RESOURCES AND OUTREACH

RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS

This section deals with environment education handbooks, resource kits, story books that teachers can avail of to impart environment awareness among their students. Some of the handbooks can also be adapted by the teachers depending on the ecosystem they live in.

Listed below are a number of Toolkits that the team at Kalpavriksh has produced in collaboration with various organizations. These toolkits are excellent resources for teachers who wish to raise environmental awareness among their students. Many of these can be adapted for use depending on where they live.

Secrets of the Jungle is an activity book for children, based on the forests of Central India. It is jointly published by Kalpavriksh and Last Wilderness Foundation. It is written by Tanya Majmudar and Sharmila Deo. Its hindi version Jungle ke Rahasya is translated into Hindi by Bhavna Menon.

Ri Gyancha – A biodiversity resource kit for educators in Ladakh has been re-published. This is a revised edition. It was first published in 2010 ( For more details click Here and  Review). Copies are available at Kalpavriksh and at Snow Leopard Conservancy-India Trust, Leh.

The Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka, is one of South India's finest sanctuaries. Home to a host of wildlife including the tiger, the area is a vital link between the Western and Eastern Ghats. The Soliga tribals have lived in the forests of the Biligiri Rangaswamy (BR) Hills for centuries. Forests Alive! is an Environmental Handbook for teachers about BRT Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka. Kannada translation of Forest Alive is 'Vana Sanjeevana', an environment education handbook produced by Kalpavriksh.  It contains valuable information pertaining to the sanctuary and the wildlife within the Biligiri Rangaswamy Hills, Karnataka.

Sahyadri Nisargacha Anmol Theva, a teacher’s handbook in Marathi was developed for the locale specific education program in Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary. This book offers information on various aspects like ecosystems, biodiversity, threats and conservation measures with specific focus on the Sahyadri region in Maharashtra.

Birds of Pune, a field guide to the birds of Pune district was developed and published by Kalpavriksh and Center for Environment and Education.

A Field Guide to Lizards and Amphibians of Western Maharashtra, a bilingual (English and Marathi) field guide designed for quick and easy field identification of some of the common species of lizards and amphibians in Western Maharashtra was developed and published by Kalpavriksh.

Treasured Islands is an Environmental Handbook for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This handbook was researched, written and illustrated at Kalpavriksh by Sunita Rao and her team, with support from ANET(MCBT) (The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Environmental Team, a division of the Madras Crocodile  Bank Trust). Treasured Islands has basic information of ecosystems with special reference to the A and N Islands. Generously illustrated, the handbook also contains full descriptions of 45 activities for teachers to do with students. These include many action tips to save the islands from the threats they face.

We have developed posters and games as part of the educational resources for our locale specific educational programmes. Here are some:

1. Ecosystem Posters for Kachchh

Grasslands                                                                                                                  Wetlands

                    

Thorn Forest                                                                                                                             Mangroves

.                         

Desert

2. Wildlife games for Kachchh

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3. Posters and Games for Ladakh

                   

4. Games for Central India

Wildlife Bingo                                                                                          Wildlife Dominoes

                               

  1. Imlee Mahuaa: Learning in Freedom the Democratic Way

OUTREACH

This section has interesting stories to read, and even shows how you can participate in helping our earth be a better place for everyone. The stories here are from all over India. They cover a vast range of topics. There are also activities for you to do. So what are you waiting for, start clicking to know more...

Kalpavriksh contributed a series of articles to the Hindu Young World  under the Good Earth Series. These articles highlight important environment and conservation issues from across India, from its cities as well as villages. They have been written by many people who have years of experience  working to conserve our environment.

The stories were published in The Hindu Young World (a supplement for children from the newspaper called The Hindu) from May 2003-April 2008 as part of the Media Campaign of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP)

