BANGALORE : He's an ecologist who goes around with a globe on his back. A globe that lights up and resounds with wolf howls, whale sounds and bird calls. And the 60 action-packed minutes of ecological fun and games is set to begin.

His name: Dr. Jack Vallentyne or Johny Biosphere. Now 7, his presentation - Know Your Ecosystem - will be made available to more than thousand students at Senaranya, ASC Centre, Airport Road on November 30.

Thanks to Eco-Watch, actor-environmentalist Suresh Heblikar's environment group, and the Karnataka Environment Research Foundation and Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Johnny Biosphere will perform in about ten schools in the city.

Johnny, with his trademark khaki clothes will speak in 'child's language' on various tropical issues. "Children here seem promising in their commitment towards conserving nature," said Johnny.

The influence of humanity being the population technology itself, an awareness has to be created among children in this connection. There is enough scope to create such an awareness here, he opined.

According to Heblikar, the programme is particularly planned for school children from Standard V to Standard X to initiate everlasting environmental assets for the future.

"It's not just talks, seminars and bookish learning, children will be given a practical exposure at our "Urban Forest', the Senaranya. Eco-Watch has always intended to address itself seriously to these issues by conducting relevant programmes for the benefit and knowledge of the people, he added.

"The programme is centred around Johnny Biosphere to make the children aware of the concept of biosphere, ecosystem and their relationships to natural environment," said C. Rajashekara Murthy of the Karnataka Environment Research Foundation.

The event is part of te programme series to focus on the deteriorating environmental conditions in the city, including Lake2000, symposium on restoration of lakes and wetlands, he added.

Various interactive topics will be addressed by Johnny Biosphere such as acid rain - its causes and control, pollution in the Great Lakes Basin, environmental ethics, proper food and nutrition, carbon cycles and the Goldn Ecosystem Rule.

The programme is sponsored by Common Wealth of Learning - Canada, Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IISc Bangalore, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment-Government of Karnataka, Department of Composting.