Street Play for Awareness in Hasanur Area
By R.Madeshan, Biodiversity conservation On March 15th and 16th, the Keystone Foundation, in collaboration with Thalamalai and Germalam Forest Range, organized a vibrant and impactful street theatre campaign in the Hasanur area of Sathyamangalam. The initiative brought together six forest-fringe villages—Geddesal, Bhutanapuram, Germalam, Galithimbam, Mavanatham, and Bejalhatty—along with the energetic Aayudham Kalai Group, who delivered the performances. Through […]
Celebrating the International Day of Forests in Pillur
By Eniyan, Community wellbeing On March 21, 2025, the International Day of Forests was celebrated in the Pillur area, bringing together over 50 participants from 16 villages across three clusters—FRC, FMC, and the Federation. The event was honored by the presence of Forest Department Rangers from Mettupalayam and Karamadai, who attended as chief guests. The […]
Continuing Education Scholarship Support – 2025
By Ramajeyam, Biodiversity conservation. At Keystone Foundation, our Continuing Education Scholarship initiative remains steadfast in supporting the children of indigenous communities in their pursuit of higher education. This initiative reflects our deep commitment to fostering coexistence—both within our communities and with the natural world. Education is a cornerstone of empowerment and equality, and by investing […]
Grassland restoration visit – Pampadum Shola National Park, Vattavada, Munnar
By Vishnu, Biodiversity Conservation From March 19 to 20, 2025, a team from Keystone Foundation visited the grassland restoration plot developed by the Kerala Forest Department in Pampadum Shola National Park as part of a training program for Barefoot Ecologists (BFEs). The objective was to study the grassland restoration efforts in the region. A total […]
Spring Revival in Agal and Pudhu Kotagiri
By Ramajeyam R., Technical Coordinator, Biodiversity Conservation In the month of February, we had identified two springs in Agal and Pudhu Kotagiri that were choked with invasives, barely containing water and waiting to be revived. We kicked off this spring revival initiative by clearing the site of invasives such as Lantana camara, Solanum mauritianum, Bidens […]
Biodiversity Team Members Attend NCF Conservation Leadership Course
Articles by Vishnu N.M. and Ramajeyam R., Technical Coordinators, Biodiversity Conservation Team Vishnu’s Experience: “An Introduction to Conservation in Practice”, Vagamon, Kerala In 2025, the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) conducted several courses related to conservation. I had the opportunity to participate in a course titled “An Introduction to Conservation in Practice” (conducted in Malayalam), which […]
Naturalist Training in Pillur
By S.P. Silambarasan, Technical Coordinator, Biodiversity Conservation Cover photo by Shawn J. Stephen On Saturday, 23rd November, we held a naturalist training in Pillur. The training began at 10 am, and 24 people attended, the group consisting of 14 men and 10 women. Special guest Dr. P.Jeganathan from the Nature Conservation Foundation taught us about […]
School Programs at Panapara Tea Estate
By Sophie Bernstein, Shansi Fellow, Biodiversity Conservation On November 19th, students from The Lawrence School, followed by students from the Chamraj School on November 26th, 2024, visited one of Keystone’s restoration sites, the Panapara Tea Estate in the Nilgiris. The events started off with a thorough explanation of the estate and its environment. This included […]
NDEAVOUR RNP Climate & Environment Portfolio Gathering in Mangalore.
By Monthish Kuttan, Technical Coordinator and Community Researcher, People and Nature Collectives This month, staff from our Climate Change and Biodiversity teams attended the NDEAVOUR RNP Climate & Environment Portfolio Gathering in Mangalore. The gathering consisted of talks on how climate change impacts livelihoods, daily life, and food patterns. Monthish Kuttan shares his takeaways from […]
Community Participatory Restoration Program in Hasanur & Punanjanur
By Vishnu N.M., Restoration Ecologist, Biodiversity Conservation Header photo credit: Vishnu We conducted this restoration program in the Hasanur area, at a local pond. We initially started to conserve the pond ecosystem in August, when we planted 40 native plants around the pond. Before we began restoration, the pond was surrounded by invasive species like […]