  1. Living In Harmony - Ranjit Lal
  2. Mine Not Yours - Kanchi Kohli
  3. Save the Sangai - Salam Rajesh
  4. When Development Spells Trouble - Aarthi Sridhar
  5. Saving Biodiversity - Seema Bhatt
  6. Leh's Wonder Berry - Sujatha Padmanabham
  7. Who Will Save the Turtles? - Madhulika Goyal and Neema Phatak
  8. Garden Cure - Darshan Shankar
  9. My Zoo Friends and Others - Bahar Dutt
  10. Long Live Curcuma - Sunita Rao
  11. Make a Choice Now - Kanchi Kohli
  12. Our Troubling Toilets and Theirs! - Sujatha Padmanabhan
  13. They Never Came Back - Salam Rajesh
  14. Fishing in Troubled Waters - Aarthi Sridhar
  15. Tigers of Bandhavgarh - Sunita Rao
  16. Monsoon Magic - Ashish Kothari
  17. The Peacock's Last Dance - Lakshmy Raman
  18. When a Tree Falls - Bittu Sahgal
  19. Mercury in our Backyard - Meenakshi Subramaniam
  20. Save the Fruit - Nitin Rai
  21. Spirit of the High Ranges - Ghazala Shahbuddin
  22. Is Global Warming Real - Rajni Kumar
  23. Animals and Prosperity - Shalini Bhutani
  24. Tree, Most Majestic - Shantha Bhushan
  25. My City Delhi - Prabhakar Rao
  26. Ensure that the Feathered Creatures Live - Ghazala Shahbuddin
  27. Once in a Blue (Ja)Moon - Sunita Rao
  28. Celebrating the Koel - Manisha Sheth Gutman
  29. Children Take a Decision to Clean up Wetland - Ashish Kothari
  30. Find a Healthier Option with Organic Food - Ghazala Shahbuddin
  31. An Effort Well Rewarded - Sushil Kumar Kapta
  32. There's More to Crocodile Tears than Glands - Manish Sheth Gutman
  33. Lessons for Life - Kanchi Kohli
  34. Miracles Happen Everyday - Harshad Karandikar
  35. Sowing Seeds of Inspiration - Kanchi Kohli
  36. What A Waste - Manisha Gutman
  37. One with Nature in your New Home - Ashish Kothari
  38. One Night in the Jungle - Harshand Karandikar
  39. Living Without a Fridge - Ashish Kothari
  40. Changing A Way of Life - Manisha Gutman
  41. My Clothes are My Blanket - Bina Thomas
  42. Purulia's Tryst with Mixed Cropping - Meenakshi Kapoor
  43. Baby's Day Out - Harshad Karandikar
  44. Sanctuary for Plastic - Ashish Kothari
  45. There was a Fig Tree Here Once - Sujatha Padmanabhan
  46. Is There Wealth In Water Hyacinth - Manish Gutman
  47. Preserve The Tree of Life - Pasang Dorjee Lepcha
  48. Bidding Adieu To The King - Bina Thomas
  49. Think Before You Toss - Tasneem Balasinorwala
  50. Changing Course - Mashqura Fareedi

The NBSAaaanP’s tales were published by Chandamama during the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests whose technical coordination was done by Kalpavriksh.

  1. The Indian Cowboy's Dilemma  - Darshan Shankar
  2. The Colours Are Near Us -  V. Shruti Devi
  3. Catching Coral Thieves - Sujatha Padmanabhan
  4. Memories of that Day - Kanchi Kohli
  5. Home Again - Ashish Kothari
  6. Mini and the Sacred Grove - Dr. Bina Thomas
  7. Grow A Garden Grow A Community  - Sunita Rao
  8. Solving an Elephantine Problem -  Sujatha Padmanabhan
  9. Shantha's Vishu -  Roshni Kuthy & Malathy Mohan
  10. Dance, Deer Sangai - Konthoujam Khelchandra and Kanchi Kohli
  11. Smith…Go Back! - Kanchi Kohli
  12. My Bellure…Kokare Bellure  - Neema Pathak
  13. The Wonder Berry  - Seema Bhatt
  14. The Bird That Came in from the Night -  Bharath Bhushan
  15. Heat And Dust -  Dr. Bina Thomas
  16. The Heroes of Yuksam -  Manju Menon
  17. A Forest in their Backyard - Seema Bhatt
  18. The Fair Maiden of the Highlands - Salaam Rajesh
  19. The Young Guardians - Preethi Herman
  20. The Whale of Kagal Village - Sunita Rao
  21. Food For Thought…and a thought for your food -  Shalini Bhutani & Kanchi Kohli
  22. The Homecoming - Erica Taraporewala
  23. The Trip down the River -  Radha Kamath
  24. Little Kannagi and Longwood Shola - Shantha Bhushan
  25. The City Forest - Radha Kamath
  26. The King and I -  Sweta Sorab
  1. Calling Eco-Tourists - Madhulika Goyal
  2. A Home Away from Home - Sharmila Deo
  3. The Yuksam Dzongri Trail - Seema Bhatt
  4. In the Land of the Invisible Tiger - Ashish Kothari
  5. Trekking In the Wild - Sujatha Padmanabhan
  6. Water Water Everywhere, but...- Pankaj Sekhsaria
  7. Onto Rutland Island -  Pankaj Sekhsaria
  8. Pilgrimage to Nature - Manisha Seth-Gutman

Watch nature in your cities come to life with Urban Nature Watch by Sanjay Sondi, a nature series published by TerraGreen, TERI's monthly magazine. Sanjay scrawls a series of articles attempting to bring the sights and sounds of urban nature at your doorstep, well, to your doorstep.....

