Dakshin Foundation

Common Voices Issue 7 and 8 out!

seema — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:44:06 +0000

YETI 2011, Guwahati, 13-15 December

seema — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:38:40 +0000

Registrations and abstract submission for YETI 2011, Guwahati are now open!

Dakshin has been a partner of YETI (Young Ecologists Talk and Interact) since 2009. As a conference for students and researchers working in the discipline of ecology in India, YETI is unique in being organized entirely by student volunteers from across the country.

YETI 2011 will be held at Guwahati (December 13 – 15, 2011). Learn more on how to register, submit abstracts of simply learn more about this exciting event, go to http://www.meetyeti.com/

Fisher – turtle conflict in Orissa

admin — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 01:54:35 +0000

Olive ridley turtles are well known for the phenomenon of mass nesting where thousands of sea turtles come ashore simultaneously to nest. Orissa is one of few globally known rookeries where these spectacular ‘arribadas’ occur. Research shows that a high mortality of these turtles on the Orissa coast with an average of more than 100,000 turtle deaths occurring in the last decade. A smorgasbord of laws have been introduced aimed at protecting sea turtles in Orissa but the legitimacy of these rules are not accepted by all. A complex web of conflicts characterises conservation in Orissa involving the state, scientists, traditional and mechanised fishing communities and sea turtle conservationists. Dakshin members are involved in a project that seeks to understand the ecological, historical and social dimensions of this conflict.

Conservation Biology: A Primer for South Asia

seema — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:38:45 +0000

Conservation Biology: A Primer for South Asia provides a comprehensive introduction to the concepts of conservation biology as well as various perspectives on the effective conservation of biodiversity. With a balanced set of examples dealing with different themes and geographical areas in the region, this book is aimed to stimulate the interest of a wide audience ranging from students of conservation biology, managers and policy makers. The book draws attention to the initiatives that are underway in South Asia particularly with respect to those involving local communities, indigenous groups and other local stakeholders. It also identifies critical research areas for conservation research, policy interventions and on-the-ground efforts.

Volunteers and interns

admin — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:07:08 +0000

We welcome interns and volunteers with a keen interest in coastal and marine work in both the natural and social sciences. Over the years we have offered internships, summer projects and Masters projects to many students from both the social and natural sciences.

If you are interested in spending some time at Dakshin gaining experience in the field of conservation and development, then write to us dakshinfoundation.india@gmail.com.

Do remember to send us a brief note with the following information which will help us plan work that matches your interest and skills:

1. Your proficiency in Indian languages

2. Samples of your previous writing if any

3. the duration of your internship

4. the internship / project requirements from your university/college (if your internship with us is towards meeting an academic requirement)

5. Does your internship have to be field-based or are you open to working on secondary data?

6. Do you have a particular question or project idea you want to pursue? It always helps if there’s some fire in your belly

Jatin Das Serigraph For Sale

admin — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:07:59 +0000

Jatin Das, one of India’s best known artists has produced a unique serigraph entitled ‘Kachua’ or ‘Turtle’. The proceeds from the sales of this limited edition of serigraphs (silk screen prints) will support the ISTS Travel Grant Fund. The serigraph was commissioned by the ISTS and Dakshin Foundation to celebrate the coming of the symposium to India for the very first time in 2010. A special numbered and signed serigraph edition of 500 was specially released as a donation on the occasion of the event in Goa last year. The prints are now on sale at Dakshin Foundation.

The inspiration for this Jatin Das’s ‘Turtle’ was born when he witnessed the mass nesting of olive ridley turtles in Rushikulya, Orissa. Through the night of the event, he did many drawings, which ultimately resulted in the production of a unique depiction of the kachua avatar (more popularly known as the kurma avatar) – the second avatar of Vishnu.

You can order your print in advance by writing to Kartik Shanker at kshanker@ces.iisc.ernet.in. Your contribution will help support the ISTS travel grant programme, which enables the participation of students, NGOs and community representatives from different parts of the world to attend the annual symposium.

