Annual Environment Lecture IX

On 25 January, 2025 the ninth edition of the Annual Environment Lecture was organised by The Nature Volunteers at Indore. Shri Peter Smetacek, founder of the Butterfly Research Centre, Uttarakhand and a renowned author, was the keynote speaker. The central theme of the session was, Butterflies as Indicators of Forest Health and Climate Change. Shri Peter Smetacek explained that butterflies can signal climate change up to 30 years in advance. Three decades ago, a large-scale migration of Himalayan butterflies from east to west was observed. Studies revealed that climate change had altered winter rainfall patterns, causing butterflies to relocate. Today, the Himalayan region is witnessing the severe impact of climate change. He further informed that there are over 20,000 species of butterflies worldwide, with more than 13,000 species in India. Not all butterflies feed on flowers; they also require essential nutrients like salt and calcium, which they obtain from various sources.

The chief guest at the event was Shri Abhilash Mishra, IAS, Additional Commissioner of the Indore Municipal Corporation. The lecture successfully highlighted how butterflies serve as biological indicators of environmental changes and the impact of climate change on biodiversity. The event played a crucial role in raising awareness about environmental conservation.

The Nature Volunteers (Bhopal Chapter) celebrated World Wetlands Day with a bird walk at Bhoj Wetland, Bhopal on 2nd February, 2025, highlighting the importance of wetlands for migratory and resident birds. The Bhoj Wetland is the Lake which became the first Ramsar site of Madhya Pradesh, in the year 2002.

Bhoj Wetland attracts thousands of migratory birds like the red-crested pochard, mallard, northern shoveler, ruddy shelduck, gadwall, bar-headed goose, etc. It is also a favoured spot of the threatened sarus crane in central India.

The bird walk was led by the Chapter president Shri Arun Tyagi, who is also one of the finest birders in Bhopal, and the chairman of MP Kayaking and Canoeing Association. Many other TNV members, eminent birders and students parti cipated in the event.

The participants sighted a variety of migratory and resident birds. The highlight of the event was a very large flock of red-crested pochard in the lake, a flight of almost a thousand great cormorants and some rare raptors like crested serpent eagle and greater spotted eagle.

First bee trail of MP

On the occasion of World Wildlife Day, Madhya Pradesh got its first Bee Trail on the campus of Barkatullah University, Bhopal, on 3rd March, 2025. It was inaugurated by the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof SK Jain. The Trail is meant to educate visitors about the extremely important role played by bees through pollination. Bees ensure that

our biodiversity thrives and enables farmers to put enough food on our plates. India is home to five species of native bees, but there is very little awareness about their role and importance. Prof Jain appreciated the plan to encourage bee-keeping in urban areas.

This small bee project has been started jointly by Under The Mango Tree (UTMT) Society, Mumbai and The Nature Volunteers (TNV) Society, Indore and the Barkatullah University.

These are stingless little bees which collect honey from tree flowers like other species and are generally harmless, said Ms Sujana Krishnamoorthy, ED, UTMT Society, Mumbai.

A number of bee boxes have been kept in the campus with information panels about the ‘World of bees’ to increase awareness in the society.

Shri Abhilash Khandekar, VP and Co-Founder of TNV Society, addressing the students and academia, present in large numbers, said that urban biodiversity was under great threat due to rapid urbanisation in India and hence such efforts will go a long way in protecting the biodiversity.

Sparrow Day Festival (Bhopal Chapter)

The mysterious disappearance of house sparrows (Passer domesticus), especially from urban areas of India, first made headlines over a decade ago. The first significant conservation efforts of house sparrows in India were made by Mohammed Dilawar of Nashik (Maharashtra) who founded Nature Forever Society in 2005. This organisation initiated the World Sparrow Day in 2011, which is observed on 20th March every year, and the ‘I Love Sparrow’ campaign in 2020.

On 20th March 2025, The Nature Volunteers Society (Bhopal Chapter), in association with WWF-India, celebrated the World Sparrow Day at the Environmental Planning and Coordination Organisation (EPCO) auditorium, Bhopal. The session expert Dr Archana Shukla is known throughout Madhya Pradesh for her sparrow conservation efforts. Highlights of the event were Dr Archana Shukla’s discourse on sparrow conservation and evolution, the scientifically designed sparrow houses by her and an exciting sparrow quiz.

The event marked the conclusion of a week-long ‘Sparrow Festival – 2025’, which comprised four online competitions – sparrow photography, sparrow painting, sparrow reel and selfie with sakora. The winners of these competitions were given prizes.

TNV’s Sparrow Festival 2025 will, hopefully, be an important milestone in the direction of sparrow conservation in Bhopal.

On World Sparrow Day, 20th March 2025, TNV Indore distributed Sparrow Boxes to create awareness about the need to protect and conserve the sparrows. The TNV team of Shri Bhalu Mondhe, Shri Sajid Lodi and Shri Neelesh Bendre also presented the Sparrow boxes to the Indore Divisional Commissioner, Shri Deepak Singh and to the Mayor, Shri Pushyamitra Bhargava.

22nd April is International Earth Day and The Nature Volunteers (TNV) celebrated the occasion in a unique way. TNV conveyed their message of conservation and preservation of Planet Earth by the medium of Nukkad Naataks (street plays). Two venues were chosen for the event to be held. The Press Club and later on, at the popular Chhappan Dukan.

