Learning is in our Nature
Interpretation is critical to building understanding and appreciation for the natural world amongst visitors; which is crucial to protection and conservation. The pressing need for a ‘formal study program’ to enable individuals to acquire theoretical understanding, skills and hands-on experience in wildlife and nature interpretation has been a primary driver and inspiration for ‘The Naturalist School’
The Government of India, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) under the ‘Skill India’ initiative has encouraged the creation of vocational skill building opportunities through the Sectoral Skill Councils (SSC) of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). The Tourism and Hospitality Skills Council (THSC) in this regard has created Qualification packs (QP) for training ‘Naturalists’ aligned to the National Occupational Standards (NOS) and National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) and aligned to the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines.
However, India with a consistently growing market for ecotourism activities has very few opportunities for formal learning in this area. ‘The Naturalist School’ - a pioneering capacity building initiative of the Fig Tree Naturalist Foundation intends to close the skills gap by offering blended learning programs and courses to create a qualified resource pool to meet the needs of industry.
The Naturalist School (TNS) is a pioneering effort towards offering certifications and short/long term courses on Wildlife and Nature Interpretation. The ‘Centre Of Excellence’ a first of its kind in India has been created as a key human resource development initiative to cater to multiple stakeholders: locals whose livelihoods are dependent on ecotourism, visitors engaged in travel to protected areas (PA), employers who are facing a shortage of skilled staff, PA managers who are trying to spread awareness on conservation.TNS aims to offer courses for the purpose of vocational skilling of individuals desirous of working in the arena of nature based tourism, environmental education, voluntourism and conservation. TNS will provide vocational skilling & training to operators, trainers, managers, guides, naturalists and students in the area of ecotourism and allied sectors.
