Sectors
You are here:
  1. Home
  2. Sectors
  3. Environment & Forests
  4. Environmental Education, Awareness, Education & Training

Environmental Education, Awareness, Education & Training

The environmental damage already inflicted due to alarming on-going population explosion, rapid movement towards urbanisation and industrialisation, increasing needs of energy and fast scientific and technological advancement cannot be reversed unless there is collective thinking, will and effort. These call for public awareness and participation for bringing about an attitudinal change and finally restricting further damage to the environment. Effective implementation of environmental management and conservation programmes depends on education, awareness raising and training in the relevant areas. Without an understanding of how to conserve natural resources and the compelling need to do so, few people would be motivated to participate actively in programmes on environmental conservation, Environment education and awareness thus assume critical importance. The ‘Environmental Education, Awareness and Training' is an important scheme of the Ministry for enhancing the understanding of people at all levels about the relationship between human beings and the environment and to develop capabilities/skills to improve and protect the environment.

  • During the year 2007-08 (up-to 31.12.07), 83372 eco-clubs were supported across the country. NGC Programme is implemented throughout the country through State Nodal Agencies.
  • Training of the Master Trainers has already been launched in current financial year. Among the conventional modes of mass communication, radio is the most potent medium to reach out to largest number of target groups with information and messages concerning their lives and environment. Considering the coverage of the radio, which is more than 80% of the geographical area and population of the country, the Ministry has decided to produce and broadcast through Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity, two sponsored weekly radio programmes of half an hour and 15 minute duration over CBS stations and FM stations respectively of All India Radio.
  • In 2007-08, 9938 organizations were associated with National Environment awareness campaign and were provided financial assistance under the scheme through concerned Regional Resource Agencies. In this campaign, NGOs, schools, colleges, universities, research, institutions, women and youth organisations, army units, government departments etc. from all over the country got associated in organising and conducting awareness raising activities followed by action oriented activities.
  • Under Mass Awareness Programme, Telecast of 22 episodes of 'Bhoomi' including 'Best of Bhoomi' a half an hour weekly environmental television magazine on Doordarshan National Channel was supported.
  • Vatavaran-2007-4th Competitive Environment & Wildlife Film Festival was held at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi from 12-16 September 2007 with a total of 275 entries including 54 entries from 18 foreign countries. Thirty one awards were given in 18 different categories (12 for Indian Section and 6 for International Section). The ‘Young Environment Journalist, in Print and Broadcast' award as well as awards for Technical excellence for camera, story telling and editing were also introduced for the first time.
  • In order to provide interested persons an opportunity to learn in detail about specific environmental issues, a course module has been developed from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU( for Environmental Appreciation Courses. Delivery of these courses has already started through distance education mode through IGNOU regional centres.
  • So far about 1800 GLOBE trained teachers in the country, had included Global learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) programme under the 'Environment Education in School system' (EESS) programme for Hands-on activities. The programme was launched and a component of the EESS project in the 16 States namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Uttarkhand, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Sikkim, Tamilnadu, Tripura and West Bengal Teachers of 100 schools in each State have been trained in the protocols for conducting the experiments in four broad environmental parameters - Hydrology, Soil, Land Cover and Atmospheric Temperature/Rainfall under this project.

National Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of Natural History (External website that opens in a new window) (NMNH), a subordinate organization of the Ministry, was opened to public in 1978 to create public awareness in preservation and conservation of environment and nature. Over the years, the Museum has extended its activities in different regions of the country and set up three Regional Museums one each at Mysore (Karnataka), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) and Bhubaneswar (Orissa). These museums have been established to depict flora, fauna, forests, wildlife and other environmental aspects of the respective regions.