The event was to create awareness among the society about Nature, environment, wildlife and to let the city and the society know the serious work TNV is doing in this field.

There was On the Spot quizzing. The audience, (Chhappan Dukan visitors) sportingly participated in the quiz and were given small prizes (TNV booklets) for every correct answer.

The nukkad naataks were performed by the artistes of a theatre group led by Shri Sharad Shabal. It was an interesting and a well-received event.

World environment day 2025 was celebrated by The Nature Volunteers (TNV) at the Sirpur Lake (a Ramsar site), along with members of the Youth Hostel, Gautam Kale group and Pancham Nishad.

The theme this year was `Beat plastic pollution’. In keeping with the theme, a cleanliness drive was carried out to collect the plastic litter strewn along the path. The drive concluded at the butterfly park, at the other end.

Gautam Kale’s musical group and Pancham Nishad entertained the people gathered there. Later, at the butterfly park, volunteers planted 25 plants of different species.

The chief guest was Dr PC Dubey (Retd PCCF, MP forest dept). On this occasion a booklet, which is 6th in the awareness series, called `Paryavaran Jagaran Shrinkhla’ was launched by the chief guest.

This booklet named `Aao pakshiyon ke bare mein jaanein’ has been written by our member and bird expert Shri Ajay Gadikar. The book contains information about birds in the form of 100 Questions and Answers.

The program was conducted by TNV treasurer Shri Ashok Golane. TNV secretary Shri Ravi Gupta gave the vote of thanks.

On the occasion of the Global Tiger Day on 29 July 2025, TNV organised a photo exhibition and talk by renowned wildlife photographer, Shri Shivang Mehta from New Delhi at the Canary’s Fine Art Gallery, Indore. The idea behind this was to increase awareness in the society regarding the conservation of Tigers.

Shri Mehta’s talk was on Tiger conservation and photography.

The three-day exhibition was an impressive collection of Tiger photographs, showcasing the majestic animal in various situations and moods.

Ms Padmapriya Balakrishnan, IFS was the chief guest at the event. Shri PN Mishra, Chief Conservator of Forest, Indore was also present at the occasion.

TNV at Round Square Conference

On 4th Jan 2024, Emerald Heights International School, Indore, hosted the Round Square Conference(RSC), which was attended by aspiring environmentalists of Class 7. The opening ceremony had inspiring talks by Shri Bhalu Mondhe and Shri Dev Kumar Vasudevan on conservation of wetlands. The lectures encouraged the young delegates to become torch bearers of environment conservation. Shri Vasudevan’s invigorating session on birds, their instincts, intelligence and importance to mankind invoked curiosity among the young audience, leading to interesting discussions in the baraza session.

TNV organised a bird watching camp on 5th Jan, 2024 at Sirpur Lake, for about 150 students of Emerald Heights International School. There were six experts of TNV who conducted the bird watching sessions, including TNV joint secretary and ornithologist Shri Ajay Gadikar. The children were divided into batches of 25 each. They were all then given booklets containing photos of 50 common birds with their brief description; to help them spot and identify the birds they were sighting.

Some of the birds that were sighted were waterfowls like the northern pintail, spot billed duck and waders like the grey-headed swamphen, bronze-winged jacana and many more, including cormorants and wagtails. The birds were busy feeding on small fish, amphibians, grubs and some aquatic shoots, which was a fascinating sight for the young birders.

The highlight of the session was the sighting of a lone greylag goose which was sighted at Sirpur after a period of four years.

The session ended with TNV Caps being distributed and refreshments served.

World Wetlands Day

World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year by the Ramsar Secretariat, Geneva, across the globe, on 2nd February. This year the venue was Indore and in particular, the Sirpur wetland, declared as Ramsar Site in August 2022, along with Yeshwant Sagar of Indore. Dr Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of Ramsar Convention, Geneva, Switzerland was in Indore for the Wetlands Day functions on 2nd Feb 2024. She was the chief guest on this occasion.

World Wetlands Day 2024

Shri Bhalu Mondhe (Padma Shri), co-founder TNV, Indore was felicitated on World Wetlands Day, by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, during the main function of the day at Sirpur for his unstinted support and selfless work for saving the Sirpur wetland. The octogenarian nature photographer and artist spent close to 40 years raising awareness through various programmes and events, around the urban wetland.

 

Dr Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of Ramsar Convention,Geneva, Switzerland tweeted on X (formerly Twitter)praising Shri Bhalu Mondhe for his immense work for wetlandsand the environment.

World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year by the Ramsar Secretariat, Geneva, across the globe. Ramsar Convention came into being in 1971 and over 171 countries are signatories to the Ramsar Treaty. Ramsar is a place in Iran where many environmentalists, worried over the future of wetlands, had gathered several decades ago to roll out a charter for saving lakes, peatlands, mangroves, rivers and small ponds which support many birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians etc. Lakes and rivers also play a crucial role in providing water security and valuable ecological services to the community.

This year the venue was Indore and in particular, the Sirpur wetland, declared as Ramsar Site in August 2022, along with Yeshwant Sagar of Indore.

Madhya Pradesh has four Ramsar-designated sites, the other two being, Bhopal’s Upper Lake and Sankhya Sagar, Shivpuri.

