Mangaluru: Environmentalists and activists of ‘Sahyadri Sanchaya’ are bringing home the importance of the Western Ghats to young people here through a unique campaign that acquaints them closely with their role in preserving ecology.
Under the group’s Western Ghats Protection Campaign students are provided not just theoretical information about the ghats, but are also taken to forests, hills and rivers to learn about them first hand .
“We go to colleges which are willing to be part of the campaign and give talks on the Western Ghats. Later interested students are taken on field visits to see for themselves how important their ecology is, ” said Sanchaya convenor Dinesh Holla.
He said, “On these visits we explain the importance of the ghats and show them how even small creatures like ants and spiders work to protect nature. We tell them about the shola forests and grasslands’ role in water conservation and take them to meet tribals and learn of their relation with the forests around them.”
The campaign is both educative and entertaining for the students, who are taken to locales like Ammedikal, Balegudda and Kodekal. Two weeks after the trekking, members of Sanchaya visit the colleges again to see if their message has sunk in.
Interaction
“We interact with the students once more to ensure that they have taken the programme seriously. Our aim is to make youth aware about the importance of the ghats and help prevent any future move to harm them, ” explained Mr Holla.