  1. The Dull World of Moths
  2. Wild Wonders of January
  3. Common Wanderer- The Intriguing Mimic
  4. Predator on the Prowl
  5. Beautiful Bugs and Beetles
  6. The Foxtail Orchid
  7. Mating of the Toad
  8. Pop Goes the Weasel
  9. Snakes - To Loathe or Not to Loathe
  10. The Captivating Coral Tree
  11. Close Encounter with the Wall Creeper
  12. The Antics of the Fanthroated Lizard
  13. From 'Cats' to Winged Fairies

Vasudha is a supplement on biodiversity brought out by Chandamama. It gives a glimpse into the rich variety of life in our country- plants, animals, micro-organisms, human life - and their habitats.

Vasudha was sponsored by the National Foundation of India and its content came from Kalpavriksh

Kalpavriksh brings to you a series titled 'Magic Garden'. The series is being contributed by various people across India, all of whom work in the field of conservation. They are lucky to have had special moments in nature... an encounter with a particular species, something extraordinary about a place that they have visited, the sudden surprises that nature has sprung on them. This is what they will describe in this series.

There is music in nature if we care to listen... the drumming of a woodpecker, the gurgling of a stream, the call of a magpie robin, the buzzing of a bee. There are also patterns and colours if we care to observe... the tail feathers of pheasants, the bark of trees, the palette of a rainbow. Then there are myriad kinds of behaviour if we look closely... the beautiful nests that baya weaver birds weave, the way cubs play with their mother's tail and ears.

  1. Unimaginable Beauty - Pranav Trivedi
  2. In praise of butterflies - Sujatha Padmanabhan
  3. A tree also reaches out for a glass of water - Shiba Desor
  4. Mudskippers dance and curlews trigger a curfew! -Sujatha Padmanabhan
  5. The secret of birds of a feather - Anuradha Arjunwadkar
  6. The likeable river monsters - Nisarg Prakash
  7. The Magic of Dandeli- Sharmila Deo
  8. Birds of many feathers feast together - Ashish Kothari
  9. Enchanting Mountainscape- Anuradha Arjunwadkar
  10. Mawphlang Where time stands still - Seema Bhatt
  11. Must see Malabar Pit Viper- Sanjay Sondhi
  12. In search of the ibisbill - Sujatha Padmanabhan
  13. It's such a beautiful day- Meenakshi Kapoor
  14. The grey ghost on the mountain - Sharmila Deo
  15. Listen to the sounds at night -Geetha Iyer
  16. Zoo tastic -Sneha Thapliyal
  17. Long live the king  -Sunita Rao
  18. On the trail of flowers - Anuradha Arujunwadkar and Sujatha Padmanabhan
  19. No toy nor tart, let it live in lake - Nimesh Ved
  20. The Spell of Flower Power - Kanchi Kohli
  21. My plants miss me when I am not around - Neema Pathak
  22. The amazingness of earthworm poop - Arshiya Bose
  23. Welcome to the mall thats open 24x7x365 - Pranav Trivedi
  24. Paradise Lost and Found in Keoladeo - Seema Bhatt
  25. Thank Goodness For Some Things - Sujatha Padmanabhan
  26. The Marvellous Togetherness of Nature - Shiba Desor
  27. The Lime Swallowtail- Sanjay Sondhi
  28. The Bird with a Sweet Tooth -Ashish Kothari

Doon Watch Series is a series of stories set in the hills of Dehra Dun and they bring to you all that is bright and beautiful, great and small.

Have ever wondered which bird chirped at your window? Does the dainty butterfly that flits by, tickle your curiosity? Does the slithering snake cause you to quiver, just that little bit? Have you ever marveled about the flower splashes your city red? If so, the Doon Watch Nature Series is for you.

Published in the Hindustan Times, the Doon Watch Series, written by Sanjay Sondhi, a Dehradun based naturalist, attempts to bring the sights and sounds of nature to your doorstep. Though largely focussed on the city of Dehradun and surrounds, many of these beautiful creatures can be seen throughout India.

