Nature's Beckon

Nature’s Beckon is an independent environmental activist group of Northeast India[1] which initiated the environmental movement of Assam.[2] It has been doing some tremendous jobs in the arena of environmental concerns of the region from the 1980s till date.

Nature's Beckon
FounderSoumyadeep Datta
TypeNon-profit Organization
Legal statusActive
PurposeConservation
HeadquartersDhubri, Assam, India
Region
North East India
MethodsMulti-structural Activism, Holistic Conservation, Youth Training, Education, Research, etc.
FieldsEnvironmental Activism, Anthropology, Research Lobbying,etc
Official language
Assamese, English, Hindi, Bengali, Bodo, Rabha, Goalparia, etc.
Director
Soumyadeep Datta
Websitehttp://naturesbeckon.org/
Mission Statement: The mission of Nature's Beckon is working with the people to conserve, protect and increase wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the people of India.

The organization was established by Ashoka Fellow Soumyadeep Datta[3] in the year 1982.[4][5][1][6] The organization has been doing vital works in the field of conservation of wildlife, awareness creation, environmental education, scientific research and documentation and socio-economic development of the forest fringe villages.[1] In 1991, the organization formally registered under societies Registration Act.Nature’s Beckon is deeply involved in protecting the wildlife as well as their habitats. The organization believes in holistic habitat conservation of biodiversity-rich areas through multi structural activism.[6][1] The organization is credited by the discovery of Golden Languar(Presbytis geei) in the hill reserves of Chakrashila.[7][8][9][10][11][12] Apart from that, the organization spearheaded the conservation movements of Assam such as the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary Movement and the Rain forest Conservation Movement of Assam.The organization's activism has been instrumental for declaring important habitats of Wildlife and biodiversity as a protected area(Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park) such as the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary and Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary.[13][8][4][14][15][3][10][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] Awareness programs are undertaken by the organization to impart environmental education to students, environmental activists, educators, NGO members, forest field workers and common villagers. With its dedicated members and expertise and by using its network with grassroots NGOs, voluntary organizations, individuals and academicians, Nature’s Beckon works to conserve wildlife and rain forests of Northeast India.[1]

Formation
Soumyadeep Datta of Nature's Beckon with a great horned owl in Chakrashila.[24]

Nature's Beckon,in the beginning was started as a Nature Club by Soumyadeep Datta at a very young age in 1982,which involved mainly young enthusiasts and local youths. Led by him,the organization at first went on nature-trails and bird-watching expeditions in the Dhubri Forests. Some senior nature lovers like Kamal Narayan Choudhury provided guidance and helped them expand their activities.[11][25]

The logo of Nature's Beckon represents the Golden Languar(Presbytis geei), a species Nature's Beckon first discovered in the hill forests of Chakrashila of Assam at a very age by the members of the NGO and worked for its conservation.[9][11][12][13][25][14][18]

Objectives
  • Preservation of Forests and Wildlife through people’s participation
  • Afforestation and conservation of biodiversity of the hot-spot areas along with the cultivation of traditional food plants of forest villagers
  • Rain forest Conservation of North-East India
  • To create environmental awareness among the people in general
  • To impart environmental education to students and youths for developing trained manpower for conservation work
  • To spread the philosophy associated with conservation
  • To work for social justice.[1]

Mission Statement

“The mission of Nature’s Beckon is working with the people to conserve, protect and increase wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the people of India.”[1]

Activities and Achievements

1. Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary Movement and Conservation of Golden Languar
Letter from Mr. AK Ghosh,Zoological Survey of India congratulating Nature's Beckon for their success on the declaration of Chakrashila Hill reserves into a Wildlife Sanctuary in 14 July 1994.

Nature's Beckon took up a 12 year long conservation movement,through people's participation for the declaration of the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary,making it a major success story in the conservationist movement of Assam.[4][9][13][3][5][18] The organization after discovering the presence of Golden Languar[7][26] in the hill reserves of Chakrashila worked for its protection by a movement in the grassroot level which involved local people,sensitization,awareness,surveys and research,lobbying and other forms of activism of various levels.[4][18][14][8][10][12][11]

2. Rainforest Conservation Movement of Assam and the Declaration of Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary

Nature's Beckon rediscovered and highlighted the presence of contiguous rain forests in the Dibrugarh-Tinsukia districts of Upper Assam and undertook a movement for the legal protection of a 500 sq.km of contiguous rainforest. This movement started with baseline surveys of the region by the organization and activism of various forms at multistructural levels. This is the most famous conservation movement in the region and was in fact the first ever rainforest movement in Assam.[4] The conservation movement taken by Nature's Beckon forced the state government in 13 June 2004 to declare 111.19 sq.km of rainforest as 'Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary.' This was another and a major success story in the conservation history of India.[27][4][15]

This achievement of the group involved almost a decade long struggle (1995–2004) of the activists associated with it. However, the group considered this achievement only as the partial fulfillment of its objectives and claims that the connected rain forests area of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia district are occupying around 500 sq km, which constitute the only surviving largest in separate‘ forest areas of the Brahmaputra valley. The organization still demands and works for the area extension of the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary,saying that the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary should constitute the entire contiguous rain forest.[28][15][4]

Nature's Beckon staging a demonstration. In 2003, UK based Premier Oil was permitted by the forest department to explore oil in the interior of the rainforests. It was later shut down due to the activism of Nature's Beckon
Nature's Beckon staging a street play during the rainforest conservation movement of Assam.

