Transcript SANJEEVANI

SANJEEVANI
Ramesh Savalia
Programme Coordinator
Centre for Environment Education
Ahmedabad
Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program
of Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan
Why ?
• Unique state with diverse habitats.
• Rich Biodiversity - Flowering plants 2,198, representing 12.91 % percent
of the India.
• 786 species of medicinal plants.
• 450 plant species of economically
valuable used by local community
• 251 medicinal plants are threatened.
• Absence of sustainable harvesting
regimes; destructive extraction practices.
• Pressure due to livelihood and agricultural.
• Approach of education that gives low
status to traditional knowledge.
• Model of school education lacks adequate
linkage with real life and livelihood.
• Lack of experience-based learning of local
biodiversity in the school curriculum.
• Promotion of market-driven and
centralized health care system.
South Gujarat’s tribal belt
• Rich medicinal plant biodiversity.
• Sub-humid ecological region.
• Threatened by forces such as
– Lack of alternatives to forest-based livelihood.
– Marked preference for quick fix development
approaches.
– Increasing biotic pressure.
– Lack of awareness and education.
Saurashtra region
• Semi-arid ecological region.
• Threatened by
– Intensive market-driven agriculture.
– Destruction and fragmentation of habitats.
– Rapid industrialization.
– Lack of valuation of biodiversity.
– Non-sustainable extraction for commercial
purposes.
Project goal
Conserve and sustain medicinal plant
biodiversity in Gujarat through
school education and community
actions in rural areas of the state.
Specific objectives
• Integrate knowledge of biodiversity and medicinal
plants into the programmes of schools.
• Link the scientific knowledge of various institutes
with the local needs, PBSs & community.
• Create an informal system to provide knowledge
of medical plants use to the community.
• Develop a system of cultivation of medicinal
plants in the PBSs campuses.
• Create a greater community awareness and
respect for medicinal plants use.
• Establish community micro enterprises to grow
medical plants.
The Project is linking of
• Conservation;
• Experience-based education; and
• Extending experiment-based learning to the
community level.
Implementation at
• Two major ecological regions of Gujarat.
• The sub-humid ecological region of South
Gujarat’s tribal belt that is extremely rich in
medicinal plant diversity, and
• The ecologically fragile, semi-arid ecological
region of Saurashtra.
• Partnership with 10 Post Basic Schools (PBS).
South Gujarat
• Predominantly inhabited by tribal
populations.
• Not been integrated with the mainstream
of development.
• Communities are just emerging from
traditional systems.
• Adopting subsistence farming as the
primary source of livelihood.
• Forced into subsistence farming by the
kind of poverty and inability to take risks.
Saurashtra region
• Represent the essential heartland of Gujarat’s
semi arid region.
• Witnessed dramatic changes in its social and
economic landscape.
• Low average annual rainfall - Water scarcity.
• Low productivity and physical features of the
land limit livelihood potential.
• Lack of vegetation and water conservation
structures.
• Unsustainable agricultural practices.
Post Basic Schools (PBSs)
• Rural residential schools.
• Unique to Gujarat.
• Follow a Gandhian model of education.
• Rural areas often the only opportunity for
children to continue education.
• PBSs are co-educational.
• Curriculum - human sciences and physical
sciences.
• Methods of develop the intuition, skills and selfconfidence.
• Experience learning
• Contact with the near-by village communities.
• Infrastructure - land, water, campus, tools,
hostel, library, etc.
Partnership of PBSs
1.
Shri H. D. Gardi Uttar Buniyadi Vidyalaya, Vangadhra,
Jasdan, Rajkot
2.
Shrimati M. A. Jani Jivanshala, Ambardi (Jam), Jasdan,
Rajkot
3.
Bhagirathi Uttar Buniyadi Vidyalaya, Tatam, Gadhada
(Swam), Bhavnagar
4.
Shri. L. M. Vora Uttar Buniyadi Vidyalaya, Choravira (Than),
Sayala, Surendranagar
5.
Shri P. J. Sheth Uttar Buniyadi Vidyalaya, Sapar, Sayala,
Surendranagar
6.
Uttar Buniyadi Vidyalaya, Hindala, Songadh, Tapi
7.
Vanaraj Uttar Buniyadi Vidyalaya, Siletvel, Songadh, Tapi
8.
Uttar Buniyadi Vidyalaya, Swaraj Ashram, Vedachchi,
Songadh, Tapi
9.
Uttar Buniyadi Vidyalaya, Kanjod, Songadh, Tapi
10. Vanaraj Buniyadi Vidyalaya, Tokarava, Songadh, Tapi
Major Activities…
• Biodiversity Conservation Resource Area (BCRA).
• BCRAs - as an experience-based learning centre
(nature school) for school and community.
• Exposed to the cultivation knowledge and use of local
medicinal plants and health care.
• BCRA manager for maintain and sustain BCRAs.
• Infusion of medicinal plants diversity conservation
perspective.
• Sanjeevani Samvaad - Lateral learning and Sharing
experiences
• Promote sustainable harvesting, experiment and
community awareness in villages.
• Medicinal plant biodiversity profile of villages.
• Traditional knowledge documentation and
transferred to the communities.
• Demonstrative micro action projects (DMAP).
• Involvement, capacity and linkage of Traditional
health healers.
• Linkages between PBSs-BCRA, DMAP owners,
traditional healers, university, research institutes,
hospitals and industries.
• Scientific based capacity building through various
networking, capacity building, liaison, exposure
tours, consultation, training and awareness
programmes.
• Educational and resource materials.
• Sanjeevani network.
Approach
Sanjeevani
Education
Teacher
Traditional healer
Farmer/
Community
Student
 Advisory
Committee
 Ayurved
University
 Research
Institutes
 Industries
 PBS Management
 PBS Federation
 Government
Department
 NGOs
 Other CEE
Department
Conservation
BCRA
DMAPs
Traditional healer
Expected Outcome
• Biodiversity of medicinal plants improved. 20 BCRAs and 40
DMAPs.
• Biodiversity education improved. Children (10,000) and
teachers (20), PBS (10).
• School children received practical training and knowledge
on medicinal plants and its uses.
• More secure access to medicinal plants through BCRA and
DMAPs.
• Traditional knowledge of medical plants in line with
scientifically based health care.
• Livelihoods of local community strengthened through
DMAPs and market linkages.
• Biodiversity, livelihood and health linkages capacities
improved.
• Learning and outcomes shared through networks.
Sustainability of the project
• BCRA in schools will be maintained by PBSs.
• Medicinal treatments will be charged.
• Integration of knowledge about cultivation and
use of medicinal plants in PBS system.
• Capacity building for different stakeholder groups
including local decision makers and existing
institutional mechanisms
• On going training provided by CEE and supported
through CEE networks.
• A BCRA plan developed at PBSs level for other
PBSs.