Seed to Plant: Community Nursery in Begur, Wayanad
Vishnu N M, Biodiversity Conservation The nursery is the backbone of our restoration work in Wayanad. To restore the forest to its original state, we need native plants. Currently, the major challenge we face is the invasion of non-native species, mainly Senna spectabilis, followed by Lantana camara and Chromolaena odorata. To address this issue, we […]
Guardians of the Forest: Community Efforts in Preventing Wildfires in Wayanad
Saneesh PB, Community Wellbeing and Vishnu N M, Biodiversity Conservation Forest fires are a major challenge in Kerala’s forest regions during the summer season. Hot and dry weather between February and May primarily drives natural forest fires in the state. While natural causes such as lightning or friction between trees can trigger fires, such cases […]
Bee-Keeping Training in Hatnada, Seraikela-Kharsawan District, Jharkhand
Rohan Mukerjee, Biodiversity Conservation As part of Keystone Foundation’s Eastern India initiative, the team organised a hands-on practical beekeeping training in the Kolhan region. In 2025, teams comprising Keystone staff from the Nilgiris and local members and resource persons conducted exploratory visits to identify the potential for beekeeping in the Kolhan region, as well as […]
Forest Education sessions in Saranda, West Singhbhum, Jharkhand
Jyoti patale, Biodiversity Conservation Sunita Hembrom, a Community Resource Person for the forest education program, is conducting Nature-Culture-Based activities with children living in villages around the Saranda Forest, well-known Sal (Shorea robusta) forest in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. For the last two years, forest education sessions have been carried out in eight schools located […]
Inauguration of Honey Processing Unit at Begur, Tholpetty Range
Ayoob A,Community Wellbeing & Justinraj, Biodiversity Conservation The Honey Processing Unit at Begur in the Tholpetty Range of the Wayanad Wildlife.The sanctuary was formally inaugurated by Smt. T. Uma, IFS, Chief Conservator of forests (Wildlife) and Field Director, Palakkad on the 13th of March, 2026. The inauguration ceremony was marked by Smt. Uma cutting a […]
Exploring the Valparai Landscape: Ecology, Communities, and Change
Renju K R, Biodiversity Conservation The Valparai landscape is a mosaic of rainforest fragments, tea estates, grasslands, and wildlife corridors. It is a landscape where elephants move between patches, birds call from shaded canopies, and human settlements exist closely alongside forests. At the same time, it also carries the marks of disturbance — invasive species, […]
One Day Workshop on Mapping Invasive Plants using iNaturalist
Ramajayam, Biodiversity Conservation The focus of this workshop was on identifying invasive alien plant species and mapping them using the iNaturalist mobile application. A full-day training workshop for barefoot ecologists was held on January 21, 2026, at the Keystone campus. This session emphasized early detection, citizen science, and community participation in managing invasive species and […]
Bioacoustics Workshop in Begur, Wayanad
Vandana Kannan, Biodiversity Conservation Barefoot ecologists in Keystone’s restoration sites (Begur (Wayanad), Bikkapathy Mund, Uginiyam (Kadambur)) have been conducting ecological monitoring for over a year. To cover more sites and seasons and compare wildlife presence across areas with invasive densities, we chose bioacoustics for monitoring. In Begur, Wayanad, we conducted a workshop on bioacoustics theory […]
Nature and Biodiversity Awareness Program with Paharia Children
Rohan Mukerjee with Surja Paharia, Krisna Paharia and Kamlesh Paharia, Biodiversity Conservation On a crisp, clear winter morning, Paharia children gathered at the football ground in Gadgama village for a nature and biodiversity awareness programme. This programme built on earlier children’s awareness programmes on forests and wild foods in the Pahari villages of Sundar Pahari. […]
UNESCO Women for Bees Follow Up Training in Wayanad
By Ayoob A, Community Wellbeing As part of the UNESCO Women for Bees initiative, Keystone Foundation successfully conducted a practical beekeeping training programme for five women beekeepers from Wayanad district on 10th November 2025. The initiative aims to empower rural women by equipping them with sustainable livelihood skills, particularly in the field of apiculture. This […]