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Our Social MediaJulia Migné2021-03-26T09:59:10+00:00

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The world’s largest fish – the Whale Shark –

The world’s largest fish – the Whale Shark – was once strategically hunted across the coast of Gujarat. One landing brought between 3-4 lakhs. This was what Jeevabhai Nathubhai Barraiya from Sutrapada was known for. “I must have killed between 25-30 whale sharks in my lifetime”, he exclaims. It's easy money and not a lot of work. Killing a whale shark only required some patience – a virtue that fishermen are born with! In 2019 alone, there were over 600 confirmed killings.

But back in 2000, things started to change; It was the first time that conservationists realised that we are on the verge of wiping out a species. Everyone came together to be a part of the massive conservation campaign started by the Gujarat forest department and NGOs like Wildlife Trust of India. Spiritual leaders like Morari Bapu helped give the fish a new identity – Vhali, or “dear one”. Today, the whale shark is revered as the “daughter” as there have been sightings of the fish with its pups in these waters. “It’s our duty to protect our daughter who has come home with her newborn. Morari Bapu opened our eyes and while we are ashamed of the past, we now pledge to protect the whale shark in our coasts”, says Jeevabhai, now the elected leader of the Koli Samaj, the second largest fishing community in Gujarat.

Now, fishermen voluntarily cut off their nets when whale sharks accidentally get entangled in them. Jeevabhai was recognised for his contribution to the whale shark conservation campaign by the state in 2019. Now retired from fishing, he is still an active member of the ‘Friends of Whale Shark’ group that spreads awareness across the fishing community around Veraval.

Photos and text by @dandelion.diaries. Edited by @shortstuff_in_a_bigworld, design by @poojarathii

#conservation #conservationstories #conservationoptimism #conservationcommunity #conservationIndia #conservationoptimismIndia #wildlifeconservation #communitiesofconservation #humansofconservation #communitiesinconservation #whaleshark #gujarat #positive #fisheries #conservationsuccess #fishingcommunity #marineconservation

"Leopards are part of our family. We get concerned

"Leopards are part of our family. We get concerned if we do not see leopards or hear about their presence in our area for over a week. We worry that someone might have killed or caused some other harm to them," said Prakash Bhoir, an Adivasi resident of Mumbai's Aarey Milk Colony.

Bhoir and other Adivasis of Mumbai have a deep-rooted connection with the forest. They live in small hamlets in or on the fringes of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and adjacent Aarey forest. They worship nature, and Waghoba is their "Leopard God" who protects the forest keeping them alive.

"People call Adivasis backward and poor. But I think we are very knowledgeable and rich. We know how to live at one with nature. Our homes are in the midst of thousands of trees which give us fresh air to breathe. I have learned that trees give us ecosystem services worth a lot of money. So how can we be poor?" said Bhoir.

In recent decades, deforestation has wreaked havoc in these forest dwellers’ lives and that of their leopards. Today, immigrant settlers and large projects occupy much of the land in Aarey. Habitat loss and easy prey like dogs near garbage dumps have brought the otherwise elusive leopards of Aarey close to human habitation making conflict situations more common.

However, the Adivasis of Aarey are not ready to give up their forest. With the support of Mumbai's nature-loving and concerned residents, they have protested vehemently against the wanton destruction of Aarey's forests. The Save Aarey Movement is a prime example and their campaigns also led to a part of Aarey being declared a reserved forest.

Written by @oishimayasennag, pictures by @jy_brothers. Edited by @shortstuff_in_a_bigworld, design by @poojarathii

#conservation #conservationstories #conservationoptimism #conservationcommunity #conservationIndia #conservationoptimismIndia #wildlifeconservation #communitiesofconservation #humansofconservation #leopard #adivasi #aarey #saveaarey #waghoba

We are super excited to share this beautiful story

We are super excited to share this beautiful story written and illustrated by Ghazal Qadir from @conservationoptimismpakistan!

This story is part of a series that will feature different Pakistani species over the next few months. They have been designed for children to forge a deeper connection with the wildlife around them, and feel inspired and awed with these stories of hope.

Follow the link in our bio to find “Mehtab and the March of the Moon Bears”. Make sure to share it with your friends and family too!
☁️✨🐻✨☁️

Stay tuned and follow @conservationoptimismpakistan for more of these wonderful stories 🙂

#moonbearday #moonbearday2022 #moonbearmonday #moonbear #asiaticblackbear #conservationoptimism #storytelling #storybook #artwork #illustration #creativeconservation #Pakistan #childrensbooks #wildlife #animals #cute

Swipe for more 🙂 That's a wrap for our Little Mi

Swipe for more 🙂

That's a wrap for our Little Miss in conservation. We hope you enjoyed seeing them as much as we enjoyed making them! Which one was your favourite? Tell in the comments!

#conservationoptimism #littlemiss #littlemr #mrmen #conservationmemes #cute #protest #environment #hope #goodnews

Little Miss for conservation. Swipe for more 🙂 #

Little Miss for conservation. Swipe for more 🙂

#littlemiss #littlemr #conservationoptimism #conservation #wildlife #fieldwork #fieldfails #cute #conservationmemes #mrmen #sundaymood☀️

We're loving the comeback of Little Miss and decid

We're loving the comeback of Little Miss and decided to make some conservation-themed characters! If you don't know what this is, check out @littlemissnotesapp to see more of these adorable comics.

Share this if you know someone who can relate! And tell us what Little Miss you are?

