Please respond directly to Pallavi. For YETI, Vishnupriya ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: S.Pallavi <greenplanet29@xxxxxxxxx> Date: Tue, Mar 18, 2014 at 5:02 PM Subject: Volunteers Required to conduct activities in various schools of Bangalore on Environment,Biodiversity. for the academic year 2014-15 To: Young Ecologists Talk & Interact YETI <meet.yeti@xxxxxxxxx> Nature Club of India *Nature Clubs, WWF-India's pioneering conservation programme, was started in 1976 to inculcate an appreciation for nature among young people through a participatory approach.* Nature Clubs are opportunities for social cohesion and for building social capital. Environmental consciousness cannot exist in a vacuum and thus needs social space to find true meaning and relevance. We look to undoing and arresting further environmental degradation by raising awareness and fostering teamwork and social and ecological sensitivity. The foundation of Nature Clubs rests on the belief that each one of us can make a difference and a cohesive group of empowered individuals can bring about change. What does a Nature Club do?Once a Nature Club is formed a team from WWF-India will conduct an orientation programme for key members. It would be mandatory for the club members to meet at least once in a month and conduct certain mandatory activities, the details of these are provided in this brochure. Members will also be offered a variety of exciting and engaging activities in which they can participate and be a part of Nature Conservation. A calendar of activities will be provided before each month, which will enable you to choose the activities in which you want to participate. WWF-India hopes to reach out to nature lovers and budding conservationists. *Complimentary Activities* The members of an NCI will be offered the following complimentary activities: 1. Film screenings at the WWF-India Auditorium followed by a talk or interaction with Conservationists/Experts 2. A Nature Trail 3. Resource support for Environment Education activities carried out in school. 4. Events and competitions on predetermined significant conservation days. 5. An e-newsletter. 6. Library reference facilities in the months of May and June, 12 noon to 4.30 pm., Monday to Friday. 7. Storytelling session - Nature stories with a well-known storyteller. *Mandatory Activities * An NCI must carry out the following activities in its school: 1. The members of the NCI must meet at least once in every month and send the minutes of the meeting to WWF-India either by email or by post. 2. Every NCI must undertake one project per year, the framework for this will be showcased at the annual gathering of NCIs. > > NCI Project School Green-belt Ecosystem A forest is best defined as an assemblage of ecosystems dominated by trees and other woody vegetation, i.e, a dense growth of trees and plants including grasses, herbs, shrubs and climbers covering a large area. The world's forests fulfill many roles such as providing renewable raw materials and energy, maintaining biodiversity and protecting land and water resources. Forests influence climate change mainly by affecting the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. When forests grow, carbon is removed from the atmosphere and absorbed in wood, leaves and soil. Protected areas of forest are important to conserve biological diversity. A forest offers a variety of habitats for different species such as insects, birds, reptiles and mammals. The year 2011 has been declared as the International Year of Forests (IYF 2011) by the United Nations to raise awareness and strengthen sustainable forest management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations. This objective can be achieved in different ways, one of which is through educational institutions by involving students to document the greenery in the institution's campus and surroundings. By participating in the documentation activity, the students will be able to learn more about their surroundings while promoting conservation and achieve the objective of IYF 2011. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration, more than a billion hectares of lost and degraded forest land exist across the globe which can be restored. The Schools can do activities pertaining to conservation and development of the Green-belt around their school including plantation on roads near their school , plantation on nearby vacant land in and around the school campus, cleaning-up and thereby restoring and conserving the biodiversity of that area. Schools are also requested to document the trees available on their campus and provide signage to identify them, WWF-India will be happy to provide technical assistance. WWF-India expects the associated NCIs and their students to be part of the documentation process and make a report on it. The documentation would be a year long activity after which the schools should submit their report to the WWF-India office. . Some important points to be kept in mind: - Develop love towards the plants. - Try to grow as many plants as possible. - Try to identify the plants (indigenous and exotic species) in the surroundings and their importance, etc. - Collect fallen plants or plant parts. Identifying them, drying them, pressing them and preparing 'Herbaria' can be fun as well an educational activity. - Try to record valuable information about the plant's flowering, fruiting patterns and maintaining data with regard to seasonal variations. - Try to raise a small garden with ornamental herbs, shrubs, trees and other useful plants. - Make a note on the overall biodiversity of that area. - Collect pictures of useful plants and also make paintings or posters of them. - Encourage people to plant more trees and highlight the urgency to increase the green cover. Those interested please contact: Pallavi S. Education cum Project Officer WWF-KSO Bangalore 9449356198 -- Young Ecologists Talk and Interact (YETI) http://www.meetyeti.in/ For you or your friend to subscribe or unsubscribe please visit http://www.freelists.org/list/meetyeti Only mails to be broadcast to all 2000 members are to be sent to the freelist email. Send all subscription and other messages to meet.yeti@xxxxxxxxx