Ecological monitoring for climate change interventions January 2024 Batch
One of the most pressing issues confronting society today is climate change and although it is now a familiar term, it is often confused with other kinds of ecological changes. In addition, most policy discussions on climate impacts acknowledge that we lack information at scales less than the level of the state, for example at the district, block or cluster levels.
Since climate change significantly impacts livelihoods, human and ecological health, this absence of baseline data at finer scales becomes a barrier to designing suitable mitigation and adaptation measures. Therefore, obtaining this information at smaller spatial scales is important.
This four-day residential workshop is aimed at development professionals who wish to understand how climate change might impact the areas and communities they work with.
The workshop will introduce participants to simple, low-cost techniques that can be used for local ecological monitoring and discuss how they can be used to inform climate change interventions at the local level.
On all days except the first day, session will begin with a practicum from 7 – 9 am.
| DATE & TIME | TOPICS |
|---|---|
| Day 1 9 am ‑12 pm | 1. Introduction to climate change and climate monitoring 2. Introduction to ecological monitoring, merits and challenges of collecting long-term data 3. Case studies |
| Day 2 7 – 9 am | Practicum 1: Weather monitoring 4. How to conduct a vegetation study |
| Day 3 7 – 9am | Practicum 2: Vegetation monitoring 5. How to study fauna (birds) |
| Day 4 7 – 9 am | Practicum 3: Faunal monitoring 6.Discussion of practicums, ideas for the future 7. Presentation of certificates |
The workshop will be conducted in English.
Each session will consist of half a day of classroom learning and half a day of fieldwork. The classroom sessions will be instructor-led; they will provide participants with a foundational understanding of different aspects of ecological monitoring and how they can aid development interventions.
Instructors will also introduce participants to easily available resources such as field guides and citizen science platforms/mobile applications. These will be followed by the associated fieldwork session, where participants will learn relevant techniques, attempt basic data collection and representation.
The field sites will be around the Sarjapur area.
For any queries, please write to: ecol.monitoring@apu.edu.in
Resources
Course Faculty
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Madhuri Ramesh
She studies nature-society interactions. She currently works in the Andaman islands but in the past, she has worked in the Thar desert and Western Ghats.
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Santonu Goswami
He studies long-term environmental changes in different regions including the Himalayas and the Arctic.
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Monica Kaushik
She studies birds and forest ecosystems. She has worked in Hawai’i and Uttarakhand.
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Krishnapriya Tamma
She works on forest ecosystems in the Himalayas and North-East India. She is also interested in climate justice and science communication.
Fee Structure
| INR 3250 | Fees for partner organisations: for tuition and accommodation (including GST) |
|---|---|
| INR 5800 | Fees for others: for tuition and accommodation (including GST) |
Food: Breakfast and meals are available at the cafeteria on direct payment basis. Approximately Rs. 225/- will suffice for a breakfast and two meals per person per day.