The Bandipur Yuva Mitra (BYM) initiative launched to sensitise the local community around the tiger reserve on conservation and environmental issues, will reach out to 200 schools surrounding the forests, during 2024-25.
Launched in March 2023, the Wildlife Awareness Outreach Programme entailed identification of the target audience and provided a snapshot of issues about conservation in Bandipur, the problems arising out of human-wildlife conflict, the importance of forest and wildlife conservation etc.
Ramesh Kumar, Conservator of Forests, Project Tiger, said that the focus is on school students from villages surrounding Bandipur and the local community who are the stakeholders and are among the most affected during conflict or forest fires.
During 2023-24, the outreach programme was conducted for 162 days and covered 8410 participants of whom 7019 were students, 655 were school teachers 395 were farmers from the local villages and there were 197 gram panchayat staff. In addition, 143 tribals were also covered under Bandipur Yuva Mitra programme.
The programme has scope for covering more farmers and hence from 2024-25, there will be additional focus on local farmers and taluk panchayat officials as both of them are constantly in touch with the Forest Department over conflict issues.
In addition, the Forest Department will target youth in the age group of 20 to 25 to apprise them of the issues through the outreach programme from this year.
Mr. Ramesh Kumar said the concept has been recognised as an innovative initiative for mass outreach on conservation issues. It was recognised as a record for maximum number of people covered in an outreach programme about wildlife awareness by India Book of Records and received a certificate in connection with it.
The IBR personnel took part in one of the outreach programmes conducted at Bandipur in the first week of May after which the certificate confirming the record was handed over to Mr. Ramesh Kumar.
He said the programme has received accolades as it not only sensitises the local community on issues on environment and conservation but aims to reduce the rift that has widened between the locals and the Forest Department due to escalation of conflict situations.
“No conservation is possible without the support of the local community who are also the stakeholders and have to be taken into confidence,” Mr. Ramesh Kumar added.
The importance of the outreach project stems from the fact that there are 136 villages surrounding Bandipur Tiger Reserve within a radius of 1 km of the forest boundary. In the event of a conflict they are among the worst sufferers and hence it was imperative to give them a sense of ownership and stakes in conservation, according to the authorities.
The programme is conducted five days a week and apart from talk by subject experts on issues with which they can connect, the participants are also taken for a safari while a pocket guide on trees, birds, reptiles is distributed on completion of the day-long programme.
