2024-10-21

“Odonates—I’ve never heard of this word before!”, one of the students, astonished by the new knowledge, remarked after the workshop,  This sentiment highlights the need to sensitize young minds, especially in Idukki District, and particularly in the Munnar hills, part of the Western Ghats. To address this, TIES organized a one-day workshop at  High Range School, Madupetty, Munnar, as part of the IUCN-supported project titled "Protection of Freshwater Ecosystems for the Conservation of Threatened Species in Munnar." The aim was to raise awareness among the school community about the importance of conserving freshwater habitats in this biodiversity hotspot and UNESCO World Heritage site.

The workshop, titled "Green Guardians: Nurturing Nature, Shaping the Future," was attended by 248 students from grades 8 to 11, along with their teachers. Dr. Nelson P. Abraham, International Trainer and Vice President of TIES, inaugurated the event, and Mrs. Vijayalaxmi S. Kaimal, the Principal, offered her felicitations.

The workshop was conducted in two sessions. The first session included ice-breaking activities, engaging talks, and discussions to set the stage. The second session featured group activities and a field trip, providing participants with hands-on experience and collaborative learning opportunities. Dr. Nelson P. Abraham led the ice-breakers, while Dr. Punnen Kurian, Project Lead and Secretary of TIES, gave a lecture titled "Know Your Environment," introducing students to the basics of biodiversity, the IUCN Red List, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Following this, Nihal Hussain T.P., Project Officer, conducted a session on "Conservation of Freshwater Habitats and Threatened Species in Munnar." He explained the significance of freshwater habitats, introduced students to odonates, and discussed the endangered species in Munnar, along with the conservation efforts underway.

For the group activities, students from grades 8 and 9 were divided into three groups, each tasked with creating projects on topics like Waste Management, Disaster Management, and Green Villages. The group led by Parvathy, focusing on Waste Management, took first place with their creative use of scrap materials.

Meanwhile, the 10th and 11th-grade students participated in a field trip to Eco Point, Madupetty. There, they learned field estimation techniques rather than site seeing and the step-by-step process of water sample collection Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) estimation, analysis pH, TDS, conductivity, etc.  gaining valuable practical experience.

Mrs. Gladys Arooja, Vice-Principal, Ms. Anika Singh, Ms. Ananthi P, Ms. Ambily Joseph, Mr. John J P, Ms. Preethy M Baby, Ms. Juliet Abraham, Mr. Kalai Arasan, Ms. Ronia K John faculties from the High Range School and Mr. Ajayakumar M N, Mr. Sarath Babu N B, Mr Nihal Hussain TP, Mr. Praful V Panicker, Mr, Bechu Punnen Abraham, Ms. Neethu Nair MN, Ms. Megha Babu and Ms. Anoopa Mathews, from TIES coordinated the workshop.