The Prakriti Darshan programme at the Nandanvan zoo-cum-safari—launched in February last year—is shaping young minds through environmental education. Till now, over 19,000 students from about 300 institutes have participated in it, writes Deepanwita Gita Niyogi
Forest guard Chandramani Sahu is in charge of the environmental education coordination programme at the Nandanvan Jungle Safari at Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Here, the state forest department’s Prakriti Darshan or View Nature programme, which aims to inculcate environmental awareness in school students and college goers, is conducted regularly.
As part of the programme, participants are taken on tours, along with nature guides inside Nadanvan, which has a zoo as well as a safari arrangement, and informed in detail about forest and wildlife. While the zoo area has a foot trail, safaris take place in caged vehicles from which animals roaming in open spaces can be viewed.
“As part of the programme, the participants get to know many things like the names of trees, the identification of animals and birds and the way the food chain works. This is important as many of them lack practical knowledge. Sometimes, painting activities are also organized to heighten their interest. The tours are about three hours long. Participants come and return the same day as there is no facility for stay at Nandanvan,” Sahu told Tehelka.
In sync with nature: The educational tours at Nandanvan aligns with the state’s commitment to wildlife conservation and environmental protection. Chhattisgarh enjoys 44 percent of its geographical area under forest. However, at present, human-wildlife conflict has become a critical challenge to deal with in the state. Wild elephants, leopards and bears often venture into human settlements which leads to conflicts. The situation poses threat to both humans as well as animals. In the time of climate change, maintaining forests is important as they act as carbon sinks, regulate water cycles and support ecosystems.
Though environmental education is taught across many schools and colleges, the Prakriti Darshan initiative emphasizes on environmental awareness lessons outside classrooms as a transformative tool to bring about behavioural changes in young minds. By nurturing close links with the natural world, it encourages them to participate as volunteers for the mitigation of human-wildlife conflict. As an educational programme, it goes beyond mere recreational trips. The programme includes nature-based activity modules which provide a deep understanding of the environment.
To maximize its reach, the forest department sends formal communications to all the district education officers of the state and urges them to ensure participation from schools and colleges.
The Prakriti Darshanprogramme has been developed in collaboration with the Azim Premji University based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Since its introduction in February last year, over 19,000 students from about 300 institutes have participated in it. The Nandanvan zoo-cum-safari spans 800 acres. The zoo is spread over 125 acres. There is also a five-acre rescue and rehabilitation centre which provides animals with natural enclosures. Through safaris enjoyed from the confines of caged vehicles, the animals are observed minutely.
As part of the herbivore safari,students get to see deer and antelopes in their natural habitats. Information is shared on sloth bears to highlight their role in the ecosystem. Participants also get to see big cats like the tiger and the lion. Students are informed of the importance of tiger conservation. The butterfly gardenis a good place to learn about pollinators. There is also an introduction made about medicinal plants and their traditional as well as modern uses.
A special initiative: An important feature of the programme is a 15-day internship opportunity in environmental and nature education for students of forestry, zoology, botany, and biotechnology. This has attracted participants from neighbouring states like Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha.
Nandanvan Jungle Safari director Dhammshil Ganviris keen to expand and extend Prakriti Darshan. “The department aims to scale up this initiative by involving more schools and colleges as well as over 7,000 eco-clubs. There is no separate funding for the learning initiative. Schools bear their own expenses.” Many schools manage the expense through the PM SHRI fund allocation. The centrally sponsored scheme of PM SHRI (PM Schools for Rising India) was approved by the Cabinet on September 7, 2022.
Currently, Upendra Kumar Sahu is an intern at Nandanvan. Though he studied agriculture, his work experience is based on forest activities which landed him here. He used to participate in nature activities like bird watching and trails. So, when he saw an advertisement regarding this opportunity, he applied for it.
According to him, the best part are the fun pre-and post-visit activities conducted on the basis of age groups. Sahu sometimes accompanies participants on a 200-metre trail inside the zoo. “Some ask many questions. Then, there are participants who don’t take much interest. On my part, I try to encourage all the participants. Students from rural areas can easily identify trees and birds. Urban students have knowledge, but fail to identify them at times.”
Arun Kumar Sahu, the principal of SAGES Hindi Medium School in Balod district, accompanied a batch of about 50 students and a few teachers to Nandanvan in December last year. Sahu said that the day-long visit thrilled the students and they derived useful information about flora and fauna.He keeps on doing excursions. Once, he took his students to a heritage site.