We're Little Miss wants to reduce her carbon footprint, makes memes on conservation

#conservationoptimism #littlemiss #littlemr #meme #conservation #conservationmemes #cute #funny #snake #butterfly #weekend

The proposed megaproject in Great Nicobar Island c

The proposed megaproject in Great Nicobar Island could spell disaster for both its people and wildlife. The Andaman and Nicobar administration published an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) earlier this year for a port, an airport, a township and a gas-cum-solar power plant, all on the Great Nicobar island. However, the supposedly comprehensive EIA is short-sighted on many accounts and the proposed project is likely to have grave impacts on the people and wildlife of this unique and fragile region.

While the island needs development, it is important to accomplish this in a way that will also uphold the cultural and ecological heritage of Great Nicobar and its people. Swipe to read some reasons as to why this project needs to be reconsidered.

As we've seen with other similar projects across the country, our collective voices can be powerful, by bringing attention to critical issues and sparking positive change. Share this post with the people you know, and sign the petitions in the link in our bio.

Content by @munibkhanyari, Design by @poojarathii

#conservationoptimism #andamanandnicobar #greatnicobar #andamanislands #MoEFCC #infrastructureproject #savenicobar #leatherbackturtle #turtle #nicobarmegapode #endemicspecies #conservation #biodiversity #megaproject #campaign #petition #hope #conservationIndia #indigenous #nicobarese #shompen #aboriginal #protectedarea #galathea #mangrove

Meet the Team: Ahalya (@shortstuff_in_a_bigworld)

Meet the Team: Ahalya (@shortstuff_in_a_bigworld) is an editor at CO India and is using her skills in communication to inspire positive change through stories about the environment.

Being a freelance content editor, writer, and strategist, she has a way with words, and her writing impacts and inspires people. Her clarity of thought is admired by the team.

She has always found pleasure in being in and around nature, and no flower escapes her lens! Her love for nature and wildlife grew through all the hiking, trekking, and camping experiences she had growing up.

Ahalya enjoys good music, immersing herself in a good book, and visiting cultural and heritage sites.

#meettheteam #conservationoptimism #writer #contentcreator #editor

Meet the team: Pooja (@poojarathii) is a designer

Meet the team: Pooja (@poojarathii) is a designer at CO. Her love for story telling and positivity really shine through her uplifting creatives.

Pooja is an experiential designer working with all things spaces, furniture and graphics.

A fan of storytelling, she loves all things related to Indian crafts and even her other hobbies like reading, and travelling revolve around them

Last summer, she went scuba diving and fell in love with the ocean. The experience and the interaction with the people there stoked her desire of working with the environment, and she's never one to shy away from looking at the bright side of things.

She hopes to swim with whale sharks and manta rays some day.

#conservationoptimism #meettheteam #design #designer #creative #artist

Swipe to read 🙂 #conservationoptimism #conservat

Swipe to read 🙂

#conservationoptimism #conservationsuccess #conservation #conservationstories #conservationcommunity #conservationIndia #humansofconservation #communitiesofconservation #wildlifeconservation #wildlife #positive

We're back with another edition of our collaborati

We're back with another edition of our collaborative series - Bridging Borders with @conservationoptimismpakistan . This time around, the webinar will focus on Cetaceans. Found in the waters of India and Pakistan, Cetaceans are threatened by industrial fishing, pollution, and biodiversity loss. River dolphins are more sensitive to these changes, making them far more threatened than their ocean counterparts. River dolphins are found in Ganga and Indus and their territories span across geopolitical borders. Much like the dolphins, we also hope to not let borders stop our efforts to preserve this unique, endangered species, which belong to the oldest lineage of dolphins globally. Check link in bio to sign up.

Date: June 18
Time : 6:30pm IST
Location : Zoom

#conservationoptimism #conservation #conservationIndia #wildlifeconservation #pakistan #collaboration #bridgingborders #webinar #riverdolphin #freshwaterdolphin #dolphinconnection #dolphins #crossbordercollaboration #collaborationforconservation

Arjun Srivathsa (@arjun_srivathsa) is a wildlife b

Arjun Srivathsa (@arjun_srivathsa) is a wildlife biologist who works on large carnivore ecology and conservation. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Florida (USA) and a Research Associate with @wcs. He is also an artist and cartoonist, specialising in creating conservation-themed artwork for nature education and science communication.

Read his story below, and swipe to see some of his lovely artwork!

“The purpose of pursuing scientific research is to discover the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ about the endless mysteries of our world, driven by curiosity and fascination. A big part of the joy in making these discoveries is to then share it with the world. In conservation science, we often ask questions about where animals and plants are found, why are they found there, how many of them exist, how do they interact with people, how do people view them, and how all these connections endure moving into the future.

The language of science is, more often than not, burdened with jargon and niche lexicon. Using art, caricatures and cartoons has helped me break the barriers between science and the society to communicate fascinating findings of conservation research in India. When we see animals not as generic “species”, but as quirky individuals with unique personalities that need to do interesting things to navigate and survive our world, the science behind their ecology, behavior and conservation becomes infinitely more appealing. Science should not be locked up in fortresses governed by scientists; it belongs to the society. I believe it is our collective responsibility– as scientists, artists, communicators– to make it accessible to everyone.”

#humansofconservation #conservationoptimism #carnivore #ecology #wildlife #artwork #animal #sciencecommunication #scicomm #artist #cuteanimals

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