About the Talk

Village Forest Commons are a long-standing institution in Uttarakhand that pre-dates the current format of the Van Panchayats yielded by the colonial British after their regional appropriation of all lands. Like true commons, these forest and rangeland commons have been protected and used by village communities primarily to meet their subsistence needs of fuelwood, fodder and small timber as also providing the critical nutrient cycling of compost that makes hill agriculture possible at all. Though currently facing a slew of incremental measures to control and commercialize these forests they remain, wherever communities are still dependent on agriculture and pastoralism, their live support base. In such area, especially at higher altitudes village forests and rangelands are extensive, constituting over 60% of the landscape in the Gori river basin. One village forest, for instance, covers about 860 sq km, larger than the largest protected area in the state. Not surprisingly, such areas harbour wildlife and biological diversity comparable to Protected Areas in the same geographical zones.

Join us as the speakers discuss the persisting relevance of Van Panchayat in the face of the larger dismantling of Commons worldwide, the continued dependence of poorer households for their livelihoods, rapidly dwindling biological diversity everywhere and the critical the need for forests and wild spaces in the cultural and economic context.

Malika Virdi is her second term as Sarpanch, the elected head of the Sarmoli- Jainti Van Panchayat.

Rekha Rautela is a panch (elected representative) of Sarmoli Van Panchayat

Beena Nitwal is a panch (elected representative) of Sankhdhura Van Panchayat

To join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82247993867 

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Learning to reconnect with nature & people

Marudam Farm-School, Tiruvannamalai, TN

How can we integrate local (farmer, artisan) knowledge systems and their practitioners in learning & education? 

How can communities become more resilient by contextualising education to land, nature, culture and history? 

Why is spending time in nature important? 

Why does education need to engage the whole body through crafts, movement and music?

Join us for an interactive session withAkila, Arun, Arunachala, Harish, Madhavan, Pachaiappan, Paripoornam, Poornima, Uma 

June 20, 2020     

3:30 pm – 5:30 pm IST

Zoom ID # 84114117338 

(pl. excuse mistakes on the poster; it should be Marudam, and 3.30 pm, not am!).

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Thicket Tales organises An Animated Storytelling session on the book ‘Shero, to the rescue’ written by Ashish Kothari and illustrated by Anusha Menon.

Do join in on 31st May, 11am on Zoom.

For details see the poster.

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Kalpavriksh Kids’ Book Reading Session…

Critters around our home : The book is a peek into the lives of some of the creatures we see in and around our homes. 
Has anyone told you that a gecko can detach its tail? Or that some moths live only for a week or two? 

Find out about these creatures and many more… and also join us for lively chat and discussions with the author of the book Sanjay Sondhi. 
Sanjay Sondhi is a Dehradun-based naturalist and also author of numerous books and technical papers on amphibians and reptiles, birds, butterflies and moths and other Indian wildlife.

Date: 24th May Time: 11.00 AMVenue: zoomLink for the meeting https://us04web.zoom.us/j/3054248797?pwd=WmF5U204WW9temo2Y3ZEczYxQ29Kdz09
Meeting ID: 305 424 8797Password: 9fg3K1
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