IBGN- About Indian Botanic Gardens Network - MMPG

Model Educational Programme
(MEP)

MEP-Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions
(MEP-FRLHT)

Introduction || Aims & Objectives || Project Team || Work Progress

Aim:

To develop a botanical garden linked user-friendly and replicable model educational programme for conservation of medicinal plant diversity through an educational module for local communities.

Objectives:

To develop a prototype of user friendly and replicable medicinal plant conservation educational module for local communities.
To develop two vernacular versions (Kannada and Tamil) of this module.
To build capacity of the trainers from partner organisations in effective and efficient delivery of the module.
To strengthen the EMG (FRLHT’s on-campus botanical garden) by establishing 4 additional thematic layouts based on medicinal orchids, medicinal ferns, wild edible medicinal plants (tubers/ leaves/ stems/ fruits/ seeds) and aquatic medicinal plants.
To develop, design and put up interpretative signage for these thematic layouts.
To document the process of development of the educational module for inputs into planning of education programmes.

MEP’s RELEVANCE TO PLANT CONSERVATION PRIORITIES IN INDIA

Of the 7,500 odd plant species used for health care by the different ethnic communities in India including in the codified systems of health care, many are facing serious threat due to habitat loss, over-exploitation and other anthropogenic pressures. Over 90% of the species in trade and over 70% of the total raw material requirement is still being made from the wild resources. Efforts at FRLHT to assess threat status of medicinal plants species through Conservation Assessment and Management Prioritization (CAMP) workshops have already brought out that some 265 species are facing various categories of threat as per IUCN’s threat categorization guidelines. Along with this impending species loss the danger of permanent loss of the associated knowledge base lying with thousands of folk practitioners in the use of plants for health care is also lurking.

Concerns have already been raised for conservation of these species. The Planning Commission of India has already identified medicinal plants as a priority sector in India and a national strategy for overall development of the sector has been prepared. It aims at sustainable utilization, value addition and conservation of medicinal plants and to make India a global leader in this field. A National Medicinal Plants Board and State-level Medicinal Plant Boards have also been set up to steer this programme. The effective implementation of this programme would require involvement of all agencies having expertise and capacity to undertake educational and field implementation activities.

The present project proposal will enable FRLHT to further strengthen its activities related to education and awareness of masses for conservation of medicinal plants. The prototype of educational module developed under the present project will also be made available to other agencies involved in educational activities for use in their areas after bringing in suitable modifications.

MEP’s RELEVANCE IN IMPLEMENTING THE GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR PLANT CONSERVATION

The present proposal aims to link the botanical garden with conservation education so as to fulfil one of the prime objectives of setting up of the garden. This educational programme would address the need to create awareness amongst the stakeholders on a sustained basis so as to evince their involvement in conservation of the resource. Role of conservation conscious communities in the conservation of biodiversity is now widely recognized. The EMG at FRLHT’s campus showcases many of the endemic and red-listed species. This programme will enable the linking of these species to the educational module and sensitize the communities in a much effective way. The programme also involves training a select group of trainers from the partner organizations in taking up training programmes in medicinal plant conservation and would make the modules available to them to start programmes to sensitize communities on a campaign scale. This EMG linked educational programme will, thus, become an active part of the global strategy on conservation of threatened plants.

RELEVANCE WITH THE ONGOING WORK OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

In southern India, the Tropical Botanic Garden & Research Institute (TBGRI), Trivandrum and the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Peechi are engaged in research in floristic diversity of the area. They also have botanical gardens attached to their organizations and are continuously upgrading these with more species added to the earlier collections. Educational activities based on the botanical gardens of these organizations are only incidental and not by way of any planned activity.

At the national level, National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and Botanical Survey of India (BSI) are the major agencies involved in survey and research related to plants and floristic diversity in India.

In addition to these organizations, some universities and other research institutes also undertake project based and academic research in medicinal plants sector. However, these efforts are far too few and scattered to make any social impact particularly in South India.

FRLHT has created a specialized niche for itself because of its focus only on different aspects related to medicinal plants, including those like their in situ and ex situ conservation. It also has been involved in organizing a number of training programmes for resource managers and local communities. Incidentally both the TBGRI and the KFRI have been associated with FRLHT in implementing some earlier projects.

The proposed MEP programme will be a unique programme under which the medium of medicinal plants – forming about 50% of the total higher plant diversity of India – will be used to carry the message of plant conservation. FRLHT, during implementation of the project will maintain liaison with other organizations engaged in work on medicinal plants in the form of drawing resource persons, plant material and information from them.

POSSIBILITIES OF FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY OF MEP

The present educational project has been prepared keeping in view the key thrust areas of FRLHT. The project will enable FRLHT to prepare a field-tested EMG linked educational module for incorporation into its regular institutional training programmes.

With growing awareness about issues related to conservation of plants, more and more efforts towards sensitization of people about conservation imperatives are envisaged. The educational module developed under this programme will provide an authentic base to mainstream the conservation education. It will have an application value across the country and even at international levels particularly for tropical countries. The trainers trained under this programme will form the initial manpower resource in replication of the module far and wide.

