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Capacity Building Programme on Gulf of Mannar
Gulf of Mannar is the first marine area in India to be declared as World Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programme. As a part of the conservation initiatives of the Government of Tamil Nadu, a Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Trust (GOMBRT) has been formed with the support of Global Environmental Facility (GEF). This trust is supporting CEE in an "Environmental Education in the Gulf of Mannar " (EEGM) programme that aims to work with 100 schools in Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi districts in Tamil Nadu. This programme also has the support of the Departments of Education, Forest and Fisheries. This is one of the first initiatives in the country that involves school children for the conservation of a protected area.
As part of the project, two three-day capacity building workshops were organised in Thoothukudi by CEE-Tamil Nadu. 94 teachers representing 71 Schools participated in the workshops.
The discussions at the workshops ranged from an overview of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve to help teachers understand the importance of conserving the region; to understanding the "What? Why? and How?" of EE; to hands-on experience of various active teaching-learning approaches to EE. Time was spent to discuss the different ways of incorporating EE into the curriculum.
The teachers were taken on field trips to gain first hand experience on the biological wealth of the region. The participants of the first workshop went to Van Tivu (one of the 21 islands within the biosphere) and the second workshop participants visited mangroves at Pudiyakayal (where a distributary of Thamirabarani meets the Gulf). This helped them understand the marine biodiversity of the region and the need for its conservation.
The teachers worked in groups to develop a plan for the year-long activities. The group has decided to culminate their activities in a big event - a Mela - involving all the EEGM participating schools in the District.
At the end of both the workshops the teachers agreed to form Eco-clubs in their schools, cooperating with other schools in conducting activities, sharing experiences and communicating the message of environmental conservation to school children and the community. The ultimate aim of this attempt is to conserve and protect the rich biological wealth of the Gulf of Mannar Region through the involvement of the school children of the area. The teachers have promised their full cooperation and support for this programme. |
