Ecological monitoring for development interventions November 2025 Batch
This four-day residential workshop will introduce participants to simple, low-cost techniques that can be used for ecological monitoring and discuss how they can be used to inform development interventions at the local level.
Many development projects are influenced by the ecological setting in which they are implemented or the natural resources they draw on. For instance, the right to water is not only about assured access to a certain volume of water but it also includes the idea of safe water i.e. water of a quality that is fit for human use and consumption. In other words, the quality and health of ecological resources are as important as access and control of the resources. However, resources such as the weather, soil, water and vegetation are often taken for granted in the framing and monitoring of development projects.
Therefore, this 4‑day residential workshop aims to bridge the knowledge and skill gap in ground-level assessment and monitoring of ecological parameters. The workshop will provide a foundational understanding of how to broadly assess the ecological settings in which your project is located, as well as how to identify and monitor certain key variables, for better outcomes. In other words, this workshop will enable participants to integrate ecological considerations into the design and implementation of their development projects. It will focus on simple, low-cost field and lab techniques that can be used for ecological monitoring and the scope for community participation in these activities.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Explain how ecological monitoring can add value to development interventions
- Gather baseline data on weather, soil, water and vegetation
- Carry out simple analysis and interpretation of the baseline data
This residential workshop is designed for development professionals who have 2 to 5 years of experience. Those working on holistic development interventions related to conservation of natural resources or sustainable livelihoods, including adaptation to climate change, will find this particularly useful. Candidates must have working knowledge of Excel (how to make tables and graphs) and English; they will need to bring their own laptops.
The workshop will be conducted in English.
| Date | Topics |
|---|---|
| 05 Nov 2025 | 1. Introduction What is ecological monitoring? How can it add value to development interventions? 2. Designing datasheets 3. Weather monitoring: Concepts, variables and instruments 4. Campus Walk: Campus Sustainability Initiatives |
| 06 Nov 2025 | 1. Vegetation monitoring: Concepts, variables and datasheet design 2. Practicum: Monitoring for herbs, shrubs and trees 3. Simulation exercise: Calculating abundance, density, dominance, etc 4. Monitoring Drinking Water Provisioning: Case Study of Bengaluru’s Water Supply Services a. How to approach monitoring (concepts)? b. Identifying the variables for monitoring c. Coming up with a monitoring data sheet (Group Activity) |
| 07 Nov 2025 | 1. Soil monitoring: Concepts, variables and datasheet design 2. Practicum (soil and water): Soil tests, soil health card |
| 08 Nov 2025 | 1. Integrating Social and Ecological Monitoring in development interventions 2. Concluding Session- Ideas for the future & presentation of certificates |
Participants will be awarded a certificate of participation if they attend at least three days of the workshop and complete the practicums.
Selected candidates will be informed about the payment process by 20 October 2025 and last date for payment of fees is 31 October 2025. The decision of the University will be final.
For any queries, please write to: ecol.monitoring@apu.edu.in
Course Faculty
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Pijush Kumar Dutta
Pijush Kumar works on community-based natural resource management and conservation-linked livelihoods.
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Shaurabh Anand
Shaurabh Anand is an ecologist, broadly interested in understanding human-wildlife interactions and their consequences for both humans and wildlife. His latest research work focuses on human-primate interactions and their drivers in the different geographies of India.
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Manjula M
Manjula M works on the ecological, social and economic dimensions of rural livelihoods especially sustainable agriculture and conservation of natural resources.
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Sham N Kashyap
Sham is a faculty member with over 15 years of experience in the policy and governance space, largely in the state of Karnataka. He has worked in the areas of Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs), public health, sanitation and agriculture and has led research projects and evaluation and monitoring studies. He has also briefly served as…
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Madhuri Ramesh
Madhuri Ramesh works on nature-society interactions, inclusive conservation and nature-based livelihoods.
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Gautam Ganapathy
Gautam Ganapathy works on the relationship between water and society, especially the intersection of ecology, politics and technology.
Fee Structure
| INR 4180 | Partners of Azim Premji Foundation/University, with accommodation |
|---|---|
| INR 8000 | Others, with accomodation |
Food: Breakfast and meals are available at the cafeteria on a direct payment basis. Approximately Rs.225/- will suffice for a breakfast and two meals per person per day.