Jammu & Kashmir   

   •   Rebuilding Trust in earthquake affected Kashmir

   •   Snow Leopard Conservation Education Programme in Ladakh

   •   Dal Lake Conservation through Environment Education

   •   Dal Lake Conservation through Environmental Awareness and Appropriate Technology
        Demonstration

Snow Leopard Conservation Education Programme in Ladakh

‘Hardy Mountains, Fragile Environments’— a collaborative initiative of Centre for Environment Education, Wildlife Institute of India and the International Snow Leopard Trust, Snow Leopard Conservancy focuses on mountains, their biodiversity values, the interaction in the ecosystem, impacts and consequences, and raising conservation awareness with a focus on Snow Leopard. As part of this project, an educational package consisting of a set of 4 posters and a teachers’ booklet on Snow Leopards has been developed. Wildlife fascinates children and catches their imagination. Positive attitudes and values related to wildlife can be inculcated early in life. Wildlife is an effective way to get children involved in thinking about conservation issues. Snow Leopard, the top predator in the Himalayan mountain ecosystem, is facing several threats. The package provides information and activities on snow leopard’s habitat, behaviour, prey, competitors, Snow Leopard-Human relationship and conflicts and mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts.

The Snow Leopard Conservation Education Programme aims to sensitize school children to issues related to the highly endangered snow leopard and its habitat. Snow Leopard being the flagship species is an indicator of the health of the local environment, the high altitude fragile mountain ecosystem. The programme is being implemented in  Leh & Kargil districts of Ladakh region, J&K, India.

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Dal Lake Conservation through Environment Education

Education in the schools in and around Dal does not address to local (Lake) environmental issues where the child lives and his parents and guardians earn livelihood from. CEE Himalaya has initiated a project in 20 schools in Dal Lake area with support from the MHRD under the EOSE programme. Of these 20 schools, 11 are in the confines of the Dal Lake having strength of about 1870 students and 78 teachers. All these students are the inhabitants of Dal Lake. The other 9 schools are at the periphery of Dal where majority of the students are the inhabitants of Dal. The project aims to create and increase environmental awareness amongst the students and teachers in 20 selected schools; make the Dal dwellers aware of environmental problomes of Dal Lake and their consequences and the ways to keep Lake clean; and to address the tourists through Dal dwellers and houseboat owners for observing a code of conduct on mentaining the beauty of Dal Lake.

Eco-clubs have been initiated in twenty three schools in Dal Lake. Clubs have been provided with suitable education material to build up the resource Centres.

IEC Material
Education and communication material being developed include a ‘Teachers Manual’,  ‘Students’ Activity Book’, set of posters for tourists and another  set of 4 posters for the community.

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Women’s Participation in Dal Lake Conservation through Environmental Awareness and Appropriate Technology Demonstration

Dal Lake, the pride of Kashmir and a World Heritage site, has been battling for survival today. The once crystal-clear mirror-like water of the lake is heavily infested with weeds and pollutants today. The Dal Lake is home to 125 hamlets, 602 houseboats, 272 doonga boats in which nearly 60,000 people reside.

To sensitize the residents about the grave problems of water pollution and related health & hygiene issues, CEE Himalaya is doing a project by addressing the community with special focus on the women with support from Mridula Sarabhai Foundation, Ahmedabad.  Through this project, Dal women are being organized and educated on health, hygiene, water and sanitation issues. Relevant education material in Urdu language is being developed for dissemination. Concerned agencies responsible for catering the civic amenities to the lake dwellers are also being involved. Appropriate technologies related to waste management and water purification are being demonstrated and popularized.

I&C Material
A slide show has been prepared to draw the attention on the pollution in Dal Lake, its sources, effects on health and lifestyles and sanitation related issues. Some posters are being developed in Urdu. Advocacy has been done and concerned departments like J&K Lakes & Waterways Development Authority (LDWA) and the Public Health Engineering Department were contacted to highlight the problems.

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