Satpuda Foundation

The Employment Cell initiative, funded by Lifeforce Charitable Trust, targets unemployed youths who are vulnerable to the lure of poachers and logging contractors. The focus is on providing village youths with alternative livelihood options to reduce their reliance on forests. The project aims to offer direct employment and enhance skills, enabling candidates to pursue self-employment. The initiative has already provided jobs to 32 youths in the Pench cluster and conducted workshops on alternative livelihood for 58 youths. More skill-enhancement workshops are planned for the future, focusing on areas like food product making, eco-tourism, soap, incense sticks, candles, and clothes manufacturing. The Employment Cell currently operates in Pench Cluster and plans to expand its activities to other Tiger Reserves soon. The initiative conducted surveys to assess unemployment levels and opportunities for self-employment within their operational areas. Since 2008, they have organized placemen

The focus of our programs is to shape the future decision-makers with a strong emphasis on wildlife and forest conservation. Through the Kids for Tigers Programme, we have implemented activities in 25 schools in Nagpur and 10 schools in Akola. In villages, our Conservation officers and field assistants conduct classroom lectures, nature games, activities, and jungle walks to engage children. Additionally, we organize drawing, essay, painting, and poetry competitions. These efforts extend to all schools in the 115 villages across our operational areas, encompassing six Tiger Reserves. The activities include classroom lectures, nature games with conservation messages, drawing and painting focusing on nature and wildlife, and nature trails and conservation rallies to sensitize village children about the importance of conservation. We have conducted a total of 2,581 classroom lectures on nature and wildlife conservation, along with 147 nature trails.

Our primary focus is to actively involve local communities in sustainable conservation efforts, thus alleviating pressure on wildlife and forests.
Our activities include promoting moisture conservation and afforestation to enhance ecological balance. We also advise villagers to reduce their herds of non-milk-producing cattle to minimize environmental impact. To reduce the demand for fuelwood, we assist villagers in getting gas connections, while advocating forest-friendly measures like biogas units and cooking gas connections.
We educate and aid villagers in setting up natural barriers to protect crops from wildlife, thereby reducing conflicts between humans and animals. Moreover, we organize community meetings that bring together villagers, Forest Department, and district administration officials to address development issues and forge a consensus on conservation. Through these initiatives, we strive to create a harmonious coexistence between local communities and the natural environm

Wildlife Conservation holds various meanings for different individuals, and there are multiple approaches to achieving it. Once considered solely under the jurisdiction of Government Officials, it has now evolved into a multi-dimensional domain requiring the involvement of various stakeholders. Each one of us can play a vital role in ensuring the continuous survival of our wildlife, whether it's tigers, gharials, wolves, or the entire forest ecosystem. This comprehensive certificate course aims to familiarize aspiring conservationists with the challenges and potential solutions involved in field conservation efforts.