A 'wild' classroom: CEC offers some exciting education programmes

The CEC, funded by the Delhi government runs educational programmes, movies and guided walks at the sanctuary

At a time India’s wild spaces are shrinking to make room for a growing population, over 6,800 acres in Delhi have been re-wilded and turned into a site for some of the most exciting wildlife education programmes in the city. Located inside the urban forest of Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary on the outskirts of Delhi’s Tughlaqabad Fort on the border with Haryana, the Bombay Natural History Society-run Conservation Education Centre (CEC) is an interesting effort aimed at bringing city dwellers closer to wild spaces. With 250 species of trees, 200 of birds, 10 of mammals and 90 of butterflies, the sanctuary has a lot more to offer than the average park.

“From the time we started the programme in 2005,” says CEC’s manager Sohail Madan, “our aim was to foster a relationship between Delhi’s citizens and the forest to help them understand how forests, trees and wildlife are necessary for the well-being of their urban environment.” To this end, CEC, funded by the Delhi government, runs educational programmes, movies and guided walks at the sanctuary throughout the year. CEC also functions as a lab where students can conduct wildlife surveys, conservation studies and forestry experiments.

Butterfly walk at Asola Bhati | Photo: Asola Bhatti wildlife sanctuary

Over the years, Madan and his cohorts have focused the interest of jungle enthusiasts in the city, first on birds and more recently, on butterflies. School and college students can go for study tours, wildlife camps and even participate in the “Be a Scientist for a Day” programme, in which they learn field methods for scientific investigations, GPS use, identification of flora and fauna, and data recording. “We try and base our programmes on age group and interest,” says Madan. For example, last year, when with a special focus on butterflies, CEC not only created a Butterfly Garden and organised butterfly counts and pollinator walks inside the sanctuary, but they also started a programme called Breakfast with Butterflies. “The idea was to show people how amazing butterflies are and to get them to become ambassadors of butterfly conservation,” he says.

The initial years were a challenge. “Because much of the land was degraded and also taken over by the invasive tree, Prosopis Juliflora,” says Ishtiyak Ahmed, education officer at CEC, “there wasn’t a lot of biodiversity to be seen here.” Over the years, the concerted plantation of native trees, revival of old water bodies and creation of new ones and the butterfly park have greatly increased the diversity of flora and fauna at the sanctuary. Every year, new visitors to the park are spotted. This year they documented the Blue-fronted blue flycatcher. Last year, CEC compiled the first comprehensive list of Delhi’s butterflies. In 2015, a team of students discovered a new species of jumping spider here. “They named it S Jagannath, because its colour pattern reminded them of the deity,” smiles Madan.

The centre receives more than 6,000 visitors annually, but Madan would like the number to double in the year ahead. CEC is active on social media and has links with several schools and colleges. Often, corporations, educational institutions and even individuals plant trees here. There are, however, many other ways in which people can be involved. “We have a full annual calendar of thematic events — nature walks, birding trips and drives inside the forest,” says Madan. “We also organise green birthday celebrations, butterfly walks and more.” Next, CEC is going to focus on dragonflies.

CEC’s efforts have borne fruit, feels Madan. “We see repeat visitors, even little children.” As it gears up to identify more wild areas around Delhi to turn them into forests, CEC has shown that urban forests aren’t just a city’s green lungs — they are among its most effective classrooms, too.

Learn more at www.cecdelhi.org or follow them on Facebook. Call 088007 41864 to book a walk/event

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