Dr Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of Ramsar Convention, Geneva, Switzerland was in Indore for the World Wetlands Day functions on 2nd Feb 2024. She spent three days in Indore and visited Sirpur and Yeshwant Sagar, both Ramsar Sites and expressed her satisfaction at the conservation efforts done by the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC). It was her first visit to India and Indore. In her words, “she was blown over to see the rich biodiversity of India as well as to meet interesting people here.”

Sirpur has been conserved by The Nature Volunteers Society over 40 years of sustained efforts. It is an urban lake fighting for its survival. It is a beautiful bird habitat of Central India. Of course, more scientific conservation efforts are required to save the lake from being degraded. 

Since most of the world wetlands are under stress, the Ramsar tag to any selected wetland, raises hopes, that with new protocols in place, authorities and society would go the extra mile to protect such natural assets.

 If wetlands perish, humans would also be pushed towards the brink of collapse.

World Wetlands Day

The Nature Volunteers celebrated World Wetlands Day at the Bilawali backwaters in Indore on 2nd Feb, 2023.

District Collector of Indore Dr Ilayaraja T, IAS, was the chief guest on the occasion. He was taken along the trail by the members present, led by TNV President Shri Bhalu Mondhe. The collector appreciated the presence of many species of resident and migratory birds
The members also apprised him of the challenges and problems being faced by the wetlands of Indore district.

The Collector took note of these challenges and problems and has promised all possible help he can provide to resolve these issues so that the wetlands of the district become healthy habitats.

one-day conclave to save honey bees organized by TNV at the Pritam Lal Dua Auditorium on 18 Feb, 2023. The event was conducted in association with Under The Mango Tree Society. Ms Sujana Krishnamoorthy of the society was one of the key speakers at the Conclave. The District Collector Dr Illayaraja T, IAS, attended the first half of the conclave. The Chief Guest Shri N K Sanodiya, IFS, CCF Indore released a booklet on honey bees – the third in the series published by TNV to sensitise the public on important environmental issues. Dr DM Wakhale, Senior Scientist at the Central Bee Research and Training Institute Pune, was also one of the key speakers at the conclave.

Birding at Machal

On 26 March, 2023 a team of 11 birders led by TNV ornithologist, Shri Ajay Gadikar conducted a bird watching camp at Kishanpura Lake in Machal village on the Indore-Dhar road. The team also studied the threats which this birding hotspot is facing. The highlight of the birding session was a sighting of the fastest bird (and the fastest living being) – the peregrine falcon. TNV is aiming to conduct such events frequently at different wetlands in an effort to protect the local ecology.

Talk On Tiger Conservation

On 30th April 2023 TNV organized a very well attended talk by Dr Raghu Chundawat,

TCS on the nature trail

On 24th June, 2023, The Nature Volunteers (TNV) organised an enriching bird-watching program and nature walk at Sirpur lake, in partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Participants got the opportunity to connect with nature, observe local bird species, and enjoy the picturesque surroundings around Sirpur, while fostering a deeper appreciation for biodiversity and conservation efforts.

 

 

 

Plantation drive

The Nature Volunteers, in collaboration with the Maheshwari Samaj, organised a successful plantation event at Fal Bagh, Sirpur, on 17th July, 2023. Demonstrating their commitment to environmental conservation and community engagement. Hundreds of trees were planted, promoting a greener and healthier environment for all.

 

 

 

 

Awareness about Snakes

TNV (Bhopal Chapter), along with the Rotary Club (East Bhopal) and Mandar and No More Foundation (Bhopal) conducted a month-long awareness campaign about snakes in Bhopal city, beginning with the World Snake Day (16th July) and concluding on Nag Panchami (21st August), to make people aware of the snakes around them, preventive measures in case of a snake bite and immediate action to be if any incident occurs. The campaign also aimed at sensitising the people towards the atrocities on snakes committed by snake charmers in the name of religious rituals and practices, particularly on Nag Panchami.

The most common practice of making snakes drink milk is very harmful for them. They cannot digest milk and eventually die. Thousands of captive snakes, particularly cobras and boas, perish soon after the festival. Therefore, the public needs to stop entertaining snake charmers and raise their voice against such cruel practices.

The inaugural session was held at EPCO, Bhopal on 16th July 2023 in the presence of various dignitaries from the Rotary Club and TNV, including Shri Abhilash Khandekar (senior journalist and vice-president of TNV).

Throughout the campaign TNV and the partner organisations reached out to the people at various levels and certainly made a mark through their combined efforts. The campaign ended at the Barkatullah University (Bhopal) on 21st August 2023, where a booklet, 4th in the awareness series, called ‘Paryavaran Jagaran Shrinkhla’, about snakes was also released in the presence of Shri Arun Tyagi (Chairman, MP Kayaking and Canoeing Association), Shri Vishwas Ghushe (Chairman, Environment Awareness Vertical, Rotary Club East Bhopal), Shri Om Prasad Sohani (snake expert), Shri Sunil Deshpande (Secretary, TNV Bhopal) and Shri Abhyudaya Kelkar (Jt Secretary, TNV Bhopal).

An important session during the course of the campaign was held at CSIR-AMPRI (Bhopal), better known as Regional Research Laboratory (RRL), on 18th August.

 

Bird Race comes to Indore

On 17th December, 2023 more than 50 bird watchers of Indore gathered to participate in the first ever Indore Bird Race and covered 14 important birding locations, of Indore district, simultaneously. Bird Racing originated in Mumbai in 2005. It is an activity where groups of birders, all at the same time, are bird watching across various spots in a city. In the maiden Bird Race in Indore, all the teams put in tremendous effort and documented 172 species of birds in a half-day event. Some of the birds sighted were Ferruginous Duck, Sarus Crane, Pin-tailed Snipe, Green sandpiper etc. The event was part of an HSBC sponsored Indian Bird Races. These Races are now held in many cities of India, every year.The ebird app was used to collect the data.

 

 

Cycle Rally for Conservation

On 16th January, 2022, the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, TNV and Youth Hostel Association of India (YHAI), Indore, conducted a bicycle rally, covering some key heritage landmarks, of Indore city – historical and natural. It started from the Krishnapura Chhatris and terminated at the Sirpur bird sanctuary, emphasising their historical significance and the need to conserve and preserve them.

About 50 cyclists participated, led by Mr Ravi Shankar Bhatia and Mr Deepak Bhalse of the YHAI. At Sirpur, they were apprised about the many interesting historical facts about Sirpur lake by TNV president Mr Bhalu Mondhe. Mr OP Maheshwari (Treasurer, TNV) and YHAI dignitaries, Mr Devendra Bhatnagar (Chairman) and Mr Rajiv Killedar (Vice-president) also took part. Mr Bhalu Mondhe possesses a remarkable record of heritage conservation in the city of Indore of more than four decades.

 

World Environment Day 2022

Fifth June, every year is celebrated as World Environmet Day. TNV celebrated the occasion at Sirpur Lake with various interesting activities marking the day.

A bird-watching session, Planting saplings at the newly created Butterfly Park, a part of the upcoming Nature Knowledge Centre in the vicinity of the lake.

A booklet on ‘Grey Water’ was released by the chief guest, Smt Devajani Patra (Member-Environment and Rehabilitation, Central Department). It talks about the water polluted by chemical ingredients of various products we use and which gets discharged from our homes and workplaces to further poison the already scarce usable water sources.

The event was a huge success because of the keen participation of many nature lovers from Indore and its neighbourhood. The event was also attended by the officers of Narmada Control Authority and team TNV was represented by Shri Bhalu Mondhe, Padma Shri, Shri Abhilash Khandekar, Shri Dev Kumar Vasudevan, Shri Om Prakash Maheshwari, Shri Vijay Rangnekar, Shri Ajay Gadikar, Prof Dr SL Garg, Shri Kaustubh Rishi, Shri Sajid Lodi, Shri Neeraj Bagwan, Shri Praveen Kekre, Shri Vikas Tiwari and Shri Somesh Bhavanani.

 

Urban Biodiversity Conference

The first National Conference on Urban Biodiversity Conservation was conducted in Indore by The Nature Volunteers in association with World Researchers’ Association and EcoSoul on 5 & 6 Aug, 2022. A very well attended two-day conference where experts from all over India attended and presented their papers. The first day proceedings were conducted at Hotel Radisson Indore. Day two saw participants visiting Sirpur Lake and Bird Sanctuary which had just been accorded the status of a Ramsar site – the highest honour for a wetland. The conference was held at Kesar Parvat in Kesharbardi Village of Mhow Tehsil. A core team was created to draft the “Indore Declaration on Urban Biodiversity

 

 

 

 

Certificate Course in Basic Ornithology – III

 

TNV and Ela Foundation, Pune, organised the third Certificate course in Basic Ornithology from 11 Nov 22 to 13 Nov 22, in Indore, after having successfully organised the course for two years, in 2016 and 2017.

Dr Satish Pande of Ela Foundation, Pune and his team covered various aspects from avian evolution to conservation of birds in the three-day course. In a holistic approach, bird biology, ecology, avian conservation, treatment of sick birds and migration were discussed and explained, along with new topics like ethno-ornithology.

Ornithology is a very large and vast subject; so, for a beginner, just reading books is often inadequate to understand the subject. Most aspiring bird watchers or amateurs learn about birds and their world, most effectively through direct interactions with experts. Therefore, this kind of a course is very helpful and useful for all those who want theoretical and practical knowledge and information regarding this very interesting topic.

All the participants were taken on two field visits, one to Yashwant Sagar to understand the Wetland Birds and the other to The Daly college school premises to learn about the woodland birds.

The participants were from varied backgrounds; students, teachers, academicians, bird enthusiasts and avid birders.

The Chief guest, on the concluding day, was Prof SKBandi, Chairman, Basketball Trust. Certificates were presented to all the participants.

 

Annual Environment Lecture VII

 

The VII Annual Environment Lecture of The Nature Volunteers was held on Saturday Dec 10, 2022. The speaker this time was the eminent naturalist and environmentalist Shri Pradip Krishen who is also India’s most famous tree man. His talk was titled `About the Desert’ and the venue, the conference hall of Hotel Lemon Tree, was overflowing.

Shri Krishen’s best-selling books on trees viz., Trees of Delhi: A Field Guide and Jungle Trees of Central India have taken trees to the layman in an unprecedented manner. They have also received much well-deserved critical acclaim.

He is also involved in restoration or rewilding of degraded desert habitats, his well-known projects being the Rao Jodha Desert Park near the Mehrangarh fort in Jodhpur and the Kishan Bagh project in Jaipur.

Shri Krishen spoke eloquently about the desert ecosystem with special reference to its flora and the efforts involved in rewilding. He also emphasised that deserts are not wastelands as believed by most people but that they are thriving ecosystems.

He also spoke about the need to concentrate on local species of trees and other flora as they exist in symbiotic relationships with other flora and fauna and do not harm the local ecosystem.

He concluded his talk by speaking about the need for conservation of desert ecosystems in line with how they have evolved and to avoid greening of the desert with non-local flora species. The session ended with an invigorating Q&A session.

The function was conducted by the TNV Joint Secretary Ms Vindhyeshwari Kumari. Shri Pradip Krishen was honoured by the President Shri Bhalu Mondhe, who presented him with a memento. The vote of thanks was proposed by the Secretary Mr Dev Kumar Vasudevan.

 

The first National Conference on Urban Biodiversity Conservation, held on 5th & 6th August, 2022 was organised by The Nature Volunteers (TNV), in Indore. The co-organisers were World Researchers’ Association (WRA), Indore and the technical support was provided by National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), Chennai.

The aim of the two-day conference was to sensitise the citizens and the city managers towards biodiversity conservation in urban areas, to make our cities liveable while stressing on timely policy interventions with an eye on the future, if we have to survive and our planet has to survive. Domain experts participated and deliberated on how to save our cities. The spotlight was on urban biodiversity conservation, the need of the hour.

The first day of the conference was held at Radisson Hotel, Indore. The inaugural session was started by lighting the traditional lamp and was followed by the Keynote address by the Chairman, National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) Dr VB Mathur, followed by speeches by TNV President Padma Shri, Shri Bhalu Mondhe and other esteemed guests like the Principal Secy, Dept of Environment Shri Aniruddhe Mukherjee (IAS), Shri Nikunj Shrivastava (IAS), PCCF Dr Atul Shrivastava (IFS), Dr SL Garg, Dr Davish Jain, Dr P Rao, Shri Ritesh Kumar, Dr S Banerjee, Chairman TNV Shri RP Singh (IFS retd) and Director NIUA Dr Hitesh Vaidya. Vice President TNV and Director NCUBC 2022, Shri Abhilash Khandekar welcomed all the panellists on behalf of TNV and informed the gathering about the conference and the events to come. Secretary TNV, Shri Dev Kumar Vasudevan gave the vote of thanks. The technical sessions started there after.

Session I – Coexisting with nature for sustainable cities: Presentation by U Rajasekar (NIUA, New Delhi). The panel discussion was chaired by Shri Hitesh Vaidya (Director, NIUA, New Delhi). The co-panelists were Victor Rana Shinde, Dr Subhashish Banerjee and Dr Manita Saxena.

Session II – Ecology in metropolitan regions-Tools, Processes and Policy Interventions: Presentation by Dr Monalisa Sen (ICLEI, New Delhi). The panel discussion was chaired by Dr Atul Shrivastava (IFS). The co-panellists were Shri V Krishna (Addl. Comm, Urban Biodiversity, GHMC Hyderabad), M Ashraf (Chairman, Town Planning Committee, Kochi).

Session III – Role of urban bodies in Urban Biodiversity Conservation: Presentation by Dr Bakul Lad (MPSBB, Bhopal). The panel discussion was chaired by Dr P Rao (Director, SPA, New Delhi). The co-panellists were Dr Atul Shrivastava (IFS) and Shri Nikunj Shrivastava (IFS).

Session IV – Urban Wetlands-Challenges in Conservation: Presentation by Shri Kaustubh Rishi (Ornithologist, TNV). The panel discussion was chaired by Shri Aniruddhe Mukherjee (IAS). The co-panellists were Shri Ritesh Kumar and Shri Sandeep Khanwalkar (Director, Ecosoul Enviro Pvt Ltd).

Session V – Promoting Biodiversity in Urban Landscapes: Presentation by Dr Areendran Gopala (WWF India). The panel discussion was chaired by Dr VB Mathur (Chairman, NBA). The co-panellists included Shri HS Mohanta (IFS), Ms Neha Raghav (WWF India), Dr Ambika Sharma (WWF India) and Shri Amit Dubey (WWF India).

Day 2: Field Visits and concluding sessions (6th August, 2022)

The second day of the conference began with a field trip to Sirpur Lake, the wetland which is the flagship project of TNV, which was recently declared a Ramsar site in August, 2022. The session was led by TNV’s ornithologists Shri Ajay Gadikar and Shri Kaustubh Rishi. After the visit to Sirpur, the second field session was at Keshar Parvat, Mhow. Technical Sessions:

Session I – Conserving traditional urban water sources-Means to protect climate and biodiversity: Presentation by Shri Lokendra Thakkar (EPCO). The panel discussion was chaired by Dr S Banerjee. The co-panellists included Dr Ishwar Narayanan (UNEP) and Shri Ambrish Kela (Environment activist, entrepreneur and philanthropist).

Session II – Urban Forest Experiment: Presentation by Vishal Pawar (Anand Van Foundation, Pune). The panel discussion was chaired by Shri Nikunj Shrivastava (IAS). The co-panellists included Padma Shri Bhalu Mondhe (President, TNV), Shri Bhupesh Sharma, Shri R Gupta, IAS – CEO Smart City.

The two-day conference concluded with the release of the Indore Declaration on Urban Biodiversity. Jt Secy TNV, Smt Vindhyeshwari Kumari read out the Declaration to bring the Valedictory session to a close. The declaration was then presented to Chairman, NBA Dr VB Mathur.

This, first of a kind, conference attracted nature lovers and urban planners from various parts of the country and made the event a resounding success.

The hard-working team of TNV worked tirelessly to make this event a big success. Conference coordinator and member TNV Shri Ravi Gupta, was ably helped by TNV members Shri Dev Kumar Vasudevan, Shri Ajay Gadikar, Smt Vindhyeshwari Kumari, Shri OP Maheshwari, Shri Vijay Rangnekar, Shri Kaustubh Rishi, Shri Sajid Lodi, Shri Abhyudaya Kelkar, Shri Neeraj Bagwan and Shri Sachin Barekar, to organise this very successful event.

Team TNV was helped by student volunteers of PMB Gujarati Science College in organising this very special event and we are very thankful to them for all their hard work and efforts.

The Smart City, Indore, Govt of Madhya Pradesh and all our other esteemed partners are to be specially thanked for all their help and support in organising this prestigious event.

 

 

The conference was a very productive and enriching two days with some of the best brains in the field sharing their experience and deliberating over the very serious issue of protecting and conserving urban bio-diversity.

The Indore Declaration

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Sirpur cleaning programme with YHAI, Indore”

To create awareness regarding cleanliness and good health, TNV and the Youth Hostel Association of India (YHAI), Indore chapter, jointly organised a large-scale cleaning drive at the Sirpur Lake area on 3rd January 2021. It generated a very good response. Almost 100 volunteers participated in it. Also, on the occasion, to promote the message of good health, a cycle rally was organised from the Gangwal Bus Stand to Sirpur Lake.

 

 

 

Bird survey at Sardarpur

On 10 th January, 2021, the Forest department organised the first ever bird survey at Sardarpur sanctuary, in Dhar district, about 105 kms away from Indore. There were 27 participants who were part of the survey, on 5 trails. A total of 71 species were spotted. Shri Ajay Gadikar, ornithologist and TNV member helped the forest department in compiling and finalising the technical report of the sightings.

 

 

Webinar: Jungle ki baat, titli ke saath”

On 24 th Jan 2021 TNV organised a webinar on butterflies.The speaker was the former CCF, MP forest Department,Shri Anil Nagar, an expert on butterflies.His topic was Jungle ki baat, titli ke saath. It was a very interesting and informative talk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gardhisagar bird survey

A three-day bird survey was conducted at Gandhisagar sanctuary from 12th Feb 2021 to 14th Feb 2021, by the Forest department, the third one at this location. A total of 80 participants from 07 different states had participated in it. The bird survey was done on 24 trails and a total of 222 species were documented. Many TNV members, along with Secretary Shri Dev Kumar Vasudevan participated in it. Our member and ornithologist Shri Ajay Gadikar helped in collating the

 

 

Ralamandal Bird survey

 

Photography exhibition (Rajesh Bedi)

TNV conducted a well attended 3-day photography exhibition, on 11, 12, 13, February 2020, at the Pritamlal Dua Auditorium, showcasing the outstanding works of the globally acclaimed wildlife photographer Shri Rajesh Bedi, New Delhi. Some of the beautiful exhibits were seen for the first time in the city, especially those of elephants from the Rajaji National Park and tigers from the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.

WEBINAR: Sustaining the Environment – Challenges and Solutions

Sustaining the Environment- Challenges and Solutions was the theme for the three-day webinar organised by The Nature Volunteers (TNV) from 27th to 29th Sept 2020 On the first day it was the environmentalist, wildlife expert and author from Pune Dr ErachBharucha. a surgeon by profession. His talk was on – Wetland management: Challenges and possible solutions. He spoke about the various types of wetlands. How to conserve them and the biggest hurdles and threats in the conservation process. He spoke about the importance of Communication, Education, Participation and Awareness (CEPA) to be able to achieve success in conservation works. He made the audience aware of the many initiatives of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), with whom he is associated, like the Pakshi Mitra Sammelan gatherings at Aurangabad and Nasik that led to the declaration of Jayakawadi and NandurMadhmeshwar respectively as protected areas. He also gave the example of the restoration of the Pashan lake, an Urban lake in Pune. On day two, it was Dr Pankaj Shrivastava, IFS, Director IIFM, Bhopal. Dr Srivastava is an expert on river Narmada. He has deeply researched the interleakages between forests and hydrology. His topic was – Forestry for River Rejuvenation. He stated the importance of the green cover in watershed management, that is, how forests and trees help maintain the water level of rivers. He informed about the importance of Choral forest for Indore. Also, about the success stories in this area, from Central India. The Day three talk was on SDGs and India; Progress and Pitfalls by Mr Ajay Jha. Mr Jha has more than 16 years’ experience in the development sector. A lawyer by profession, he is employed with Public Advocacy Initiatives for Rights and Values in India (PAIRVI), New Delhi, as Director since 2008. Mr Jha explained about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a brief description of each. He informed about the 17 goals and 169 targets set by the United Nations in 2015 under its ‘2030 Agenda’. That brought to a close three days of very informative and interesting lectures and presentations. Many a questions and queries were also put before the guest speakers by the nature loving audience who had joined in from different parts of the country, which were adeptly answered by the speakers. The moderators for the three days were Mrs Vindhyeshwari Kumari, Mr Sajid Lodi and Mr Dev Kumar Vasudevan. Mr Ravi Gupta managed the webinar on the online platform Zoom.

Harness Solar Power and Compost Green Waste to sustain the Environment. Experts discussed how solar energy can help protect the environment and convert green waste to black gold! It was a two-day webinar held on Saturday 7th Nov & Sunday 8th Nov 2020 Speaker : Dr Susmita Bhattacharjee, Indore *Founder, Pushan. Solar energy expert, working for innovative solar energy solutions for a sustainable ecosystem from renewable resources.Topic: Solar power, the bright alternativeSpeaker: Mrs Sarika Gadikar, Indore *IT Professional and a home composting expert Topic: Composting – recycle smart!

Mahseer Conservation Project

On 21 st November 2020, in village Pitambali, in Badwah district, on theshores of River Narmada, the foundation stone was laid for a multifaceted project for the conservation and promotion of Mahseer (genus Tor), the state fish of Madhya Pradesh.

Speaker: Mr VIVEK MENON, the elephant expert

Mr Vivek Menon, a leading Indian wildlife conservationist, environmental commentator, author, photographer and policy think tank with a passion for elephants. Founder of five environmental and nature conservation organisations, Mr Menon spearheads Wildlife Trust of India as its Founder, Executive Director and CEO since 1998. He was awarded the Rufford Award in 2001 for International Conservation for his work to conserve the Asian elephant. It is one of the many international recognitions for his conservation action. He gave a virtual talk on the magnificent but endangered beast – The Elephant, its habitats and challenges on 12th December 2020.

Dhar Bird watching programme

On 25th December 2020, TNV organised the first bird watching programmeat Dhar, in association with the INTACH Dhar Chapter and the organisation Kanva Van of Dhar. The event was conducted at all the important lakes and wetlands of Dhar district, where many species of migratory and resident birds were spotted.

World Wetlands Day

On 2nd Feb 2019, we celebrated World Wetlands Day at Sirpur Lake. Smt Smita Bharadwaj, IAS, MD MP Financial Corporation was the chief guest, Shri Sudhindra Mohan Sharma was the keynote speaker. The world over, wetlands are under severe threat and TNV has been a leading torchbearer in the field of the lake conservation movement.

Birding Buddy Workshop

A workshop on “How to be a Birding Buddy” was held on 7th April 2019 at Indore. TNV Indore and Early Bird Bangalore joined together to conduct it. It started post lunch and finished by 6 pm, on that Sunday, at Govindram Seksaria Institute of Management & Research (GSIMR). The workshop was conducted by Ms Garima Bhatia and Ms Abhishekha Krisnagopal from the Early Bird team. 35 interested participants enrolled for it. Resource material like brochures and pamphlets were given out for this interactive workshop. The interaction between the speakers and the participants made it very interesting.

World Environment Day 2019

TNV, like every year, celebrated the World Environment Day on 5th June 2019 at the Sirpur Lake, an Important Bird Area (IBA), continuing its endeavour to create awareness in the society towards the environment. This year, we had a bird-watching session and made seed-bags which would have saplings growing soon, for the large scale plantation drive which would be done in the weeks to follow. The chief guest Mr Jayantilal Bhandari highlighted the career opportunities in environment conservation in his speech. Mr Ambrish Kela and Swami Atmanand were the guests of honour.

Birds of Indore

The highlight of the year was the book launch function, on 3rd Sept 2019, of the much-awaited Birds of Indore brought out by TNV. The former Minister for Urban Administration Shri Jaivardhan Singh was the chief guest. Shri Yashwant Rao Holkar of Maheshwar presided over the function. Shri Jitendra Singh Raje, IAS, Executive Director, EPCO, Bhopal was the guest of honour. Dr Satish Pande, a leading ornithologist and environmentalist of India and the founder of the ELA Foundation Pune, was the special guest. It was a very well attended function and everybody present appreciated the end result of three years of hard work by our dedicated team.

Annual Environment Lecture VI

TNVs 6th Annual Environment Lecture (AEL VI), on 26 December 2019, was delivered by Dr K S Gopi Sundar, Director SarusScape, International Crane Foundation and a global authority on cranes and wetlands. He spoke on “SarusScape: Conserving Water Birds in Agricultural Areas.” It was a most enriching, informative and educational talk. The Pritamlal Dua auditorium overflowed and the audience heard him with rapt attention.

Workshop on Bird monitoring and documentation

The Nature volunteers organised a bird monitoring and documentation workshop on 22nd Jan, 2017 with the help of Bird count India. The idea is to help understand and conserve our birdlife.

Wildlife & Environment Film Festival 2017

TNV organised its first Wildlife and Environment film festival, in association with GSIMR, Indore. The three day event was held from 13th April to 15th April, 2017 at the GSIMR Auditorium. It was a very successful event with a packed hall on all the three days.

CERTIFICATE COURSE IN BASIC ORNITHOLOGY – II 2017

After the successful first year of the Basic Ornithology course, TNV and Ela Foundation, Pune, in association with GSIMR, Indore, organized this Certificate course for the second successive year from 16th November to 19th November, 2017, at the GSIMR Auditorium. Experts from the Ela Foundation, Pune conducted the course.

