Nov

ONGC, WTI Felicitate Conservation Guides on the Successful Completion of their Skills Development Training

_{Participant guides with officials from ONGC and WTI}

New Delhi, September 14, 2016: An event to felicitate ten conservation guides from Rajaji National Park, Sultanpur National Park and Corbett Tiger Reserve was organised at the New Delhi offices of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on September 12. The guides had successfully completed a training programme, organised by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and ONGC, to strengthen their wildilfe education, interpretation and communication skills.

Following a pre-training KAP (Knowledge-Attitude-Practice) survey, the ten selected conservation guides received their training in two phases. The first, held from July 24 to 30 at the Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environmental Education and Research (BVIEER) in Pune, Maharashtra, was a hands-on wildlife education and awareness training that would encourage behaviour contributing to the sustainability of wildlife tourism in their respective areas. The second phase, covering themes such as Guiding Ethics, Modus Operandi, Hospitality, and Market & Seeking Business, was conducted at Asian Adventures Pvt Ltd’s Jungle Lore Camp in Pangot, Uttarakhand from September 8 to 11.

The felicitation event was attended by ONGC’s Mr DD Misra (Director, HR), Ms Manjari Nigam (Deputy General Manger, HR) and Mr SSC Parthiban (Group General Manager, HR) as well as WTI officials and the ten conservation guides. WTI’s Ms Indu Kumari made an introductory presentation on the training programme, while Mr Misra interacted with the guides and distributed certificates of participation as well as field kits comprising jackets, track suits, t-shirts, caps and day packs.

Both training programmes have resulted in a substantial increase in the guides’ overall understanding of ecology, wildlife conservation and sustainable tourism.