Environmental Conservation

About the internship Selected intern's day-to-day responsibilities include: I. For interns in Kanker, Chhattisgarh: 1. Build rapport with communities through meetings and focus groups. 2. Conduct awareness sessions on sustainable forest management. 3. Support capacity building for community-driven conservation. 4. Lead 'Participatory Rural Appraisal' (PRA) activities. 5. Conduct socio-economic surveys on conservation impacts. 6. Document gender, caste, and indigenous knowledge in forest management. 7. Facilitate workshops to co-create conservation strategies. 8. collaborate on community forest rights management plans. 9. Map resources and customary boundaries using GPS. 10. Document traditional ecological knowledge. II. For interns in Maharashtra: 1. Conduct biodiversity surveys and monitor wildlife with camera traps. 2. Map biodiversity hotspots using GPS technology. 3. Organize community activities for sustainable resource use. 4. Conduct energy profile surveys to understand local consumption. 5. Assist in documentation for Gold Standard carbon projects. 6. Support data collection and stakeholder engagement for certification. Who can apply Only those candidates can apply who: 1. are available for full time (in-office) internship 2. can start the internship between 9th Dec'24 and 13th Jan'25 3. are available for duration of 2 months 4. are from or open to relocate to Kanker, Maharashtra and neighboring cities 5. have relevant skills and interests AERF is a conservation NGO based out of Pune engaged in participatory biodiversity conservation in the Western Ghats - a global biodiversity hotspot for last 22 years. AERF uses sound research techniques for creating sustainable resource conservation models involving diverse stakeholders. AERF has successfully applied different strategies - value chain development, positive incentives and certifications for saving 4000 acres of privately owned forests in the Western Ghats and have created income generation opportunities to communities in over 100 villages from this region.