Urban Education

Developing Conservation Minded Individuals in Local Communities

ATREE’s innovative approach:

ATREE’s conservation education and training programs are targeted towards students and teachers of schools from elementary schools to high school, college and university level students and teachers, professionals ranging from forest guards to forest officials and the staff of the wide array of government and non-government organizations. ATREE offers conservation education programs and conducts nature camps for school students, short-term courses on conservation biology for college and university students and teachers as well as for a wide array of professionals and the community at large.

Conservation education programs for schools in Bangalore:

Our conservation programs emphasize a hands-on learning experience. We help students learn about our environment and fellow creatures by observation, experimentation, and experience rather than conventional passive rote-based methods. This involves games, creative learning exercises, experimental activities, brainstorming and discussions, in other words it is an “interactive and joyful learning and training experience”. Our challenge is to inculcate a love and concern for nature whether it is in our backyard or in the Western Ghats.

Outdoor Environment Learning Initiative is a collaborative program of ATREE and NMNH (National Museum of Natural History), to promote activities that supplement curriculum based learning and in-school environment education programs. The program offers thematic outdoor environment learning modules of varying durations, designed to suit students of different age groups and conducted by experts with a style and flair for learning about nature into a fun filled exercise. This program will enable students to discover, enjoy, understand and contribute to preservation of the incredible natural world. (Details about the program/ registration form will be given upon request.)

ATREE customizes the program depending on the requirement of the schools. For details of the nature camps, please contact: joyeeta@atree.org. Some of the modules that are followed are:

One-day program in Navadarshanam:

One-day program at Regional Museum of Natural History (RMNH, Mysore):

One-day program at Kanakpura:

Program Schedule for students at Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Wildlife Sanctuary

This is a proposal for an overnight training program. The group will leave Bangalore on Day 1 at 8.00 am from a common pick up point and reach BRT by 2.00 pm. An introduction of students/teachers/facilitators will be done. The group of students and teachers will leave for Bangalore after lunch at 1.00 pm on Day 2 and reach Bangalore by 7.00 pm. The details of the program are given below:

Summary of the Conservation Education Activities in 2003-2004, Bangalore

GEAR FOUNDATION: 33 Students participated in a daylong camp in Navadarshanam on February 21, 2003.

A drawing competition was organized by ATREE in Christel House for the under-privileged students on Bioresources on July 18,2003.

Bishop Cotton Girl’s High School: 42 students participated in a daylong camp in Navadarshanam to earn an herbal batch for Girls Guide on July 19, 2003.

Visit to GIS Lab: 25 students from Vidya Niketan School visited the GIS Lab for an orientation to GIS AND Remote Sensing on August 24, 2003.

National Junior College: 150 students participated in a daylong camp in Navadarshanam from October 21-23, 2003.

Visit to GIS Lab: 25 students from Bishop Cotton Girls High school visited the GIS Lab for an orientation to GIS AND Remote Sensing on November 9, 2003. Presidency School: A trip to Regional Museum for Natural History, Mysore was organized by ATREE for 21 students on November 30, 2003. They were exposed the museum galleries and the campus of the museum and activities to identify plants, insects and birds, hands on activity at the modeling studio at the Discovery Room.

Delhi Public School: 54 students participated in a daylong camp in Navadarshanam on December 18, 2003.

Association of People’s Disability: 57 students participated in the daylong program in Kanakpura on December 30, 2003. They were exposed to sustainable agriculture and interacted with the local rural school.

Mallya Aditi International School: 20 students and 2 teachers from Mallya Aditi International School, Bangalore participated in a short-term residential program on Bioresources at B.R.Hills from January 18-21, 2004. They were given a wildlife safari along with intensive bird watching sessions. They did hands on training on green fencing with lantana with an exposure to sustainable agricultural methods and its linkages to the local communities. The students were taken to the honey processing units, recycled paper units and handloom units and the Silogas podus, where they interacted with them to understand their interdependence on forests and how alternate methods of income could have an impact on the sustainable management of natural resources. The students also interacted and played games with the local rural school at VGKK, and exchanged their ideas on conservation. The students had an enjoyable time and appreciated the program.

Butterfly/Medicinal Plant Gardens

ATREE is involved in setting up butterfly and medicinal plant gardens on school grounds to promote biodiversity; create an interactive learning environment, and an attractive setting with vibrant flowers, plants, and butterflies. On July 30, 2004, Delhi Public School, Yelahanka, will inaugurate a butterfly garden designed and set up by ATREE. Teachers can use the garden to teach students about biodiversity conservation, plant identification, or scientific method. The butterfly and medicinal plant garden program is available to all interested citizens.

Teacher Training and Orientation

ATREE is committed to working with administrators and teachers, who have the greatest role in promoting and sustaining environmental education as an effective biodiversity conservation measure. Teachers from several schools participated in a training and orientation workshop, which gave an overview of approaches and the available resources used in schools. The workshops also covered the problems and challenges that are faced in teaching environmental education and organizing outdoor camps.

From the feedback received from the teachers, ATREE is working to develop and provide a useful environmental education manual for teachers. The manual will be a guide for teachers to develop complimentary biology and science lessons that involve biodiversity conservation and other important environmental issues. The manual will also highlight other helpful resource materials teachers can consult.

College Course in Conservation Biology

ATREE held its sixth course in Conservation Biology for graduate and post-graduate students from June 14-28, 2004. Unlike last year's course, which was restricted to participants from South India, this year’s course was attended by 13 participants from all over India, as well as by two participants from Sri Lanka. Many of the participants had some prior experience in conservation, which made for a very interactive group. As with the previous course, there were 5 intensive days of lectures in Bangalore, which drew on the talents of resource people from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, Indian Institute of Science, Kalpavriksha and ATREE. This was followed by 8 days of field projects in BR Hills, and then 2 days in Bangalore again, when the participants had time to prepare and present their work in a mini-symposium. The course material included a general introduction to conservation biology; an overview of the distribution of biodiversity at global and regional levels; conservation of species and communities; threats to biodiversity, such as climate change, invasive species, and forest fragmentation; genetics of conservation; and ex situ and in situ conservation. There were several topics that were new to the course this year, including the effects of the loss of pollinators and dispersers on forest functioning; threats of species extinctions due to diseases in wild animals; the effects of fire on forest structure, composition, and functioning; and conservation and human-animal conflicts. The participants also got an introduction to the application of GIS in conservation planning; and an extended session on sampling techniques was held before the participants left for the field to conduct independent research projects.

The course was well received, and the participants said that they had learned a great deal in the short time. They also felt the informal atmosphere at ATREE was conducive to learning. Some of the participants plan to pursue careers in conservation biology.

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