  • A month long exhibition of the Models was held in the temporary exhibition hall of NMNH, New Delhi. The Models were prepared by the school students for "Model making Competition" held on 29.10.07 on the occasion of "International Day for the Preservation of Ozone Layer".
  • The travelling exhibition on the theme "Forest Wealth" was taken to eight Schools at different districts of Orissa. The exhibition was accompanied by screening of films on nature & wildlife. About 7,800 students participated in the exhibition and the film show.
  • An exhibition on theme "Extinct and Threatened Animals of India" was organised during 17-18, November, 2007 at Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal on the occasion of “National Ban Rang”. More than 10,000 students and teachers visited this exhibition.
  • The World Environment Day and NMNH Foundation Day celebrations were organised by NMNH in India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi on 5th June, 2007. Hon’ble Minister for External Affairs inaugurated the function as Chief Guest. A small skit on environmental problems based on this years UNEP theme “Melting Ice - A Hot Topic” was presented by the participants of Summer Programme 2007.
  • Possession of a piece of land measuring 7.42 Acres has been taken over from the State Government of Rajasthan for Rajiv Gandhi Regional Museum of Natural History (RG-RMNH), Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan. The foundation stone laying ceremony was held on 23rd December by the Hon’ble Vice President of India Shri M.. Hamid Ansari.
  • The Ministry has approved the proposal for setting up the fifth Regional Museum of Natural History at Gangtok, Sikkim and it is included in the 11th Five Year Plan. This museum will cover the North Eastern region which is a hot spot of biodiversity.

Forestry Education, Training and Extension

The present system of forestry education and training is tailored to produce skilled forest managers so is to manage, protect and conserve the forests in consonance with National Forest Policy, 1988, National Forestry Action Programme, 1999 etc. The activities related to forestry education, training and extension are performed by the different institute of the Ministry like Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Dehradun, Directorate of Forest Education (DFE), Dehradun, Indian Council of Forestry Reserarch and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun, Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun; Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal and Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute (IPIRTI), Bangaluru etc.

  • Twenty one IFS Probationers and two Foreign Trainees from Bhutan of 2004-2007 Course and twenty nine IFS probationers and two Foreign Trainees from Bhutan of 2005-2007 courses have passed from the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun after completing their training. So far twenty two batches of IFS officers have undergone training in this academy since 1987.
  • Twenty four IFS Probationers and two Foreign Trainees of 2007-2009 Course joined the Academy on December 1, 2007 for Professional Training after completing the Foundational Course at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorrie.
  • XX Skill Upgradation Course during August - October, 2007 was conducted, in which 62 officers of various cadres participated.
  • Eight advanced Forest Management (AFM) courses for the IFS officers of the 1997, 1990 and 1986 batches have been organized.
  • One-week refresher training programme on ‘Policy and Legal Issues’ was organized during October, 2007 in which 24 IFS officers from various states participated.
  • Induction training in the form of ‘Two years diploma and certificate courses’ for the newly recruited SFS and "Eighteen months certificate course" for Range Forest Officers have been undertaken by Directorate of Forest Education.

Wildlife Education and Training

Wildlife education and training is primarily looked after by the Wildlife Institute of India, an autonomous institute of the Ministry for imparting training to government and non-government personnel to carry out research and training activities and advice on matters of conservation and management of wildlife resources.

  • Institute runs three regular courses viz., 2-year M.Sc, degree programme in Wildlife Sciences, 9-month Post Graduate Diploma in Wildlife Management, and 3-month Certificate Course in Wildlife Management.
  • The Institute has trained 457 Indian and 77 foreign nationals in 28 Diploma courses while 351 and 52 foreign nationals in 27 Certificate Courses.
  • The Institute conducts master's Degree Programme in Wildlife Sciences every alternate year and 84 students have enrolled in 10 courses conducted so far.

Centers of Excellence

The Ministry started the scheme in 1983 to strengthen awareness, research and training in priority areas of Environmental science and management.

Nine Centres of Excellence have been set up so far by the Ministry with a view to strengthening awareness, research and training in priority area of environmental science and management are as under:

Source: National Portal Content Management Team, Reviewed on: 31-03-2009

Sectors: