Community-based Conservation Centres

Field academies play a diverse role in developing conservation-literate human capital at ATREE, with a varied mix of stakeholders, so that they exist by several names in ATREE lexicon. Community-based Conservation Centre (CCC) - is reference to the rich community and local interface these field academies provide; Community Environmental Resource Centre (CERC - in Vembanad) - reference to its function as resource centre to communities; field academies - to learning outside classroom and textbook; field research station - to observations and research questions they may address.

ATREE envisioned the concept of CCCs to provide a two-way interface for local communities and local institutions to evolve practical strategies for sustainable governance and co-management of forest and other natural resources. The CCCs or field academies are integral to the reach, productivity and effectiveness of the Academy. These field facilities provide ATREE staff the needed field presence to generate rigorous ground-based knowledge relevant to addressing local problems. They provide pertinent information that shapes public policy and serve as field research stations, besides providing various stakeholders physical space for networking and training.

ATREE has six field academies, which also serve as community-based conservation centres and field research stations:

  1. Male Mahadeshwara Hills
  2. Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple WLS
  3. Kanakpura
  4. Agasthyamalai (Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve)
  5. Natham
  6. Vembanad Community Environmental Resource Centre