Agroecological Approaches to Pesticide-Free Farming in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
By Mahadesh Basavegowda Recently, the Biodiversity Team has been working to create agroecological approaches to pesticide-free farming to support biodiversity and beekeeping in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, with the support of DCB Bank. The Project Objective aims to promote integrated pest management, based on agroecology, as an alternative to increasing pesticide application in rural farms […]
Keystone Attends National Workshop on IUCN Red List Assessment of Plant Diversity
March 6th, 2024 By Harshavardhini Angappan On February 7th and 8th, members of the Keystone Biodiversity team attended The Gandhigram Rural Institute in Dindigul for a National Workshop on IUCN Red List Assessment of Plant Diversity. The event was organized by The Gandhigram Rural Institute’s Department of Biology in association with the IUCN-SSC Western Ghats […]
Art for Nature, Student Scholarships, and Naturalist Trainings: An Update from Our Human-Wildlife Team
March 6, 2024 By Chandrasekar Das Student Scholarships For 5 years now, with the help of the Segre Project, Keystone Foundation has been working to improve the livelihood conditions of marginalized people in four coexistence villages in Kotagiri by supporting them in water, sanitation, and preventing wildlife conflicts. We are currently working with four coexistence […]
45-Day Environmental Leadership Programme Held in the Nilgiris
The Environmental Leadership Programme identified eight indigenous youths from four villages in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve: Ajesh and Induja from Nilambur, Saranya and Mithun from Wayanad, Saranya and Sathiavani from Sigur, and Mathesan and Thamaraikani from Kadambur. The programme aimed to help indigenous youth understand the basics of ecology as a science and the role […]
Educating Children on Pangolins and Lorises in Sathyamangalam
In January, Keystone’s Biodiversity team in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve conducted nature education programmes for 210 students from classes 4 to 10, from seven schools in Arepalayam, Hasanur, Old Hasanur, Geddesal, Badripadugai, Nagalur, and Kanankundur villages The session is focused on raising awareness about the Indian pangolin and grey slender loris. Without revealing the names of […]
Evaluating Local Practices for Invasive Plant Control in the Nilgiris
November 3, 2023 By Harshavardhinin AngappanTechnical Coordinator, Restoration Practitioner – Biodiversity Conservation The 2023 report by Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) that assessed invasive alien species found them to be one of the main drivers of change in nature worldwide alongside land and sea use change, direct exploitation of organisms, climate […]
Keystone Attends UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum at FAO, Rome
By KavyanjaliConsultant, Wayanad Kavyanjali (Community Resource Person), Monthish (People & Nature Collectives), Shiny (Biodiversity), Jestin (Aadhimalai) and Mathew (Director, Last Forest) attended the UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum held at the Food and Agriculture Organisation Headquarters in Rome, Italy, from October 16 to 20. On the first day, Indigenous youth participants were divided into groups […]
Building Awareness on Human-Wildlife Interactions and the Way Forward
September 25, 2023 By S.P. Silambarasan & Habeeba FathimaConsultant & Technical Coordinator, Biodiversity Conservation In September 2023, the Biodiversity team conducted several human wildlife awareness sessions for the villages of Mettukal, Semmanarai, Kadasolai, and Karikkaiyur. Within the Nilgiris, human-wildlife interactions are incredibly commonplace, with negative interactions becoming more frequent as increasing development occurs throughout the […]
Mentoring Fellows of the Green Hub Royal Enfield Small Grants
September 23, 2023 By Asish MangalasseriAdditional Programme Coordinator, Biodiversity Over the last five days, six conservationists including myself travelled to Green Hub in Tezpur, Assam to mentor applicants of the Royal Enfield Small Grants Programme. The grant seeks to support youth from Indigenous communities for a year, who are engaged in or aim to engage […]
Wildlife Ecology Training for Forest Department in Ooty
August 24, 2023 By Vandana Kannan, Chandrasekar Das & S.P. SilambarasanBiodiversity Conservation team The wildlife team conducted an Ecology and Field Techniques training on August 24 in Cairnhill, Ooty. The District Forest Officer of Nilgiris, Mr. Gautham, and Range Officers of Kotagiri and Ooty South inaugurated the training and highlighted the importance of the subject. […]
