Cyber Plant Conservation Program (CPCP): A good practice to involve students in conservation activities Western Terai.
Shree Kumar Maharjan, LI-BIRD, Nepal
Western Terai Landscape Complex Project (WTLCP) is landscape level conservation project implemented in Far-Western Region of the Nepal as a new paradigm in conservation arena. It is joint program agreed between the Government of Nepal and the UNDP. The overall goal of the project is to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of globally and locally significant biodiversity in Western Terai regions of the country, with the aim of establishing effective management systems and building capacity of the farmers, stakeholders and local professionals for the conservation and sustainable use in that region of Nepal.
Local Initiatives for Biodiversity Research and Development (LI-BIRD), an NGO, is one of partners for this project focused its activities in the conservation and sustainable use of agro-biodiversity in this region. LI-BIRD is implementing WTLCP project in 6 VDCs out of 51 VDCs and one municipality for agrobiodiversity component within Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur Districts of the region. The project is addressing major threats on agriculture, loss and replacement of landraces/varieties and associated traditional knowledge, overexploitation of the agricultural resources.
In addition, the project is implementing Cyber Plant Conservation Program (CPCP) as a new plant conservation program in order to aware and involves youths/students in conservation activities. Initially, CPCP is implemented in three schools of the project intervention sites. The project intends to conserve rare and indigenous fruit and herb tree species by providing conservation education to the school children (from grade 6 to 9) by involving them in conservation activities and link the information to the web portals. The ultimate target of the project is to develop human resources in conservation with independent project learning, scientific thinking and some research skills on plant conservation and in information and communication technology (ICT) based knowledge acquisition. The Project also aims to create an electronic community committed to the conservation of the environment and its plant genetic resources.
Initially, informal visits and discussions were made to three selected schools of Belawa, Gadariya and Shankarpur, which was followed by organizing awareness campaigns among the farmers and teachers of the selected schools. Then, rare and endangered fruit species were identified by consulting farmers, teachers and even with students. Orientation training cum workshop to nine students (3 from each school) and three science or extra co-curricular activity teachers (1 from each school) was organized in June to provide overall idea of the program. At the end of the session, the participants developed a constructive plan for the program. For proper management of the program, school level CPCP management committees were formed in each school, consisting of an executive body and four student groups (class 4-9) under the patronage of headmaster. The science teacher of each school has responsibility as coordinator, and the chairperson of the school management committee will monitor the implementation activities. A protocol was also developed and distributed to all student groups and the CPCP management committees. In addition, CPCP has also been implemented in Janata Secondary School, Belawa, Bardiya, as the students and teachers are more interested to the program and the school management committee requested to implement it in their school. There are a total of 172 students participated in the program where nearly half of them are girls.
Plantation of indigenous fruit tree and herb species
During June, field layouts and transplantations of indigenous fruit plants including some medicinal plants or herbs were done in order to establish indigenous fruit tree nurseries at all schools (Table 2). However, the nursery blocks of Gadariya and Shankarpur were completely destroyed by September flood. The transplanted plants were made locally available.
Conclusion
CPCP is the concept to use of Information and Communication Technology in conservation education. The project is in initial phase of implementation and has confined to plantation and formation of committees in the schools. Further the capacity of the students and teachers have to be enhanced to generate and record the data from the fruits trees and to use it for data storage and networking among them and ultimately link to the website for large scale outreach of the information. The enabling environmental layout in the project site has potentials for encouraging the use of both the ICT and the environment to enhance the awareness and education of the younger generation. A marriage of these two could offer exciting opportunities for achieving the multiple goals.
Western Terai Landscape Complex Project (WTLCP) is landscape level conservation project implemented in Far-Western Region of the Nepal as a new paradigm in conservation arena. It is joint program agreed between the Government of Nepal and the UNDP. The overall goal of the project is to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of globally and locally significant biodiversity in Western Terai regions of the country, with the aim of establishing effective management systems and building capacity of the farmers, stakeholders and local professionals for the conservation and sustainable use in that region of Nepal.
Local Initiatives for Biodiversity Research and Development (LI-BIRD), an NGO, is one of partners for this project focused its activities in the conservation and sustainable use of agro-biodiversity in this region. LI-BIRD is implementing WTLCP project in 6 VDCs out of 51 VDCs and one municipality for agrobiodiversity component within Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur Districts of the region. The project is addressing major threats on agriculture, loss and replacement of landraces/varieties and associated traditional knowledge, overexploitation of the agricultural resources.
In addition, the project is implementing Cyber Plant Conservation Program (CPCP) as a new plant conservation program in order to aware and involves youths/students in conservation activities. Initially, CPCP is implemented in three schools of the project intervention sites. The project intends to conserve rare and indigenous fruit and herb tree species by providing conservation education to the school children (from grade 6 to 9) by involving them in conservation activities and link the information to the web portals. The ultimate target of the project is to develop human resources in conservation with independent project learning, scientific thinking and some research skills on plant conservation and in information and communication technology (ICT) based knowledge acquisition. The Project also aims to create an electronic community committed to the conservation of the environment and its plant genetic resources.
Initially, informal visits and discussions were made to three selected schools of Belawa, Gadariya and Shankarpur, which was followed by organizing awareness campaigns among the farmers and teachers of the selected schools. Then, rare and endangered fruit species were identified by consulting farmers, teachers and even with students. Orientation training cum workshop to nine students (3 from each school) and three science or extra co-curricular activity teachers (1 from each school) was organized in June to provide overall idea of the program. At the end of the session, the participants developed a constructive plan for the program. For proper management of the program, school level CPCP management committees were formed in each school, consisting of an executive body and four student groups (class 4-9) under the patronage of headmaster. The science teacher of each school has responsibility as coordinator, and the chairperson of the school management committee will monitor the implementation activities. A protocol was also developed and distributed to all student groups and the CPCP management committees. In addition, CPCP has also been implemented in Janata Secondary School, Belawa, Bardiya, as the students and teachers are more interested to the program and the school management committee requested to implement it in their school. There are a total of 172 students participated in the program where nearly half of them are girls.
Plantation of indigenous fruit tree and herb species
During June, field layouts and transplantations of indigenous fruit plants including some medicinal plants or herbs were done in order to establish indigenous fruit tree nurseries at all schools (Table 2). However, the nursery blocks of Gadariya and Shankarpur were completely destroyed by September flood. The transplanted plants were made locally available.
Conclusion
CPCP is the concept to use of Information and Communication Technology in conservation education. The project is in initial phase of implementation and has confined to plantation and formation of committees in the schools. Further the capacity of the students and teachers have to be enhanced to generate and record the data from the fruits trees and to use it for data storage and networking among them and ultimately link to the website for large scale outreach of the information. The enabling environmental layout in the project site has potentials for encouraging the use of both the ICT and the environment to enhance the awareness and education of the younger generation. A marriage of these two could offer exciting opportunities for achieving the multiple goals.
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