Training to empower local youth as nature guides @ Anjarle Village, Maharashtra, India

25 Nov, 2016

A one day workshop was conducted to train local youth to conduct nature trails as part of the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Coastal and Marine Protected Areas (CMPA) Project on 25 November 2016 at Anjarle village in Maharashtra.

Participants at the workshop conducted by the CMPA project to train youth to conduct nature trails

Resource persons for the training included Mr. Bhau Katdare, President, local NGO Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra (SNM), Mrs. Jilpa Nijsure, an Environment Educator and Ms. Supriya Jhunjhunwala, Advisor, CMPA project, GIZ. The workshop was attended by 40 youth from Anjarle, Keslhi, and Velas, which lie in the Velas to Dabhol site in Maharashtra.

In pictures from left to right: (L) Inaugural remarks by Mr. Sandesh Deokar, Village Head (Sarpanch) of Anjarle. (R) An indoor session by Mr. Bhau Katdare

The workshop began with the head of the village Mr. Sandesh Deokar, Ms. Jyoti Jadhav, Mr. Kelaskar, and forest officer Mr. Dalvi welcoming the participants. Mr. Bhau Katdare emphasised the need for nature guides with the right attitude and information. He said that youth in the region should avail this opportunity of self-employment. He also suggested that the participants should form groups and go for nature trails often to improve their field and identification skills.

Mrs. Jilpa Nijsure, gave an overview on how to conduct a nature trail and suggested ideal timings, group size and dos and don’ts. She later also gave a detailed and informative presentation about the species that could be encountered in a trail in the area. She explained that confidence and clarity in communication were important components contributing to the success of a nature trail.

In pictures from left to right: (L) Ms. Supriya Jhunjhunwala, Advisor, CMPA project, GIZ sharing her thoughts with the participants. (R) A session in progress during the workshop.

Ms. Supriya Jhunjhunwala, Adviser GIZ made a presentation to explain the concept of biodiversity. She clarified to the participants that biodiversity was not just about species but about ecosystems, species and genes and mainly about variety. She also spoke about biodiversity loss and extinction and the impact it has on human survival. Mr. Kelaskar a senior citizen from the village requested that a training should be conducted to identify venomous snakes from non-venomous snakes.

Resource material in the form of a booklet with species' description in Marathi was distributed to all participants. A nature trail was conducted in the evening in which a demonstration was given on guiding tourist groups. The workshop organized with the help of Mr. Abhinay Kelaskar and Mr. Mohan Upadhyay, Project Associates for the GIZ CMPA Project (Mangrove Cell). The overall objective of the CMPA project is, “The conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the pilot protected areas are improved, taking into consideration the economic circumstances of the local population.”

Question-Answer session during the outdoor session conducted by Mr. Bhau Katdare and Mrs. Jilpa Nijsure

The CMPA project is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. The CMPA project is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of BMUB.