Nagarahole offers internship for youngsters

Nischith N | NT

To inculcate the importance of forest conservancy, the students under Nagarahole Tiger Conservation Foundation (NTCF) programme will join the Nagarahole forest team as interns to get hands-on experience on the functioning of the forest department at Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.

According to Nagarhole Tiger Reserve Director Mahesh Kumar, “We are giving a chance for the students to get the forest experience and yes, this is the first of its kind in Karnataka. The main intent behind the internship programme is to motivate the students who are pursuing their degrees towards joining the conservation sector. They might be interested in knowing more about the functioning of the forest department and the roles of the forest officer right from the grass-root to the senior most level. In the end conservation is a duty of each and every citizen. We will shortlist five students for the internship and they will get a great exposure.”

NTCF is a registered society of Nagarahole Tiger Reserve (NTR) with an aim of to facilitate and support the tiger reserve management for conservation of tiger and biodiversity. The foundation supports research, environmental education and training.

The foundation statement said, “An internship is an opportunity for a candidate to secure first hand and practical work experience. It also aims at active participation in the learning process through experimentation and putting into practice the knowledge acquired in the classrooms. NTCF plans to engage interns (Annexure). For the larger benefit of the candidate, and to meet the objectives of the NTR, the NTCF has notified the guidelines for engaging the interns for a limited or specific period.”

The minimum duration of internship is two months, extendable up to five months, depending on the performance of the candidate, requirement of the NTCF and time the intern is willing to spend with the foundation.

The subject areas of the internship are Biodiversity Conservation, Eco-development and Extension, Education Livelihood, Alternatives Resource Management, Media and Communication.