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Organization: International Society for Alternative Medicine, Nature Park
The following information may be cited or quoted as long as the source is accurately mentioned and the words are not taken out of context.
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PROGRESS: Has your organization seen progress toward a culture of peace and nonviolence in your domain of action and in your constituency during the first half of the Decade?

Amongst other activities of this society we have set up a Nature Park in 2000 in a village called Bungalow ki kandi 15 Kms from Mussoorie the nearest hill station to the capital of India New Delhi. This Nature Park  has a museum and photogallery, nurseries with threatened and endangered species of endemic plants for in situ rehabilitation by the students of schools of Northern India which encourages rural/urban youth interaction to narrow this fast increasing gap. We have camping facilities and a restaurant offering ethnic cuisine apart from popular cuisine.

PROGRESS: When we first came to this area of the Nature Park the villagers were scared of seeing outsiders as they were always suspicious that the outsiders meant them harm Today they have started opening up to us and interacting with us.  Volunteering amongst the youth of this area which was unknown has improved. Schools who could only define environmental issues as “POLYTHENE BAGS” can now talk in terms of threatened and endangered species of plants and their in situ rehabilitation and can identify them as well as know how they contribute towards human welfare. Government employees scientists who were busy collecting data and thought it was the end of their responsibilities towards the departments paying their salaries  have today understood how ecotourism/sustainable tourism development can help generate employment for the local youth and retain them to their home towns and prevent their migration to bigger cities leaving their old parents behind in search of menial jobs making this a Money order economy.

The impact of the visiting tourist on the local village has made the local villager more conscious of the importance of conserving his cultural heritage to provide diversities in cultures to retain their identity and thus attract attention of the tourist to make them visit their village, watch their dances, eat their food and buy souvenirs and inject money into their village’s economic blood stream. The villager who was earlier scared of talking to the outsider now understands his commercial and social importance.

OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?

OBSTACLES:

The beneficiaries to our effort who  give us maximum mileage are the school students. The academic burden on the students is so much that they do not have the time to devote to more important things like pay attention to natures systems. They are made to cram the contents of their books or work for their school’s founder day celebrations to get their school a name of to retain their clientele of parents!! The laws introduced by the supreme court to make children devote more time to nature studies and environmental issues finds no implementation it seems. This undue delay is causing us problems at the park also threatening it’s closure due to financial reasons - low attendance of students.
Awareness on environmental issues amongst the general public is negligible leading to deforestation, poaching of wild life etc. Subsidised gas cylinders ahould be given to villagers to prevent tree felling, trees are cut in our very park!!We have to watch helplessly at times to avoid confrontation.

ACTIONS: What actions have been undertaken by your organization to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence during the first half of the Decade?

ACTIONS:

We have and are still trying our best to encourage Principals of schools to become more conscious and to allow more time to students for such activities.

We are seeking help from hotel owners to send more groups to the nature park so that tourists may become eco conscious and  the hotelier wins the game of giving one extra night halt to their guest for higher returns, this way transporters too come in line with the same drill.

The scientists do their best BUT the government (some departments)seem to have induced fear in their minds and put restrictions to the extent to which knowledge can be dispersed and disseminated! This reluctance is sometimes dissappointing.

ADVICE: What advice would you like to give to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence during the second half of the Decade?

Developing nations like India seem to run when the public is commanded say for example by the Honourable Supreme Court.Desire for introducing environmental studies at school level has not come automatically, it has had to be introduced by an order of the Supreme Court!! Just declaring an "International year of the Mountain" or similar highlights it's importance to select quarters only and ends up as a superfcial tea party as a celebration in a closed hall!! Ways and means should be thought of for more effective implementation by governments.Fresh drinking water supply is needed.This can happen only with active public participation initiated by the government since NGOs are not repected.

PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the global movement for a culture of peace?

We admit lack of information and knowledge.We donot know which forums promote or give information on such partnerships.Please advise.

PLANS: What new engagements are planned by your organization to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence in the second half of the Decade (2005-2010)?

CONFIDENTIAL:Our plans will take a few years to make active public participation popular in short, promote volunteering. To do this we need funds which we do not have and are now on the brink of closing down for want of funds. Our government officials do not encourage us to run an NGO and call us (NGOs) thieves though they themselves run the most shady NGOs through their own wives and get all funds siphoned out!! Our future plans if not closure are dependant upon the financial aid that we can get.If some international pressure is put, may be, this kind of activity will be curbed.

India also perhaps doesnot have a treaty with the UN for private cases of violation of human rights.We had registered a case of child sacrifice but nothing came of it in the absence of such a treaty and we had to cut a sorry figure and could not support right to life of the vulnerable child!!

Postal address of organization

14-A, Circular Road, Dehra Dun, Uttaranchal India

E-mail address of organization

natureparkindia2000@rediffmail.com; naturepark@sancharnet.in; info@natureparkindia.com

Website address of organization

www.natureparkindia.com

Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace

DOMAIN PRIORITY:
EMPLOYMENT GENERATION AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION THROUGH ECO/CULTURAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
We have realized that when eco tourism is promoted in an area like our awareness grows the fastest and generates employment. Once there is money in the pocket of the average villager Maslow’s laws come into play and equality for women, human rights, Education for a culture of peace: Equality of women; Democratic participation; Sustainable development; Human rights;Understanding, tolerance, solidarity; Free flow of information and knowledge; International peace and security they all fall in place. In our opinion for sustainable development and environmental awareness and activites/public participation play the biggest role and thus we follow this path.

Second priority action domain of a culture of peace

WTO'S PROGRAM: ST_EP

Highest priority country of action (or international)

GEOGRAPHICAL PRIORITY:REGIONAL:GARHWAL/UTTARANCHAL

India is yet a developing nation aiming to be a world power. The most neglected areas are those lying in difficult geographical terrain like the Himalayan region. We have chosen to work regionally in this area to help people realize the importance of cultural, eco and health tourism as their primary bread earner. Adventure tourism and pilgrimage too form a part of our activities.

Second priority country of action (or international)

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Organization: International Society for Alternative Medicine, Nature Park

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