Applications Open: Biodiversity Data Mobilization Workshop in Bangalore
We are excited to announce the Biodiversity Data Mobilization Workshop, an in-person training program jointly organized by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and The Naturalist School. The workshop will be conducted in Bangalore during 27–28 September 2025. This workshop offers hands-on training in preparing, sharing, and publishing biodiversity data through the GBIF platform. Whether you’re a researcher, data manager, or biodiversity enthusiast working in research or policy, this is your chance to build practical skills that contribute to global biodiversity knowledge. What you’ll learn This course is designed to help participants plan and implement biodiversity data mobilization efforts effectively using accepted community standards. You can read...
Where I Come From Was Always Enough
The story of Vivo, a Nature Guide from Khonoma, Nagaland, who learned to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, and returned home with a new way of understanding where he came from. In the hill village of Khonoma, Nagaland, surrounded by forests, medicinal plants, and ancestral knowledge, Vivo grew up without realising just how rich his home was. Forests were for foraging, snakes were to be avoided, and caterpillars were just pests. It wasnʼt until his elder brother told Vivo about a government-sponsored opportunity through the Skill Development initiative by the Government of Nagaland, that things began to shift. Fresh out of a masterʼs degree in...
A Part of the Whole, and the Whole in Every Part
The story of Chandrashekar Koira, a Nature Guide with a childlike curiosity for learning from the land. In a quiet village at the foothills of Nandi Hills, where mist settles over the trees and birds greet the morning, Chandrashekar Koira grew up feeling deeply at home in nature. For him, the forest wasn’t an escape. It was his habitat. But over time, even the places that raised us begin to change. Koira Lake in his village is a subjoin of the Arkavathi River catchment It feeds into the veins of south Indiaʼs water network, eventually joining the Kaveri, one of the regionʼs lifelines. What was once...
A Charter For Citizen Science And Multilateral Environment Agreements.
Citizen science has long been an integral part of environmental stewardship across Asia and India, where communities, researchers and nature enthusiasts work together to monitor biodiversity, track air and water quality and respond to local environmental issues. However, despite its immense potential, citizen science remains largely underutilized in shaping formal environmental policy and international agreements in the region. A new Charter for Citizen Science and Multilateral Environmental Agreements, spearheaded by the Citizen Science Global Partnership (CSGP), offers a framework to change this narrative. It calls on governments, including those in Asia and India, to formally recognize citizen science as a vital contributor to environmental monitoring...
Five Reasons Why You Should Take a Walk with a Nature Guide
Nayanika Bhatia Feb 6, 2025 Walking in nature is a refreshing and grounding experience, but have you ever considered exploring the wild with a nature guide? A guided nature walk offers a deeper, richer connection to the environment. Here are five reasons you should join a walk with a Nature Guide :- Mindful Experience 🌱 The best thing about a guided nature walk is that encourages you to slow down and engage fully with your surroundings. It is a deeply mindful experience. You are welcome to practice mindful walking, nature meditation, or sensory observation when you go along with a guide. 2. Learning & Curiosity 📖 You get real-time...
Let Nature Guide You – Inspiration For Naturalists
Bijoy Venugopal December 28, 2024 On December 14, 2024, I delivered a keynote to the outgoing batch of Certified Nature Guides of The Naturalist School. The morning saw me, bright and early, at the Bannerghatta Nature Camp on the outskirts of the city enjoying a nature walk with this group of curious, promising, and multitalented people. Closer to noon, I delivered the keynote to this rapt and attentive audience, and it was heartwarming to see that families, teachers, and loved ones had also been invited to attend. The Naturalist School is an initiative I wish I had access to while I was growing up. It trains people...
Guide to Bengaluru’s Hidden Wonders
I work as a naturalist with Jungle Lodges & Resorts, at the River Tern Lodge in the Bhadra Tiger Reserve. When the entire country went under lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak,...
Ecotourism and protected areas
All nature-based forms of tourism in which the main motivation of the tourists is the observation and appreciation of nature as well as the traditional cultures prevailing in natural areas....
Community-based ecotourism in Ladakh promotes positive perceptions of snow leopards
Snow leopards in Ladakh often used to be persecuted by local communities because they preyed on livestock.With the establishment of the Himalayan Homestay Program, a community-based ecotourism initiative, snow leopards are now seen as valuable and communities are more supportive of their conservation.To maintain positive perceptions of snow leopards when tourism declines, the Snow Leopard Conservancy-India Trust is educating communities about the intrinsic and ecological values of the snow leopard in combination with other measures. Catching a glimpse of the famed, elusive snow leopard while trekking the rugged and remote mountains of Ladakh may be a dream come true for wildlife seekers. However, these predators...
Women for Nature
Hi! I am Lalitha Krishnan and I am back after a very long time. You are listening to part one of episode #22 of Heart of Conservation podcast. This is season three. I bring you stories from the wild that keep us connected to our natural world....
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