Mr. Kartikeya V. Sarabhai, Director CEE, was invited as the chief guest at the national level workshop organized by the Uttar Pradesh State Biodiversity Board, on the occasion of International Biological Diversity Day on 22nd May 2015. The workshop was organized at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, Lucknow.

During his inaugural address, Mr. Sarabhai spoke about the Sustainable Development Goals and how biodiversity conservation education is intricately linked to it. He kept the audience engaged with examples on how education acts as a driver of change for achieving sustainable development, and shared case studies of biodiversity education programmes taken up by CEE in collaboration with various international, national and state level partners. Mr. Sarabhai further encouraged the students present during the programme to document the biodiversity around them, and urged the audience to promote greening with biodiversity. He appreciated the efforts made by CEE and UPSBB in initiating a mobile exhibition biodiversity bus.

During the programme, Mr. Sarabhai also presented prizes and certificates to the winners of the biodiversity competitions. The biodiversity posters developed by CEE, with support from the National Biodiversity Authority, were also released.

As part of the CEE-APSEZL project “Pahel: Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation in Coastal Regulation Zone”, an exhibition of medicinal plants and organic farming was taken to the villages of Mundra block from 14th to 30th May. Under the said project, the Rural Programmes Group of CEE is working in 21 villages of Mundra block, and the exhibition was a follow-up action to the multi-stakeholders’ dialogue organized by the team in April.

The exhibition panels focused on the inter-linkages between the food we eat, our health and the impact on natural resources. Various factors involved in organic farming such as 1) selection of seeds, 2) water, 3) preparation of compost, 4) appropriate technology and 5) government schemes fostering farming, were discussed with the people. Climate change and its effect on agriculture was discussed during the exhibit tour, even as awareness was created about the importance of water conservation techniques for reaping year round benefits of the harvest. Farmers showing keen interest in exhibits were given a packet of assorted vegetable seeds for them to grow in their backyard. This was done to foster the practice of growing vegetables in their yard and being self-reliant in terms of food security.

Selected books relevant to the theme were displayed, and a register to note down the concerns and queries of the farmers was maintained. Individual discussion and guidance was also provided by the team accompanying the exhibition.

Nearly 40 villagers, comprising a diversified group of pastoralists, farmers, fishing community members and traditional healers, took part in the exhibit tour.

A six-day summer workshop was organized for 7 to 13 year olds at Sundarvan, from 25th to 30th May. Children enthusiastically took part in the ice-breaking session “Who am I”, even as the guided zoo visit and nature trail enthused them for further exploration. They brought out their creative best through glass painting, and in depicting the forest ecosystem on a wall near the entrance to the park. This involved brainstorming on the theme, putting their thoughts on paper, and depicting these on the wall with help from the team of artists from Art Pulse. Under the guidance of these artists, the children also learnt the finer nuances of painting.

The participants also delved into the facets of nocturnal creatures like porcupine, hedgehog (in exhibits), bats and a variety of insects. Pebble painting, adventurous pursuits, introduction to birdwatching, star gazing, bat show and night trail were amongst the other activities pursued as part of the workshop. The concluding day involved birdwatching and feedback sessions, along with distribution of certificates to the participants.

Under the National Green Corps (NGC) programme, the eco-club of Government UPS, Ghatal, Rajasthan, organized a school level event to commemorate the International Day for Biological Diversity. CEE is the state resource agency for NGC in Rajasthan, and the event was facilitated by the CEE Bhiwadi team.

The programme started with the debriefing on biodiversity through the game - Web of life. Students were made aware of the local biodiversity, and were further encouraged to make connections between biodiversity and the human life through a discussion on their ecological, economic and aesthetic significance. This was followed by the activity of making masks depicting the different life forms, using paper plates. Fun games and tattoo making–revolving around the theme of Biodiversity–were conducted.

