers, the Dharthi team, had made elaborate plans to ensure the students to get the best. The identified 20 schools were requested to send a total of 100 students @ 5 per school. To ensure quality participation two days were earmarked for the 50 students along with their teachers from Anekal taluk and 50 from Kanakapura taluk on the 2nd and 5th of March, 2015 respectively. The facilitators from Dharthi were ably lead by the teachers, who acted as mentors to the students.

One bus with a route officer was appointed to ensure the children along with their teachers were picked up at vantage points such that they can reach the Auditorium, at the Butterfly Park, Bannerghatta, well within time and get to learn from the best of facilitators about the environment in general and the HWC in particular.

On arrival the children were provided hot badam milk and short breakfast and also provided a kit. In the first session the nuances pertaining to HWC were put forth and the children divided into groups for a better focus. The interactive session for the children ensured that children who were aware of the conflict, would come up with a mechanism to tackle the issues.

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Team Dharthi along with the teachers ensured the sharing of inputs of ‘web of life’ a game that would bring about a change in thought process. The kit that had display card, and thread was put to good use to help in the understanding of the position of the human being in the environment and also provided an opportunity to gauge the finer aspects of the conflict in the BNP area.

It was the short skit and song with a focus on the HWC that catapulted the thought process of the children and the mentor teachers to a level unseen. The creativity of the students and the mentor teachers also saw lot of coherence and understanding of the issue of conflict.

We are all aware that unless we feel nature practically, we will not understand what is in store for us. The Scientists and Laboratory Assistants at the Butterfly Park lead by Mr. Naveen brought the students and the teachers into a real time interface that had not been seen earlier. The students enjoyed every moment of their presence in the Park which galvanized the efforts towards preservation, conservation and off course conflict resolution and its management.

After a good meal at the Hill View Restaurant at Bannerghatta, the students participated in a painting

competition that showcased their skills in understanding the HWC. Colour materials including paper was provided and students with the support of Team Dharthi and the Mentor teachers ensured complete participation. On both the days two winners were declared and gifts provided to the winners. The Scientists at the Butterfly Park and Team Dharthi judged the contest.

It was the visit to the Bannerghatta Zoological Park that the students enjoyed. Though they were tired after all the activities; a hot glass of milk and snacks and little rest, ensured the students were ready for a visit to the Zoo that brought about a deeper understanding to their knowledge of environment. We could find, all the students making notes, and enquiring with the teachers and Team Dharthi on many issues of Wildlife and the environment.

After the visit to the Zoo, the children came back with lot of memories and had plenty to discuss. After a quick valedictory and certificate distribution the children bid good bye and promised that they would be the change makers for the future. They would make all efforts to live with the environment and all the stakeholders.

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Feedback:

The Nature education workshop organized by KEDB and Dharthi has created an inspiration about the Environment in us, the teachers and has brought about an awareness in regards to the causes for the conservation of wildlife

Harisha BK, Teacher, GHPS, Harapanahalli, Jigani (P), Anekal Taluk.

A wonderful workshop with good interaction with the resource persons. Good inputs, that will be shared with our students, the future citizens. No flaw in the workshop at all. We as teachers are taking back all inputs on the conflict between animals and humans. Request you to conduct the workshop in June and July such that we will have the academic year to implement the concepts learnt.

Mahesh C, Assistant Teacher, GHS, Dyavasandra, Kanakapura Taluk.

I have never attended a workshop of this kind earlier. We were given practical knowledge about the Environment; particularly about the conflict. It is a great learning for me as a teacher and I am sure, the students will also benefit from the sessions. I intend to carry on the learning to my school and ensure learning to all the students, considering that we are part of the conflict area.

Sumathi N, Assistant Teacher, GHPS, Kaggalahalli, Horohalli Hobli, Kanakapura Taluk

The two – day workshop has increased my interest in general environment and to learn more about the issues of conflict in my area. My students always talk about same and we have seen the damage that occurs. The workshop conducted by the Ecotourism board of Karnataka, Forest Department and NGO called Dharthi has helped me and my teacher colleagues to get to the best of understanding of animals and human being interaction.

Gururaju, GHPS, S. Bingipura, Anekal Taluk

I am lucky to be part of the two – day workshop. Being a Physical Education Teacher, my HM nominated me to attend because of my close interaction with all the children of the school. I want to become a Parisara Premi (Environment lover) and educate as many students about living with the wild, the forests and ensuring a co-existence. The Nature Walk was one the best events, where we were part of nature; and I realized that, I was just one small being. I thank Karnataka Ecotourism Board and Dharthi for conducting this wonderful workshop.

Anil Kumar HK, Grade 1 PET, GHS, Kadasikoppa, Kanakapura Taluk

The workshop organized by Karnataka Ecotourism Development Board and Dharthi has helped me to foresee what the generations of the future will receive from the environment. The program was well organized and the sessions very informative. The interaction and discussions helped me to understand issues further. I suggest that, we should organize short programs in the schools at 7 pm in the evening and invite the people in the local area to understand further the issues of conflict between human and animals that my area faces on a regular basis. By educating the children, teachers and the people in the community, the objective will be met.

Suresh KT, MES High School, Maralavadi, Kanakapura Taluk

Nature Education Workshop, if I have to say in one word, it was a live experience. Nature and me, face to face. Karnataka Ecotourism development board and Dharthi, collaboration was excellent. The program, the sessions, very well organized. Dharthi team facilitated lot of discussions to help in understanding of the subject matter. Request the program be organized in the early part of the academic year, such that the same can be implemented throughout the year in the schools. Besides, the session, the Nature Walk and the drive in the forest was the best in my life. I will have memories that I will never forget in all my life.

Jalaja V, Assistant Teacher, GHS, Banavasi, Kanakapura Taluk

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Karnataka Ecotourism Development Board (KEDB):

With a vision to develop Karnataka into a model Eco -tourism destination in the country by encouraging green travel and incentivizing eco -tours operators to follow global standards for Eco -travel, KEDB, has focused on capacity building of various stakeholde rs to ensure conservation of the ecology and the environment. KEDB in association with the Wildlife Wing of the Karnataka Forest Department has organized comprehensive programs for rural school children in the forest fringe villages, which were specifically designed to address the nuances of man-animal conflict.

Contact: KEDB, Karnataka Forest Department, Aranya Bhavan, 18 th Cross, Malleswaram, Bengaluru560003. Telephone: 2344 8822

Dharthi:

A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) working on the front of Environment, Forests, Communities and Tourism (EFCT), and bring about qualitative inputs that will help in the planning and strategizing for a sustainable framework. The focus areas include Policy, Research and Advocacy, Ecotourism Consulting, Responsible tours, Environmental Impacts, Environment Education and Rural Livelihoods

Contact: Dharthi, 735, 8thMain, 21st Cross, Sector-7, HSR Layout, Bengaluru 560102. Mobile: 9481858916. Email: info@dharthi.org

Karnataka Ecotourism Development Board (KEDB):Karnataka Forest Department, Aranya Bhavan, 18 th Cross, Malleswaram, Bengaluru 560003. Telephone: 2344 8822

Dharthi:735, 8thMain, 21st Cross, Sector-7, HSR Layout, Bengaluru 560102. Mobile: 9481858916. Email: info@dharthi.org