Training on ‘Media strategies for effective and efficient HWC Mitigation’ at AJK MCRC

16 Jan, 2022

A 12-week course on ‘Media strategies for effective and efficient Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) Mitigation’ is being conducted virtually by GIZ and AJK Mass Communication Research Centre (MCRC), Jamia Milia Islamia, Delhi. Currently, 40 post-graduate students of four programmes, viz. Development Communication, Convergent Journalism, Mass Communication, Visual Effect and Animation, are enrolled in this skills-based course under the Choice-based Credit Systems (CBCS) during 2022.

The Indo-German project had conducted a GIZ-Dale Carnegie 'Training of Trainers' for three key faculty members at AJK MCRC in 2021 to ensure the sustainability of the training. The course outlines the -

• concepts of human-wildlife conflict, environmental relations and specific ecosystems
• media ethics specific to reporting HWC in a constructive manner while empathising with all the stakeholders
• legal framework for HWC in India
• the importance of media interventions in creating awareness and policy changes
• ethical story writing competencies
• pitching/ anchoring of HWC stories
• demonstrating openness to different viewpoints on HWC.

The first session in this series was conducted on 15 January 2022, where Officiating Director of AJK MCRC Prof. Shohini Ghosh, Prof. Danish Iqbal, and Dr Pragati Bhalla were acquainted with the course plan and discussed the significance of such a course for media students. Dr Neeraj Khera, Team Leader, HWC Mitigation project commenced the session by sharing the overall course plan as per the competencies-based curriculum, learning outcomes and introduction to the training resource material and approach of training. The next session was conducted by senior media experts- Mr Ramesh Menon and Mr Ananda Banerjee on ‘How media reports on human-wildlife conflict issues?’ followed by an introduction to ‘Human-Wildlife Conflict- A Holistic Approach, a Quick Overview of the National HWC Mitigation Strategy and Action Plan’ by Dr Neeraj Khera.

The course ends on 2 April 2022 with an interaction between the students with experts from India and other countries. A field expedition is also planned, if the COVID situation allows, to facilitate the students in developing media products on HWC mitigation.

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About the project

The Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (HWC) project is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and State Forest Departments of Karnataka, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. The project aims at providing technical support at the national level, and effective implementation of HWC mitigation measures in selected states of India. The project pilot sites are Haridwar Forest Division and adjoining landscape including Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, Gorumara Wildlife Division in West Bengal, and Kodagu Forest Circle in Karnataka.

The main objective of the project is that the rural population in project areas, where agreed guidelines and tools are applied to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, is better protected against it. The project takes the approach of harmonious coexistence, by ensuring that both—humans and wildlife—are protected from conflict. Read More

For more information contact: biodiv.india@giz.de