A Nature Guides Training Workshop was organized by Jungwa Foundation in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife Protection, UT Ladakh and in partnership with Titli Trust and CEDAR in 2022.
The aim of the workshop was to explore the potential of bird and butterfly eco tourism in Ladakh. The workshop, designed by Sanjay Sondhi from Titli Trust is the first of a series of modules forming an introduction to eco tourism and the birds and butterflies of Ladakh. 15 participants registered and attended the workshop. Participants were divided into 5 groups and each group was given a kit comprising of a camera, binoculars, and a set of books and brochures on birds and butterflies of Ladakh and the larger Indian subcontinent.
The workshop conducted over a period of 8 days, involved class room sessions led by the two experts, Sanjay Sondhi and Dr Pia Sethi, film screenings and field visits to Changthang. On the final day of the workshop, Shri Tashi Namgail Yakzees, Hon’ble Executive Councillor from Changthang presided as Chief Guest and presented certificates to all the participants, He lauded the efforts made by the Foundation in conducting the workshop and shared the vision of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council in promoting community based eco tourism in Ladakh.
The second nature guides training workshop module was held in September in collaboration with Titli Trust and was led by the well known naturalist, Sanjay Sondhi. Following the completion of the second workshop, future directions for the group were discussed. A group was formed – Young Naturalist of Ladakh (YNL) – which is supported by Jungwa Foundation. Members of the group now regularly upload their checklists and images from individual field visits on popular citizen science websites like Ebird. They also lead nature walks for schools, organized by Jungwa Foundation.