3. Curbing of Wildlife Crime and Biodiversity Conservation
A book published by Nature's Beckon on Primates of Assam. The organization uses often use local languages so that it reaches the grassroot levels.

Nature's Beckon works for the curbing of wildlife crime by working as a pressure group,through environmental activism and rescue.[8][29][30][31][32]

4. Holistic Conservation of Biodiversity rich areas

Nature's Beckon works for the holistic conservation of biodiversity rich areas such as Poba,[33][31][34][35] Chakrashila, Dehing Patkai,etc.

5. Youth Training, Capacity building and Awareness and research
Nature's Beckon conducting an awareness programme in school

Nature's Beckon since its inception has been training and mobilizing youths to work towards conservation and research,through various methods.[3][4][8] Keeping the main aim as conservation,Nature's Beckon focuses on Eco-Tourism,Children Awareness training and building up a social change among the common masses.[8] Awareness is created by the NGO through various clubs,materials and publications.[8]

Members of Nature's Beckon in a Camp in Kaziranga

References
  1. "About Us". Nature's Beckon. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  2. "Rakesh Soud | Changemakers". www.changemakers.org. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  3. "Ashoka-Soumyadeep Datta". Ashoka International Website.
  4. Bhattacharjee, Jhimli (2009). "4". Environmental activism in North East India: exploring environmental movements and action groups with special reference to Assam (PDF) (Ph.D thesis).
  5. Kaziranga National Park. Banalata. 2018. p. 195. ISBN 978-93-82056-68-3.
  6. "Taking poachers by Horns". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  7. "Status Survey of Endangered Species-Report 1". Zoological Survey of India. 1994.
  8. "Activities and Achievements". Nature's Beckon. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  9. "Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary". WildTrails Recent Sightings | The One-Stop Destination for all your Wildlife Travels. 2017-09-23. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  10. "A few valuable letters,messages and other documents". Nature's Beckon. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  11. Ghosh, Tapan (January–March 1993). "Golden Discovery". WWF-India Quarterly.
  12. Datta, Soumyadeep (April–June 1998). "A report on the discovery of Golden Languar at Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuay and its Conservation". Tigerpaper. 25 (2): 23–26.
  13. "Golden Langur". kokrajhar.gov.in. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  14. Communities and Conservation:Natural Resource Management in South and Central Asia. California, New Delhi, London: Sage Publications. 1998. pp. 425–434. ISBN 0-7619-9279-0.
  15. Rainforests of Assam. Nature's Beckon. 2013. ISBN 978-93-82624-71-4.
  16. "Valuable Letters and Documents regarding Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary and Rainforest Conservation Movement of Assam". Nature's Beckon. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  17. Datta, Soumyadeep Datta (December 15, 2003). "Feral Instinct". India Today.
  18. Wolvekamp, Paul (1999). Forests for the Future: Local Strategies for Forest Protection,Economic Welfare and Social Justice. New York,London: Zed Books Ltd. pp. 58–65. ISBN 1 85649 756 9.
  19. Datta, Soumyadeep (July 1996). "Battling to Protect the Environment". Participation and Governence. 3 (7): 3–7 – via PRIA(Society for Participatory Research in Asia).
  20. Panorama, Eastern. "Dehing Patkai Wild Life Sanctuary". Eastern Panorama. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  21. "Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary - Visit Rain Forests in Assam, Jeypore Reserve, Festival". onlinesivasagar.com. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  22. "Concerted effort for conservation of rainforests urged". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 2013-11-21. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  23. "Nature's Beckon North East India - Activities and Achievements". Google. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  24. Story, Cover. "Visionaire Extraordinaire:Soumyadeep Datta". the ecletic-A global Magazine. August 2007: 20.
  25. "Visionaire Extraordinaire Soumyadeep Datta". the eclectic-A global Magazine. August 2007: 20–27. August 2007.
  26. "Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary | Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary Kokrajhar | Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary Assam | Golden Langur in Assam". www.assaminfo.com. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
  27. Sharma, Novanita. "Dehing Patkai: A survivor once again". The Hill Times.
  28. "Dehing-Patkai national park should include entire Amazon of the East: Conservationists, activists | Headlines". Devdiscourse. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
  29. "Environment conservation group seeks CBI probe into 'fake' rhino horns". The Indian Express. 2016-08-22. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
  30. "NGO counters Assam claim of rise in tiger numbers". The Hindu. Press Trust of India. 2010-10-01. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  31. "NGO questions Assam's tiger claim - If the count is up then tourists should spot them, argues activist". The Telegraph. Kolkota. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  32. "The Seoul Times". theseoultimes.com. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  33. "Assam told to take steps to declare Poba wildlife sanctuary". outlookindia.com. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  34. "Demand for 'wildlife sanctuary' status for Poba forest gets PMO attention". NORTHEAST NOW. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  35. "Eco camp in Pobitora wildlife sanctuary to create awareness on ecotourism". NORTHEAST NOW. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
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