CEE's Bareilly project office conducted a two-day Teachers Training Workshop under the Children’s Forest Programme (CFP) on 8-9 May, 2015, at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly. CEE North is implementing the CFP programme in Bareilly District with the support of Uttar Pradesh Forest Department (UPFD). The programme, which aims to reach 50 schools in three years (2015-2017), focuses on sensitizing the school children on the value and role of trees and forests, by involving them in tree plantation and nurturing activities. The CEE team including Ms. Preeti R. Kanaujia, Mr. Sanjay Tiwari, Ms. Devika Mathur and Mr. Jitendra Patel, conducted the technical sessions of the workshop.

Mr. M. P. Singh, Chief Conservator of Forest, Bareilly zone, inaugurated the workshop and spoke about the critical role of a teacher. He informed that after the success of CFP phase-1 in six districts of Uttar Pradesh, Bareilly was amongst the seven districts to have joined this programme in the second phase. Guest faculty Mr. Satyaveer Singh Malik, Senior Scientist IVRI, spoke to the teachers about Climate Change, and on how this required us to focus more on our health and hygiene.

Mr. Dharam Singh, DFO Bareilly, also spoke to the teachers about Climate Change and the role of forests in combating climate change.
Mr. R. K. Singh, Director IVRI, stated that the CFP programme was a revolutionary initiative at sensitizing the children about environment, and thereby preparing young leaders for change. He also emphasized on the importance of ensuring sustainability of the forest resources. Nearly 90 teachers from 43 schools participated in the training workshop.

International Day for Biological Diversity 2015 was celebrated by CEE Himalaya at 13 different locations across the Indian Himalayan Region, at Kullu (Himachal Pradesh), Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) and Balrampur (Uttar Pradesh), involving more than 300 school children, 65 teachers, local NGOs and the community members. The IBD 2015 celebration was supported by JSW Foundation, GoI-UNDP-GEF, UNICEF and RCE Srinagar, acknowledged by the Institute of Advanced Studies of the United Nations University, Japan.

During the celebration, besides planting more than 300 locally significant and useful medicinal and fruit trees, various competitions were also organized like essay writing, painting, quiz and poem writing. Saplings of Jamun, Anar, Kari Patta, Neem, Amla, Shatut, Nashpati, Mango, Guava, Aconitum, Ratanjot and Faran were planted. In Uttarkashi, which was the worst hit during the 2013 cloud burst and flash floods, plant species preventing soil erosion were sown on the eroded banks of the Holy Ganga. The cleaning of the Ganga Ghats was done before initiating this plantation drive. Certificates of participation were given to the students.

Teacher Training Workshops were also organized to orient the teachers on biodiversity conservation, and on linking the classroom syllabus teaching with the outdoor experience. Achieving an Open Defecation Free environment was promoted through awareness-raising activities.

CEE North conducted the green wave campaign in various districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on 22nd May 2015, with support from the NGC Master Trainers, CFP School teachers, Dolphin partner NGOs and other institutions in the network. Nearly 70 schools, NGOs and individuals from both the States participated in the campaign, which marked the celebrations for the International Day for Biological Diversity. On the occasion,
Mr. Kartikeya V. Sarabhai planted a sapling of the Kachnar tree at the premises of the CEE North office.

Prakriti Bus is a mobile exhibition developed by CEE with support from the UP State Biodiversity Board and University of Lucknow. It has been travelling in Lucknow and the nearby districts, and on 29th May, 2015, the bus reached Sitapur District. A formal welcome event was organized at the community rural market at Village Siraucha in Sidhauli, Sitapur. Forest officials and members of the community were invited to welcome the bus in the district.

During the programme, Ms. Preeti R. Kanaujia, Mr. Neeraj Pal and Ms. Neha Singh from CEE interacted with the children, women and the farmers. Visitors were attracted to the bus, and they curiously explored the exhibits inside the bus. The bus was taken to the nearby villages and community places.

CEE is the ENVIS centre on Environmental Education (EE). As an ENVIS centre, CEE caters to the information needs of environmental educators. Write to the CEE ENVIS Centre at [email protected]