FRLHT has an education and communication division that organizes institutional as well as project linked training programmes. The project will also enable FRLHT in further strengthening its EMG by establishing 4 more themes to enhance its educational value. With the development of this comprehensive educational module, the likelihood of its replication is immense providing FRLHT opportunity to organize sponsored training activities to generate revenue for sustainability of the programme.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF THE PROGRESS OF THE PROJECT

The progress of the project will be monitored by the project team on monthly basis when the team members will sit together and assess the progress on the pre-set time-lines for both qualitative and quantitative parameters. Corrective measures if any required will be immediately worked out and put to implementation.

FRLHT would also constitute a three member in-house monitoring committee to keep a watch on the progress of the project and to guide the project in view of the project objectives and the time schedules. The project leaders will make presentations to this committee on a quarterly basis. The committee will be authorized to co-opt any subject matter specialist in visiting the field and monitor the field-testing or other activities in the field. An annual appraisal of the project will be done by the committee and project and a report submitted to the funding agency.

Quarterly reports will be sent to NBRI for including the same in National report of IIN India to BGCI.

MILESTONES

S. NO.	ACTIVITY/ OUTCOME	OUTCOME	MEASURABLE TARGET	Outcomes
S. NO.	ACTIVITY/ OUTCOME	OUTCOME	MEASURABLE TARGET	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
1	Development of Educational Module
1.1	Consultative workshop involving RPs and representatives of target groups to develop framework for educational module	Framework for training module developed	a. Identification of RPs/ representatives of target groups to be completed. b. Preparing for the consultative workshop including preparing draft framework. c. Consultative workshop organized. d. Framework for educational module prepared.



1.2	Development and design of 1st draft of the educational module	1st draft educational module ready	a. Gathering of literature and visuals for 1st draft module as per the framework. b. Working out the module delivery methods. c. Design and layout of the material to develop 1st draft for testing.


1.3	Identification of partner organizations for testing of the educational modules.	Partner Organizations identified	a. Partner organizations identified b. Working guidelines prepared. c. Agreement with partner organizations entered into.


1.4	Presentation of the 1st draft educational module to the trainers derived from the partner organizations.	Draft module (for trainers) ready	a. Preparing for the Workshop for trainers. b. Workshop for trainers organized
1.4		Draft module (for trainers) ready
1.5	Field testing of the 1st draft by trainers under guidance from FRLHT team.	The draft module field tested	a. Organizing field events to test the module (2 events/ trainer x 4 trainers)
1.6	Experience sharing workshop with trainers after field-testing of 1st draft module.	Consolidation of field learning.	a. Experience sharing workshop organized. b. Field learning documented.
1.6		Consolidation of field learning.
1.7	Modifications in the draft through incorporation of learning from the field.	Revised draft module ready	a. Field learning incorporated and modifications in the module done.
1.8	Review workshop for finalization of educational module (RPs)	Final draft ready	a. Review workshop completed b. Final draft of the module ready
1.8		Final draft ready
1.9	Designing the prototype modules.	Prototype of the module designed	a. Prototype of the module designed
1.10	Translation of the modules in Tamil and Kannada	Translation of the prototypes	a. Translated prototypes ready for use b. DTP of translated vernacular versions
1.10	Translation of the modules in Tamil and Kannada	Translation of the prototypes
1.11	Bring out user friendly and replicable educational modules and other material in English, Kannada and Tamil.	Module finalized and ready for replication	a. English and two vernacular versions of the module ready
1.12	Documentation of all the above activities	Report on the process documentation	a. Photographic documentation b. Consolidated reports of the process
1.12	Documentation of all the above activities	Report on the process documentation
2	Establishment of four new specific medicinal themes
2.1	Setting up of a green house (10m x 6 m) complete with misting equipment for establishing an Orchidarium of medicinal orchids of India.	Orchidarium of medicinal orchids of India established.	a. Development of site. b. Green house with internal layout established. c. 50 medicinal orchids from various parts of India planted/ exhibited


2.2	Establishment of a shade house (10m x 6 m) complete with sprinklers for housing and exhibiting medicinal ferns of India.	Fernery of medicinal ferns of India established.	a. Development of site.
			b. Shade house with internal layout established.
			c. 50 medicinal ferns from various parts of India planted/ exhibited
2.3	Construction of a water body (100 sq.m.) for aquatic and riparian medicinal plants of India.	Thematic display of aquatic and riparian medicinal plants in place.	a. Water body constructed. b. 50 aquatic, marshy and riparian medicinal plant species of India planted/ exhibited.
2.3
2.4	Setting up of a thematic exhibit for wild edible (food) medicinal plants of India.	Thematic exhibit put in place.	a. Development of site. b. Plantation of 50 wild edible (food substitutes) medicinal plant species of India
2.4		Thematic exhibit put in place.
2.5	Field surveys to collect propagules for the proposed themes (10 visits to different bio-geographic zones of India by in-house team of botanists)	Required specimens collected.	a. 50 species of medicinal orchids collected. b. 50 species of medicinal ferns collected. c. 50 species of aquatic, marshy, riparian medicinal plants collected. d. 50 species of edible medicinal plants collected



2.6	Maintenance and multiplication of propagules.	Propagules maintained in nursery and multiplied for use in the thematic demonstration areas	a. Maintenance of propagules brought from the field. b. Multiplication of propagules for planting and replacement of mortalities.
2.6	Maintenance and multiplication of propagules.
2.7	Development and affixing of educational signage.	Educational signage affixed for the proposed thematic layouts.	a. Educational and interpretative signage developed for plants species for all the four thematic layouts.

Introduction || Aims & Objectives || Project Team || Work Progress