The SAHARA-Sunshine Adventures have started a new program for the kids belonging to the cities in Great Himalayan National Park in Kullu valley of Himachal Pradesh.. The program called the Forest Learning Program is an initiative to familiarize the city kids with not only the forest and our natural environment but to awaken them about the burning issues regarding conservation, climate change and our immediate environment.
The program is done in the ecozone of the Great Himalayan National Park basing the kids in the Sai Ropa tourist center which is taken care by the ecotourism members of SAHARA- Sunshine Adventures. This acts not only as a employment generation method for the kids but also a source of big revenue for the Bio Diversity conservation society belonging to the GHNP. About 240 kids from various schools were trained under this program last year and about 400 are expected this year.
Very few things are more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise. Trees have from time immemorial been
closely associated with magic. These stout members of the vegetable kingdom may stand for as long as a thousand years, and tower far above our mortal heads. An untouched forest, studded with trees of all ages, sizes and types, is more than a mysterious, magical place – it is a vast energy reservoir of nature. Forests once stood tall over the entire landmass of our planet. Today, they are fighting what can be called as their last battle for survival. Onslaught of humanity is undermining the health of forest ecosystems at the peril of its own future generations.
The Forest Learning Program at the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) seeks to expose the young minds to the mystique of forests as vibrant ecosystems. Another aim of the Forest Learning Program is to make the participants realise the critical role of forests in maintaining the viability and vitality of earth as a living planet.
History is replete with the examples of individuals who even gave up thrones for the bliss of a forest. Time spent in exploring a forest is an investment into one’s future. It can also be a wonderfully different way to learn about the realities of nature that constitute the foundation of human existence. The Forest learning Program at GHNP exposes the participants to physical and intellectual challenges posed by a forest while also respecting their personal limits. It also seeks to enable them to discover, understand and enjoy the incredible charisma of nature.
The Forest Learning Program is conducted out at Camp GHNP at Great Himalayan National Park, Kullu, H.P. developed under plaNETwork program. Please check attached document for more details about this wonderful program.
Ankit Sood is Associate Professor at Govt. PG Degree College Kullu. He also runs Sunshine Himalayan Adventures.
