Current projects
Policy Analysis
This project will identify policy issues pertaining to wetland conservation. This policy exercise would be initiated through an analysis of constitutional provisions, land and forest laws and rules, and pertinent provisions of the Kerala Panchayati Raj Act, 1994. Sectoral and community consultations will be held. Methods of enquiry will involve semi-structured interviews, informal and focus group discussions and policy analysis. A working paper will be drafted and workshops and informal discussions will be initiated with key actors and stakeholders to discuss institutional and regulatory potential. The analysis is expected to highlight policy gaps in terms of insufficient regulatory provisions in prevailing laws and legislations and a lack of understanding of the provisions themselves.
Awareness and Capacity Building Initiatives for Stakeholder Groups
This component project will entail a system of information exchange that will lead to an enhanced understanding of the wetland ecosystem and its services. The overall objective of the programme is to facilitate the participation of stakeholders in efficient and sustainable management of the Vembanad SES by
- providing updated information on environmental quality and building monitoring capacities, and
- enhancing the collective understanding of constitutional provisions, laws, legislations and feasible management options
The goal of this participatory approach is to recruit communities into the decision making process and thus enable participatory resource management and wise use. There will be interactions with various stakeholder groups such as farmers, fisher folk, clam collectors, women self-help groups, tour operators and tourists and other related local institutions. The idea is to create interactive learning forums that could form the basis of various educational programmes and policy discussions. Capacity building programmes will be conducted for these groups in natural resources monitoring and evolving sustainable harvest methods.
Jala Padam: An Environmental Education Programme for the Conservation of Vembanad Wetland
This project aims to conduct conservation education programmes for school and college students to transfer scientific information and skills so as to create social capacity for participatory monitoring. The project intends to create awareness among students of the ecological functions of the lake ecosystem and the socio-cultural and economic significance of wetlands. The project will establish wetland study centres and organize student interactions, film shows, field trips with scientists, training in water quality assessment and analysis, and documentation of various environmental / biodiversity attributes. About 50 schools, 6 colleges and 6000 students will be involved in the project.
Vembanad Water Watch Partnership Programme
Regular information about water quality is necessary for understanding the condition of the water resources and to provide a basis for effective policies that promotes wise use and better management of the lake. This programme aims to
- develop a scientific and pragmatic methodology for participatory monitoring of the water quality involving local community, stakeholders and other interested agencies /groups.
- educate and train volunteers from various stakeholders i.e. fishermen, agriculturists, clam shell collectors, houseboat workers and others, on water quality issues and monitoring.
- set up basin stations for water quality monitoring at identified points and determine water quality at sampling sites.
- to establish a publicly accessible comprehensive database on water quality
The project also aims to educate stakeholders i.e. fishermen, agriculturists, clam shell collectors, houseboat workers etc. It also aims to make the lake side residents, interested citizens and policy makers aware of the qualitative deterioration of the lake due to various reasons and in various seasons.
Vembanad Wetland Conservation Information System
Environmental and socio-economical data about Vembanad socio-ecological system are collected by a very wide range of organisations and individuals for a multitude of purposes. While this information is valuable, many potential users either do not know that it exists or do not have access to it. Currently, integrated data and information systems in the region are so underdeveloped, that the available information cannot be effectively applied to address environmental questions. The project intents to develop a conservation information system to support decision making at all levels and improves information access and exchange. The system will employ conventional and modern means of information archival and dissemination to address the requirements of a wide variety of users. This includes a reference library, website, Geographical Information System, information CDs, etc. The system will also help to identify information or evidence lacking to support any probable solution.
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