Objectives of know your ecosystem, are to tap the potential of high school students by involving them in environmental awareness programs through extensive field-based learning and creation of regional environmental information – made available through a content management system (http://drupal.org), over the internet. This involves:
• Running environment education programmes in a network of schools (rural and urban)
• Conducting training and awareness building workshops for students and teachers
• Developing and disseminating Environment Education materials in self-learning format to all sections of the society through the web and print media
• Networking and coordinating among school communities across the country.
- Building a network of high school students and teachers for creating such an environmental information system also accessible over the internet
- Developing regional environment information system with the help of high school students (interactive spatial decision support system)
Functional Aspects of ‘Know Your Ecosystem:
The programme involves several steps that any school can adopt. Based on the elements of an environmental education programme, the process involves a wide range of stakeholders, but it is the pupils who play the most important role.
The seven steps include
• Selection of schools and establishment of Eco-Club in each school.
• Constituion of a committee to organise and direct the activities of the environmental education programme.
- Environmental Review and an Action Plan to set achievable targets and deadlines for raising awareness, acquiring new perspectives, values, knowledge and skills; and formal and informal processes leading to changed behaviour in support of a sustainable environment.
- Essay competition and quiz programme
- Workshop / training programmes to train students and teachers in environmental monitoring (this would include hands-on training). Paper presentation by students in international and national symposium / seminars
- Development of environment education materials in self learning format: Each section / chapter include learning activities. Five modules have been devloped and currently we are involved in the the validation and pilot testing of these modules.
- Developemnt of interactive database help the student to assess the quality data compiled by students.
- Current programme focusses on aquatic ecosystems involving mapping of natural resources in a lake/stream catchment, land use analysis (GIS), water quality (physical, chemical parameters, and in some schools, biological parameters), soil quality assessment (physico-chemical)