The Goan Network
Panjim
When talking about wildlife conservation, not many conservationists resort to creative means to get citizens involved in the conservation process. But wildlife conservationist Nandini Velho, who has spent many years doing research in India’s North East expresses that using art as a means to get people involved in conservation has had far-reaching effects.
Having completed her post-doctorate research degree in the field of wildlife conservation from Columbia University, USA, Velho explained the concept of “Art for Conservation” in an interactive session conducted in the city.
“Art has reached out to people in ways we never thought possible,” she said while narrating her experiences in a couple of wildlife sanctuaries and protected areas she’s worked at in the North East.
“People just respond to art, and we discovered that art, along with stories, worked wonders to recreate the history of a forest,” she said.
She explained that there were four ways in which art worked effectively in conservation.
The first was that through art, complex ideas could be broken down. Art evoked emotions in people, and made people respond to the call for conservation better than merely words.
Art created a celebratory atmosphere amongst the communities with which she worked. She showed a team of locals wearing tee-shirts with wildlife on them, with broad smiles on their faces. Through art, people didn’t look at conservation as a task, but something to celebrate. And finally, art provided new ways of looking at issues.
But while Nandini discovered the benefits of art for conservation, working closely with artists Rohan Chakravarthy and Anjora Noronha to achieve her goal, she also said that most conservation biologists were not willing to take the risk of experimenting with this.
“In a study conducted, it was found that while 84% of ecologists saw the benefits of art in conservation, only 24% were willing to use it,” said said.
She also used art, creating life-sized models of the hornbill, for the first nature interpretation center in Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh.
Speaking of responses of policy makers and citizens to using art for conservation, Nandini said, “Initially, there was opposition, and I had to get artists on board to work for free. Conservation is not a priority for policy makers, and funding is a big hurdle.”
But once the community saw the benefits of art, there was a paradigm shift. “At
the end, it was the people asking me for an artist to animate certain concepts,” she concluded.
HOW IT WORKS
Through art, complex ideas can be broken down
Art evokes emotions in people, and they respond to the call for conservation better as compared to merely using words
Art created a celebratory atmosphere amongst the communities
Through art, people didn’t look at conservation as a task, but something to celebrate
Art provides new ways of looking at issues
