Raintree Foundation and Srushti Conservation Foundation collaborate for certificate course in Peoples' Biodiversity Register Development at Fergusson College, DESPU

Pune, January 06, 2024: Raintree Foundation, in partnership with Srushti Conservation Foundation (SCF), is facilitating a 15-day Certificate Course in Peoples’ Biodiversity Register (PBR) development for Masters’ students at Fergusson College, Deccan Education Society's Pune University (DESPU), Pune. The PBR is a participatory tool documenting local community knowledge about biodiversity and human interaction with ecological systems.

Human activities threaten biodiversity, necessitating urgent conservation for rural communities. The PBR, mandated by the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, documents local bio-resources and traditional knowledge. Twenty-seven post-graduate students from various specializations are enrolled, with classroom sessions and fieldwork in Sakhar and Gunjawane villages providing hands-on experience and course credits.

Commenting on the initiative, Ms. Namita Dandekar, Chief Operating Officer, Raintree Foundation said, “Documentation of traditional knowledge is critical not just for understanding the community’s generational interaction with their natural resources and heritage but is also important for ensuring greater community participation and ownership of biodiversity conservation efforts. Through this experiential educational programme in partnership with Srushti Conservation Foundation and Fergusson College, Raintree Foundation will offer practical, on-ground exposure to students interested in working in environmental conservation, while also working with community resource persons to develop documentation of local oral traditions and knowledge that are rapidly fading away.”

Programme Details:

Classroom Sessions/Theory Sessions – January 1st – 5th, 2024
-- Topics include climate change, biodiversity, traditional knowledge documentation, PBR concepts, do's and don'ts, Participatory Rural Appraisal techniques, and awareness activities.

On-field Data Collection – January 6th – 15th, 2024
-- Fieldwork involves visits to Gunjavane and Sakhar, documenting oral histories, preparing materials, compiling the PBR document, and an exam for certification. The program will conclude with certificate distribution and PBR submission to the Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board.