Enjoy reading these articles, and bung your feedback back to the author, [email protected]
2009 Series
  1. Jungle Babblers... are they the Seven Sisters?
  2. A young naturalist photographs the jackal
  3. Butterflies flitted about in the garden...are they the Winged Fairies?
  4. Ouch! I've been stung by this plant.... what is it?? Bichoo bootee!
  5. Is that the Praying Mantis saying namaste, or is it waiting to gobble you up??
  6. The Northern house gecko "chuck chuck"s its way into your house, and your heart!
  7. How can a bird be a butcher....well read on to find out what the Long-tailed Shrike is upto
  8. Is that a butterfly or a moth? Learn to tell the difference with Sanjay Sondhi...
  9. Watch these Belly Dancers sing and dance into your hearts
  10. Dhak, Dhak goes one's heart. Watching the Dhak Flowers set the forest aflame
  11. The Skittering Frog leaps on the water's surface...
  12. Butterfly bugs - what on earth is that? Find out more...
  13. Find out how homely Hornbills mate...and why they are under threat
  14. How green you really are?
  15. Sounds of the Night
  16. Touch Me Not!
  17. So Did you do it? Don't let this bird make you feel guilty!
  18. Is it a car? no its a plane, oops, it's Jugnu!
  19. The Atlas Moth, world's largest moth
  20. Ladybird, Ladybird
  21. No more scavengers?? Where have they all gone??
  22. Rearing Butterflies In Your Home
  23. Croaks of the Toad
  24. The Black Stream Glider Dragonfly
  25. The "qewpee" bird in Dehradun
  26. Scutigera - The Leggy Centipede
  27. The Villaious Jungle Crow
  28. The Jewel of the Stream
  29. The Water Skater Beetle
  30. The migration of the Yellow Bounder
  31. The Tortoise beetle
  32. Funky Fungi
  33. A Morning with the Magpie Robin
  34. Happy herping in the nooks and corners!
  35. The S-S-S Snake Plant
  36. The Rhinoceros Beetle
  37. Flying in Love
  38. Monkey Menace
  39. Land Slug-Slow Train Coming
  40. Black-winged Kite Dressed to Kill
  41. Robberfly- The Silent Assassin
  42. Global Warming
  43. Life on the Bhindi Plant
  44. Earthworms- Saviours of Our Soil
  45. Sighting of a Lifer
  46. Yessssssss its pretty
  47. The Long Jumper
  48. DGBC's get my goat
  49. Lantana - the Plant I Love to Hate
  50. Himalayan Rock Skink- The Limchee
  51. The Brownies
  52. The Art of Camouflage

2010 Series

  1. Bank on these mynas to bathe! 
  2. The “Ber” Story 
  3. Have you seen this snake? 
  4. What a galling sight! 
  5. Hoopoe-The "Oopy" Bird
  6. Dung beetle
  7. The Butter's Story
  8. The Cat's Story
  9. Small Niltava-Taking Away Your Blues
  10. A Langur with Attitude
  11. Crane Flies - Daddy Longlegs
  12. Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon
  13. The Gigantic Burmese Python
  14. The Injured Owl
  15. Mudpuddling Butterflies
  16. The Vociferous Black Partridge
  17. The Baya Weaves a Spell
  18. Glory Lily
  19. Covert Cowbugs
  20. Bulbul Babies
  21. The Termite Story
  22. Termite Story II
  23. Leechin Around
  24. Redbilled Leiothrix
  25. The Elusive Water Hairstreak
  26. Swallowed!
  27. Herping Days are here again
  28. Amaltas - The Golden Shower Tree
  29. The Cackling Cicada
  30. Nature Watch or Nature Disrupt
  31. Agama Tales
  32. Spotwinged Grosbeak
  33. This Squirrel Can Fly
  34. The Myna's Story
  35. Safeda - The Eucalyptus Tree
  36. The Ubiquitous House Sparrow
  37. Common Mormon - The Dainty Swallowtail
  38. Don't Squash the Rhodes!
  39. The Whistling Schoolboy
  40. Semal-Simply Spectacular
  41. Buzzy Bees
  42. Rikki Tikki Tavi in my Backyard
  43. The Goldfinch Surprise
  44. The Birds They Are A-Calling
  45. Water-Make Every Drop Count
  46. The Endearing Pika
  47. The Common Kingfisher
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