Nature Conservation Foundation has been carrying out research and conservation activities since 2003 in and around the Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR). Alongside all this work, we also engaged with children and students from local schools on various occasions, but these activities were sporadic and not planned systematically.

2017 was an exciting year for us because it witnessed the birth of our Nature Education Program. As a first step, we set up Nature Clubs in 6 local schools in the Seijosa area, through which we are reaching out to children from Classes 6-9.

The main aim of the Pakke Nature Clubs is to expose children to the forests and wildlife in and around Pakke Tiger Reserve through year-round activities, which culminate in nature camps inside the park.

Before we began engaging with the students from different schools we conducted training workshops for the Forest Department staff, NCF staff, school teachers and a few community members on how to conduct nature camps for children. Since 2017, our in-house nature education expert, Dr. Pranav Trivedi who has also conceptualized the program has conducted three teachers training workshops in Pakke.

Nature camps are the highlights of our Nature Education program. Every year in November-December, school children get to camp out in the middle of the forest for two nights and three days. Younger children get to attend one-day camps. Our first batch of camps were conducted in November 2017 with 150 students from 4 local schools. Since then we have engaged with around 1500 students through nature camps and year round activities.

In 2021-22 we expanded our program to Tippi range of Pakke Tiger Reserve. We now have 6 schools in Seijosa and 4 schools in Tippi registered with us.

These Nature camps are based on three different modules specifically designed for the Biodiversity and landscape of Pakke by Dr. Pranav Trivedi for children of different age groups.

During these camps the students not only learn important natural processes such as food chain, water cycle, photosynthesis etc. but, they also get to bond with the forest and its wildlife through nature walks, games and other activities. Refection and sharing is also a very important part of these camps.

Besides Nature Camps, we also engage with the students year round through different events and activities that include rainforest nursery visits, bird walks, classroom sessions, nature art workshop and much more.

In 2020, due to unprecedented situation we could only carry out online activities and a few on ground events that included online Nature/bird/plant Bingo, campus birding, nature games and nursery visit. In 2021-22 we resumed our on ground activities with a few schools in Seijosa where we carried our campus bird walks, played nature games and conducted storytelling sessions in classrooms.

To get a copy of our colouring book and nature journal 'Wildlife of Pakke', click here

Also watch this short film about the program: