UNESCO Category 2 Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and Training for Asia and the Pacific Region, Wildlife Institute of India

 As stated by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, “Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritages are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.” The cultural and natural heritage is among the priceless and irreplaceable assets, not only of each nation, but of humanity as a whole. World Heritage is the shared wealth and responsibility of humankind. Hence, protecting and preserving this valuable asset demands the collective efforts of the international community. Thus, celebrating this theme on a special day offers an opportunity to raise the public's awareness about the diversity of heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as draw attention to its vulnerability.

The International Day for Monuments and Sites was proposed by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) on 18^th April, 1982 and approved by the General Assembly of UNESCO in 1983. The aim is to spread awareness about the diversity and importance of heritage of humanity, their vulnerability and the efforts required for their protection and preservation.  The 2020 theme for the ICOMOS International Day for Monuments and Sites is ‘Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility’ which provides an opportunity to emphasize the importance of intergenerational exchanges when it comes to safeguarding and celebrating our heritage.  This year’s theme is also an expression of our global unity in the face of the ongoing worldwide health crisis.

Given the current global outbreak of Covid-19 and the containment measures in different countries around the world, ICOMOS has suggested to celebrate the International Day for Monuments and Sites in compliance with instructions from local and national authorities so as to ensure the safety of participants.

Therefore, UNESCO Category 2 Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and Training for Asia and the Pacific Region, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, proposes to celebrate World Heritage Day (WHD) on April 18, 2020 by organizing drawing and creative writing competition through online system by following social distancing norms suggested by Government of India.

Theme of the competition:  COVID-19 & Natural Heritage

Who Can Participate?

Competition is open to the children of all officials / staff (permanent / contractual) of WII, ICFRE, FRI, IGNFA, FSI and CASFOS, Dehradun. 

Categories for Participation:

Competition is open under following categories:

*Senior 2: 12^thstd students who are awaiting results are also eligible to participate

Guidelines for Drawing Competition:

1. Each entry must be original. Only one entry from each participant will be accepted. 
2. To maintain uniformity, it is suggested to use A3/A4 size white paper/drawing sheet for art work.  
3. Only wax crayons, color pencils, water colors are allowed for drawing/artwork.
4. Poster may be in the form of a notice/advertisement/announcement; it generally has both text and picture; it should carry a catchy phrase/slogan relevant to the theme.
5. After preparing drawing, participants should take a clear picture through camera/mobile phone camera and submit high resolution file without any edits, through email.

Guidelines for Essay Writing Competition:

1. Each entry must be original. Only one entry from each participant will be accepted. 
2. Entry should be made either typed in MS Word format (Font: Times New Roman, Size: 12) or neatly written handwriting.
3. Length of the writeup should not be more than 500 words. 
4. Language for the essay writing competition will be either English or Hindi only.  
5. The essay should be creative and should be original, self-expressivewhich evokes an emotion or response, rather than the normal academic or technical writing based on presentation of facts and information.

Awards: 

Entries with complete information only shall be evaluated by an expert committee. Successful entries will be selected for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Prize in each category.

Certificate of participation will be provided to all participants.

Last Date for Submission: 15^thApril, 2020 at 2359Hrs

Submission Method: Only through Email: at contactc2cindia [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in with cc marked to bhumesh [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in

In the email subject line, please write “Entry for WHD 2020 Drawing/Essay Competition _Category_ Your Name” 

General Rules & Regulation:

• Only original work shall be accepted.
• Winners will be contacted personally.
• List of winners will be uploaded on the WII website: https://wii.gov.in
• Each entry should be submitted along with the registration form, appended herewith.
• Revised entry will not be considered, and in any case only first submitted entry will be accepted for evaluation.
• The decision of the judges with approval from Director WII shall be final & binding on all the participants.

For any clarification please write to Dr Bhumesh Singh Bhadouria, Technical Officer, UNESCO C2C- WII at bhumesh [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in

• Download guidelines and conditions (104 kb )
• Download registration form (79 kb )
• Download drawing template (16 kb )
• Download essay template (9 kb )

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“Migratory species connect the planet and together we welcome them home” is  the theme of a major UN Wildlife Conference dedicated to migratory species in India that was held from 15^th to 22^nd February, 2020 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. The CoP13 was officially inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India on 17^th February, 2020.  Senior government officials, environment advocates, activists, researchers and biodiversity leaders from as many as 130 countries participated in this conference. Inaugurating this key UN Summit the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said that the CMS COP13 is of particular significance to India, which is known for its rich biodiversity and is one of the seven megadiverse countries in the world. “India has four biodiversity hotspots – Eastern Himalayas, Western Ghats, Indo Myanmar landscape and Andaman and Nicobar Islands and home to as many as 500 species of migratory birds from across the globe”, said the Prime Minister. In his speech he has also informed the efforts of India in conserving migratory species that included the bustard conservation breeding programme, dugong recovery programme, etc.

Wildlife Institute of India has showcased the conservation efforts of India with respect to several threatened migratory species such as Dugongs, Great Indian Bustard, Gangetic Dolphin, Amur Falcon, Snow Leopard, etc. in its Exhibition Hall. WII stall is one of the most visited stalls of the Conference by delegates and students.

WII has conducted a side event on behalf of MoEF&CC with partnership of CMFRI and WTI on ‘Marine Animals Conservation Programme: Sea turtles, whale shark, Arabian Sea Humpback Whales and Dugongs in India’ on 19^th February, 2020. This side event was Co-chaired by Shri Soumitra Dasgupta, IGF(WL), MoEFCC, GoI with Dr. Dhananjay Mohan, Director, WII. Inaugurating the side event, Shri Dasgupta reiterated the commitment of the Government of India in conservation of migratory marine animals and he told that the marine conservation programme is one of the priority of the government. He has also mentioned that the MoEF&CC is going to release the National Action Plan of marine turtles and also policies related to marine animals stranding. The speakers of the programme include Dr. Suresh Kumar (WII), Dr. Dipani Sutaria (Marine Biologist) and Mr Sajan John (WTI). The programme was coordinated by Dr Bitapi Sinha, WII. Dr. K. Sivakumar, who organized this side event highlighted the India’s efforts in conservation of marine migratory animals especially the dugongs and their habitats. Chief Wildlife Wardens and their representatives from various coastal states and UTs have participated in the discussion and highlighted the conservation efforts of their respective states and UTs. Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Lakshadweep, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra state officials participated in this side event along with delegates from various international organizations  such as IWC, GOBI,, CMS Dugong MoU, etc and India.

Dr. Dhananjay Mohan, Director, WII in his closing address highlighted the true nature of migration of marine animals and stressed the importance of having a better conservation strategy for these migratory marine animals and their habitats. He has also appreciated the efforts of coastal States and UTs in conservation of marine animals and their habitts such as dugongs, sea turtles, whale sharks, etc. He thanked all delegates especially the forest department officials for their supports to WII.

Further, WII especially the NMCG Team has organized a side event at the Indian Pavilion and showcased the conservation efforts of WII with respect to migratory species of Ganges. More than 20 scientists and researchers from WII participated in this conference and spoken in the various side events organized at the Conference. Dr S. Sathyakumar and Dr K. Sivakumar have also participated in the Working Group Meetings of CMS CoP 13 of Terrestrial and Aquatic species respectively along with officials from MoEF&CC.

3rd to 10th February, 2020

Under the Wildlife Institute of India-National Mission for Clean Mission Ganga project ‘Biodiversity Conservation Initiative Phase II, 8 days National training programme for the spearhead team of Ganga Praharis from the five Ganga States was conducted at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), from the 3^rd to 10^th February 2020. The objective of the training was to train the spearhead team of Ganga Praharis-Guardians of the Ganga, who will lead the conservation activities in their respective areas specially conducting cleanliness and plantation drive, volunteering with State forest departments in population census of different aquatic species of Ganga River and mobilization of school children at their respective states.  50 selected Ganga Praharis from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal had participated.  These participants have been actively involved with the project as Ganga Praharis for past three years (since 2017) hence; have been selected to be the spearheads along the main stem Ganga and its selected tributaries.

On day 1^st detailed information on technical issues pertaining to biodiversity conservation activities were shared with the participants to enable them to lead and carry forward the Ganga conservation activities. During the inaugural session of the training workshop Dr. Sangeeta Angom, Scientist & Training coordinator welcomed the participants to the training programme and encouraged them to carry forward and continue the cleanliness and conservation activities in their respective states. The participants introduced themselves. Thereafter, Dr. Ruchi Badola, Scientist G & Project Investigator gave a brief overview about the conservation activities of Ganga Phararis at various locations along the Ganga River. Dr. S. A. Hussain, Scientist G & Project Investigator requested that Ganga Praharis to be the torch bearers for Ganga biodiversity conservation and supervise the ground level activities in main stem Ganga and its major tributaries. Towards the end the Ganga Praharis shared their experiences and expressed gratitude to the NMCG-WII project, has given them a world-wide recognition and invoked in them a sense of belongingness towards the natural heritage of the country.

Dr. Niladri Dasgupta, Project Scientist, informed the participants about the monitoring techniques of aquatic species and their ecological importance in maintenance of a healthy ecosystem. Environmental laws are an essential part of the conservation programme and play a key role for the first responders on field. To sensitize the participants on these legal implications on handling of the schedule species. Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Trustee and Scientific Advisor, Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment, New Delhi gave an overview of laws protecting environment, forest and wildlife of India. Special focus was made to make the participants aware of the legal procedures for a common man.

The Day 2^nd of the training further proceeded with a lecture on understanding the concept and significance of Village Level Micro Plan along the Ganga river. There was an interactive session dedicated to the formulation and identification of various problems which are faced by the Ganga River. In this all the participants were divided in to teams based on their area of districts and blocks. During the activity they were asked to identify one major issue, challenges and its root cause on the decline of biodiversity in any protected areas. Apart from this they were asked to identify the key stakeholders with they have been working for the rejuvenation of the river. Open ended questionnaires were distributed which aim at identifying the key aspects of village level micro planning. Further there was a session on Digital Micro Planing and usage of mobile application on the same.

On the second day, the Spearhead Team of Ganga Praharis visited the Forensic Laboratory where in the experts guided them on the identification and differentiation of poaching samples and fake samples of different species procedures. In addition to this another important lecture that was delivered by Dr. V. P Uniyal, on the “Insect as Bioindicators”, which covered the significance of various insects including earthworms, beetles, spiders and so on for the balanced ecological system on the river basin.

The day 3^rd of the event initiated with a visit to Dehradun Zoo. Housing numerous types of aquatic as well as terrestrial fauna that are put on display attracts the attention of visitors of all age groups. After a brief recapitulation about the Zoo the event proceeded with a lecture on Rescue and Rehabilitation Techniques of different species particularly in times of a distress and injury. Demonstration was given by Veterinarian expert, Dr. Anupam Shrivastav and Dr. Vikramjit on rescuing procedure that is to be followed to relocate the eggs of turtles during any natural calamity. Post lunch, the training day began by a visit to Forest Research Institute of India, a premier research institution in India having three fascinating museums namely Timber Museum, Silviculture Museum and the Forest Pathology Museum. Here in all the Ganga Praharis observed the rich biodiversity not only of the rare species but also the tree history of which dates back to thousands of years and are kept for display for visitors.

The day 4^th was a more of a Techno centric wherein the event began with a lecture on “Space Technology and Ganga Rejuvenation”. The expert from Namami Gange introduced the working of Bhuwan Ganga app through a video graphic display. This app enables a Ganga Prahari to report any issue pertaining to the Holy River. Later on the participants were made familiar with Aqualife Data App and its usage focusing on the Digital Micro Planning for Villages on the banks of the Ganga River, this will help the Ganga Praharis in identification of the aspects which they have to focus on in order to achieve the goal of clean Ganga. Both these aforesaid apps are formulated by WII. In the later part of the day all the Ganga Praharis were asked to prepare a micro plan for their respective state during an interactive activity session.

On day 5^th of the participants were taken for field exposure to Asan Conservation Reserve. During this visit the Ganga Prahari’s were addressed by Dr. Gopi G.V. on techniques and methods of Bird Watching, Wetland Management and Conservation of the habitat. This experience will enable the participants to adopt and implement the best practices in conserving of wetland along the Ganga River. After returning to the Wildlife Institute of India, Ganga Prahari’s had an opportunity to interact with London based Pravasi Ganga Prahari, Dr. Raj Amin, who is associated with Zoological Society of London. Here in they interacted about the activities which Ganga Prahari and Pravasi Ganga Prahari’s can take up together for the biodiversity conservation of the Holy Ganga. Dr. Amin also shared his opinion about this initiative and the reason he himself joined this initiative describing the significance of the role of Ganga Prahari and its importance.

On day 6^th of the participants had an interactive session wherein they were divided state wise in to teams and each team was asked to devise solutions to the problems identified by them during the Village Level Micro Planning exercise. Ms. Hemlata Khanduri, Dr. Sangeeta Angom and Dr. Pariva Dobriyal interacted with all the teams and guided them with reasonable solutions to achieve the desired conservation goals. In the later part of the day the team were taken to Himalayan Environmental Education and Conservation Organization, (HESCO) Dehradun. The team had interactions with Dr. Kiran Negi and other experts in which the participants were told about village development and restoration techniques like spring and river water recharge, low cost bridge for better access, water-flour mills and fruit processing plant. This experience will allow the trained cadre to mobilise rural community through implementation of alternative livelihood models. Alternative livelihood will enable the local community to decrease their level of dependency on fishing and allied businesses for their socio economic survival.

On the 7^th day the Ganga Prahari Spearhead Team were taken to Bharwakatal village in Maldevta, Dehradun. This village happens to be one of the few planned villages in our country. Besides few lectures from the alternate livelihood experts from HESCO, the team members witnessed the various alternative livelihood models that are in practice in this village for instance there is a Women Self Help Group which has brought financial inclusion and financial literacy among the women, like wise they have set up some common facility centres where in organic comestibles are prepared and sold. In addition to this they have been practicing Shree Daan, a concept of donation chain for resources mobilization and development in the nearby area. This real life exposure will enable the Spearhead Team to propagate and practice similar sustainable village development models and bring about prosperity in their respective areas. The day concluded with a Ganga Aarti at Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh. Ganga Praharis were introduced to the devotees from across the world during this magnificent evening, giving them the opportunity to share their learnings and ideas with the people around.

On the 8^th and the final day of the training began with a Cleanliness Drive at Parmarth Niketan in which all the Ganga Praharis offered Shram Daan as part of this mass cleanliness drive. To mark the culmination of the training programme a Valedictory ceremony was held at Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh. During this ceremony certificates were distributed to the participants after the successful completion of their training on 10-02-2020.