Serigraph Specifications:

- Material: Acid-free handmade paper, hand printed on serigraph (silkscreen)

- Canvas: 240 GSM Canson

- Size: 30” x 20”

Signed prints numbered 1 – 10 are priced at Rs.20,000 (USD 500) each and signed prints numbered 11 – 500 are priced at Rs.10,000 (USD 250) each. The unsigned prints are priced at Rs.1,000 (USD 25) each.

About the artist:

Jatin Das has been painting for 50 years. He was born in December 1941 in Mayurbhanj, Orissa, India. He studied at the Sir JJ School of Art, Bombay. He has held over 55 one-man exhibitions in India and abroad and has participated in numerous national and international shows and artist camps.

He has also done several murals and sculpture installations. He works in oil, watercolour, ink, and conté. His works now feature in several public and private collections in India and abroad. (Know more about the artist at www.jatindas.com).

Jatin now lives in Delhi and has set up the JD Centre of Art, for the conservation and promotion of traditional and contemporary visual and plastic arts in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa. A non profit institution, the JDCA is an artist’s endeavour, the only one of its kind in the country. This serigraph edition was therefore not only done in a personal capacity, but also on behalf of JDCA, as a reflection of its concern for the conservation and promotion of the art of nature. Instead of taking an honorarium, Jatin has requested that 500 posters be given to JDCA for the benefit of schools of Orissa, his home state.

Common Voices Newsletter

seema — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 06:06:05 +0000

Common Voices is a newsletter dealing with the subject of the ‘commons’ and is produced by the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) the organisers of the 13th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of Commons (IASC) held in January 2011 at Hyderabad, India. The newsletter draws its inspriration from this event and the debates catalysed in the context of studies on the commons by scholars from India and other parts of the globe.

The Editors of Common Voices (Jagdeesh Rao of FES, Meera Anna Oommen and Aarthi Sridhar of Dakshin) encourage you to take a look at these:

Common Voices Issue 6: Addressing the commons

Common Voices Issue 5: Fisheries

Common Voices Issue 4: IASC 2011 Conference

Common Voices Issue 3: Forests

Common Voices Issue 2: Pastoralism and grazing

Common Voices Issue 1: Introducing Commons

Stories on coastal commons….

admin — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 04:45:19 +0000

Here are some stories that Aarthi Sridhar had a chance to investigate as part of her FES-Infochange Media Fellowship.

1. Eminent domain, absolute doubt: Crusade for Goa’s comunidades

2. Challenging the tourism juggernaut

3. The Unfairness of Doing Good

4. CRZ 1991-2010: Anti-people? Anti-Environment? Or anti-climax?

5. Harbouring trouble: The impact of ports on commons

Common Voices Newsletter

admin — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 12:58:51 +0000

Common Voices is a monthly publication produced by the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) - the organisers of the 13th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of Commons (IASC) held in January 2011 at Hyderabad, India.

The editors of Common Voices (Jagdeesh Rao of FES, Meera Anna Oommen and Aarthi Sridhar of Dakshin) encourage you to take a look at these issues of the newsletter:

Common Voices Issue 8: Emerging issues in knowledge commons

Common Voices Issue 7: Traditional knowledge commons

Common Voices Issue 6: Addressing the commons

Common Voices Issue 5: Fisheries

Common Voices Issue 4: IASC 2011 Conference

Common Voices Issue 3: Fores ts

Common V o ices Issue 2: Pastoralism and grazing

Common Voices Issue 1: Introducing commons

Current Conservation

admin — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 09:22:49 +0000

Current Conservation carries the latest in research news from the natural- and social-science facets of conservation, such as conservation biology, environmental history, anthropology and sociology, ecological economics, landscape ecology, etc. Current Conservation also periodically translates the content of other conservation journals.