Annual Environment Lecture IV 2017

The guest speaker for the fourth Annual Environment Lecture was Shri Saleel Tambe, renowned wildlife and nature photographer and conservationist. He is settled in London, UK. `A rendezvous with nature’ was the topic of his talk. The lecture was held on 20th December, 2017 at the Pritamlal Dua Auditorium, Indore. The District Collector Indore, Shri Nishant Warwade, IAS, presided over the function.

Realising a century old dream for a glorious future

The occasion was a historic one – the launch of the reproduced Sir Patrick Geddes’ first development plan of Indore by The Nature Volunteers (TNV), Indore. The Brilliant Convention Centre in Indore was the venue on 12th February 2016. The function of the book launch was held along with the Indore Municipal Corporation’s (IMC) Smart City Event. The famous Geddes’ plan is now a 100 years old and TNV plans to use this opportunity to bring back focus on scientific urban planning and making Indore a green city. Sir Patrick A Geddes (2.10.1854 – 17.4.1932) was a globally acclaimed urban planner, sociologist, botanist and educationist. A man of many talents, Geddes was invited by Maharaja Tukojirao III to Indore to design and plan for the evolving city of Holkars in the early 20th century. The Geddes’ Master Plan was released – once again after a 100 years! The Union Minister for Urban Development, Shri Venkaiah Naidu, the Chief Guest of the function, did the honours in the presence of Indore MP and Lok Sabha Speaker, Smt Sumitra Mahajan and the Chief Minister, Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan.

The occasion was a historic one – the launch of the reproduced Sir Patrick Geddes’ first development plan of Indore by The Nature Volunteers (TNV), Indore. The Brilliant Convention Centre in Indore was the venue on 12th February 2016. The function of the book launch was held along with the Indore Municipal Corporation’s (IMC) Smart City Event. The famous Geddes’ plan is now a 100 years old and TNV plans to use this opportunity to bring back focus on scientific urban planning and making Indore a green city. Sir Patrick A Geddes (2.10.1854 – 17.4.1932) was a globally acclaimed urban planner, sociologist, botanist and educationist. A man of many talents, Geddes was invited by Maharaja Tukojirao III to Indore to design and plan for the evolving city of Holkars in the early 20th century. The Geddes’ Master Plan was released – once again after a 100 years! The Union Minister for Urban Development, Shri Venkaiah Naidu, the Chief Guest of the function, did the honours in the presence of Indore MP and Lok Sabha Speaker, Smt Sumitra Mahajan and the Chief Minister, Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan.

World Environment Day 2016

The Nature volunteers organised a bird monitoring and documentation workshop on 22nd Jan, 2017 with the help of Bird count India. The idea is to help understand and conserve our birdlife.

A nature walk and a cleaning drive at Sirpur Lake were carried out to celebrate this year’s World Environment Day, 5th June, 2016. People from all walks of life including a large number of students and senior citizens participated. An oath to protect the environment was administered to the participants by four Padma Shri awardees of Indore – Shri Kutti Menon, Smt Janak Palta McGilligan, Shri Bhalu Mondhe and Shri Sushil Doshi. TNV, a leading environmental NGO of Indore, which was founded on June 5, 1992 by Shri Bhalu Mondhe also commenced its silver jubilee celebrations. Founding member and Vice President Abhilash Khandekar spoke on the journey so far and the vision for the future. He also complimented the IMC for preservation and improvement of Sirpur Lake and listed some suggestions. The Padma Shri awardees released an eight page TNV brochure. Distribution of cloth bags by TNV all over Indore was also commenced on the occasion. The function was conducted by Shri Sanjay Patel and the welcome songs were performed by students of Shri Gautam Kale’s Sangeet Gurukul. The vote of thanks was proposed by Dev Kumar Vasudevan, Secretary TNV.

Certificate Course in Basic Ornithology – I 2016

TNV believes that there is a great need to generate awareness about environment and nature. To give an insight into the world of animals and birds – conserving them and their habitat and make more and more people aware and sensitive about co-existing with nature – its fauna and flora. In its endeavour to achieve this, TNV has been organizing many a programmes. One such was the ornithology course. From 17th Nov to 20th Nov 2016. Renowned ornithologist Dr Satish A Pande and his team of experts from the Ela Foundation, Pune – Dr Suruchi S Pande, Shri Rajkumar Pawar conducted the certificate course.

Annual Environment Lecture –lll 2016

World Environment Day 2015

Chitrangana Agle Reshwal on the pakhawaj, accompanied by Deepak Khasrawal on the harmonium. Environment Day celebrations at Sirpur Lake on 5th June, 2015

Annual EnvironmentLecture II 2015

The guest speaker for the second Annual Environment Lecture Series was the legendary conservationist and ornithologist, Dr Asad R Rahmani, Former Director of the Bombay Natural History Society. He spoke on ‘Conservation beyond tiger: Need to take action’. The lecture was held on 12th December, 2015 at the Pritamlal Dua Auditorium, Indore. The session was chaired by the District Collector Indore, Shri P Narahari (IAS). 12th

Annual Environment Lecture -I 2014

The inaugural lecture was delivered by Ms Archana Godbole, a leading Pune based environmentalist, who is the founder of Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF), Pune, which has been working for the conservation of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot region for the last 19 years. The lecture was held at the Pritamlal Dua Auditorium on 20th December, 2014. Conservation of Western Ghats was the topic of the lecture. This is the only environment lecture series of its kind. The session was chaired by the eminent lawyer Shri Ashok Chitale.