Image credit: Project Team
A course to train the youth of Hesaraghatta grasslands into becoming ecopreneurs which will not only generate income for them but also help in conserving the wildlife in those areas. The Responsible Ecotourism project at Hesaraghatta, spearheaded by The Naturalist School in collaboration with Native Jungle and Our Native Village, is an ambitious initiative set in Bengaluru’s last remaining open grassland at Heserghatta, a peri-urban area in the north-west fringes of the city of Bangalore. Encompassing over 5,000 acres, the recently notified Greater Hesaraghatta Conservation Reserve boasts rich biodiversity—including 395 insect species, 285 birds, and 111 butterflies—and serves as a crucial catchment that supports water security for the city. Our multi-month project seeks to combine conservation with community empowerment and climate resilience by training local youth as professional nature guides through certified courses, fostering green livelihoods, and building environmental stewardship. The program will also enhance ecotourism ethics, infrastructure, and urban engagement, positioning Hesaraghatta as a living lab for sustainable development and a scalable model for other vulnerable habitats. By The Naturalist School, Native Jungle and Our Native Village.
Project Start Date: September 2025
Contact details:
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- Arvindh Sethuraman (TNS) – 9600162082
- Priya Venkatesh (TNS) – 9886798911
- Swarna Venkataraman (CI) – 9845740848
- Instagram: @thenaturalistschool, @conservationindia, @ournativevillage
- Website: www.naturalist.school | www.conservationindia.org | www.ournativevillage.com
Status Updates & Reports
Outreach and Awareness
As part of the initial phase of the Certified Nature Guide (CNG) Batch 10 program at
Hesaraghatta, a series of outreach and awareness activities were conducted to engage local communities, institutions, and stakeholders.
1. Community-Level Engagement
Ms.Priya, Ms.Swarna and Mr.Chandrashekhar actively engaged with local governing bodies to build awareness and support for the programme.Meetings were conducted with the Gram Panchayat representatives to introduce the objectives of the CNG course and its relevance to local livelihoods and conservation.
A key interaction was held with the DFO Mr. Ravindra IFS and the PDO, Smt. Veena, where the team explained the importance of grassland ecosystems and the role of trained nature guides in conservation and eco-tourism.
These engagements helped in building trust, gaining local support, and encouraging participation from the community.
2. Institutional Outreach
Outreach efforts were extended to nearby educational institutions to mobilise youth
participation:
At First Grade College, Hesaraghatta, awareness sessions were conducted to introduce students to the CNG program, its structure, and opportunities in nature guiding.
Mr.Chandrashekhar also connected with Acharya University (near Hesaraghatta) to spread awareness among students and encourage their involvement in the course.
These interactions played a key role in reaching interested and motivated young
participants.
3. Awareness Objectives
The outreach activities focused on:
● Introducing the Responsible Tourism programme and its benefits
● Highlighting the ecological importance of Hesaraghatta grasslands
● Creating awareness about biodiversity conservation
● Encouraging local youth to take up nature guiding as a skill and livelihood opportunity
Mobilization and Selection
Following the awareness phase, interested individuals were mobilised to participate in the
programme.
This included:
● Identifying motivated candidates from local communities
● Encouraging participation of both men and women to ensure gender balance
● Conducting informal interactions to understand candidate interest and commitment
● Shortlisting participants based on their enthusiasm for nature, conservation, and community engagement
A total of 15 participants were selected for the Responsible Tourism project, ensuring:
- A gender mix
- Representation from local communities
- High motivation and commitment towards conservation and learning
The course included in-person, on the job training in addition to a residential module.
Following the completion of the initial training sessions, participants of the Certified Nature Guide (CNG) Batch 10 course appeared for the Skill India Assessment as part of the certification process.
First Steps into the Real World: Women’s Day Nature Walk
Following the completion of the Certified Nature Guide (CNG) course, a public nature walk was conducted at the Hesaraghatta grassland in celebration of World Women’s Day.
