Bhimashankar Wild Life Sanctuary (BWLS) is located in the Ambegaon and Khed talukas of Pune district in Maharashtra. This evergreen forest in the Sahyadri mountain range was given protection by the State in 1984, mainly for the conservation of the Indian Giant Squirrel and its unique habitat. The renowned Bhimashankar temple, one of the 12 ‘Jyotirlingas’ is located within the sanctuary, and visited by lakhs of devotees every year.

Need for the programme:

Bhimashankar is witnessing rapid changes due to various internal and external influences. It has been observed that traditional knowledge, that was passed down from one generation to another is on the decline. Among the local communities the children are most affected and influenced by the rapid social, economic and cultural changes in the area. The current education system has not been able to address the complex situation that these children are in, living in the forest areas but faced with new aspirations. Local contexts and situations are not part of school curricula. Considering that these children are the future custodians of such an important Protected Area (PA), it is important to enable the children to understand their rich natural and cultural heritage. In the above context a strong need was felt for a site-specific education campaign for the school children and teachers, and we were approached by the Forest Department to carry out a sustained intervention in the schools.

Project details:

The environment education programme is being implemented at the Terungun and Tokawade Ashram schools in Bhimashankar area for past two years. These are government residential schools for tribal children. They were identified through our local collaborator, Maharashtra Arogya Mandal (MAM). Knowledge base on issues pertaining to the conservation of BWLS and its biodiversity is being strengthened by imparting information in various material forms on different aspects of the area . The programme attempts to involve the local educated youth by imparting training as environment educators, a method which could ensure continuity of the objectives of the programme beyond the project phase. The training sessions are conducted in Pune as well as in Bhimashankar.

Content and Development of Material :

An information kit consisting of various educational aids e.g posters, cards, booklets, games etc containing the various aspects of Bhimashankar sanctuary is being developed for students to be used during workshops. The material production will be in the local language as that is the medium being used in schools in the area. The material produced would attempt to cover geographical aspects, biodiversity, cultural importance, Protected Area status, social aspects, threats and conservation, etc.

Project team:

Sharmila Deo (Co-ordinator), Sujatha Padmanabhan (Project Advisor), Neema Pathak, Pradeep Chavan from Kalpavriksh, Purnima Phadke, Pune, Chandrakant Langhi, Bhimashankar.