Outreach & Capacity Building

This programme works to develop educational programmes in new biodiversity sciences at the undergraduate and graduate levels and will provide advanced training to scientists in biodiversity sciences. This programme also has the objective of developing and supporting citizen science approaches to mainstreaming biodiversity research and conservation efforts and enables new communication strategies. Further, the programme aspires to engage digital tools for mainstreaming biodiversity.

In the wake of COVID-19, this paper represents a group of thought leaders from different walks of life who came together to imagine path for a New India together. The consortium engaged in a series of on and offline discussions during May 2020 to identify - urgent problems created, revealed or exacerbated (our Challenges), - focus areas or measures to rejuvenate our country (our Compass points), - Immediate starting points for path forward (Let's Get Started) Read More

Scales of Participation: Citizen Science to Address Social Roots of Environmental Issues in the United States
Biodiversity Collaborative / Biodiversity Collaborative
2020
Educating, Engaging And Informing The Public On Biodiversity
Biodiversity Collaborative / Biodiversity Collaborative
2020

About Outreach & Capacity Building

Ensuring that the people of India understand the importance of biodiversity conservation and its benefits is crucial for the immediate and long-term success of the Mission. For this to be successfully accomplished, biodiversity knowledge must become part of India’s public consciousness and discourse. Based on the needs of different audiences, a range of communication formats need to be adopted from promoting science communication training and interactive exchange across governmental, private, and industrial sectors to establishing nationwide appreciation and awareness of biodiversity through mass communication via public and social media. In addition, true communication is bidirectional. Thus, not only should knowledge about the importance of biodiversity be disseminated and communicated, but the diverse audiences can also provide valuable information on how biodiversity impacts, or should impact, their lives and livelihoods. In this fashion, input from these communities can feed back to research and education on biodiversity issues mentioned throughout the Mission. Involving enthusiastic members of the public has multiple beneficial effects: from generating information at a scale (in time and space) that is difficult or impossible to achieve otherwise, to engaging the larger public in contributing productively, in other words, to become part of the solution. While the importance of trained biodiversity professionals is indisputable, there is an increased worldwide interest in engaging interested members of the public, particularly youth, to join hands with professionals in tracking nature and natural resources.

This programme will engage India’s citizenry in various roles. To begin with, more capacity would be built in biodiversity science through a range of training programs targeting undergraduates, post-graduates and biodiversity professionals. Existing efforts of citizen science will be supported by this programme and training and resources will be provided to initiate more innovative citizen engagement projects, while also increasing social inclusiveness and ensuring widespread geographical coverage. Finally, this programme will mainstream biodiversity into India’s consciousness and public discourse by strengthening communication in various media and other platforms, and provide policy-guiding outreach to every citizen including stakeholders who affect biodiversity in any way, including decision-makers in the government, industry and other professions. Creating a groundswell of positive public opinion about the need to conserve and sustainably harness India’s biodiversity can provide a long-term boost to the capacity building and citizen science initiatives, and help accelerate the introduction and acceptance of enabling legislation and socio-economic practices to ensure a sustainable and promising future for our country. Through such initiatives, India can become a world leader in managing the links between natural systems and human well-being, and inspiring leadership in the upcoming generations.