For many years now, our BiodiversIty Conservation programme has been offering field courses in collaboration with institutions across the country. One of these longstanding courses has been in alliance with the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM). Students of IIFM pursuing M.Phil. and PG Diploma in Forest Management largely enroll in this course that focuses on Ecology and Society holistically.
Due to the Covid scenario, we were forced to run the field course virtually for the past two years. It had its own benefits and drawbacks. However, this year we were glad to host around 23 students from Jan 5th to 21st. The course began with an introduction and orientation emphasizing Keystone’s work in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve for 28 years. Students were then divided into five teams and were assigned field projects based out of three of our working areas – Sathyamangalam, Sigur and Kotagiri.
Each team made visits to their assigned field area to practically interact and assess the state of affairs, which they would later use to collate their research project. During their stay, we also organised a few interactive sessions with our core programme staff. Students asked questions related to conservation, policies and challenges involved in working with stakeholders etc.
After nearly three weeks, each team had presented their work to our staff members. Their presentations clearly indicated the level of involvement and effort the students have put in. Hopefully, the next batch also gets the same opportunity to experience this course being out in the field.
