R Markdown is a markup language and framework designed for creating dynamic documents that blend text, code, and output. Developed by RStudio, it extends the Markdown language. With R Markdown, you can create documents that mix narrative text with code chunks and their results, like tables, figures, and interactive visuals.

The key idea of R Markdown is literate programming, where the document acts as both a readable narrative and executable code. You can write your text using simple Markdown formatting and include code chunks in languages like R, Python, or Julia. When you render the document, the code runs, and the output is incorporated into the final document.

R Markdown documents can be turned into various formats, such as HTML, PDF, Word documents, and slideshows. This versatility allows you to produce different types of reports and presentations from one source document, simplifying maintenance and updates.

Overall, R Markdown offers a powerful and convenient way to integrate code, results, and explanations in a single document, making it easier to share and communicate reproducible analyses and reports.

South Asia is as rich in biodiversity as it is in linguistic diversity. However, as a colonial legacy publication on natural history and conservation issues are mostly in English. It is essential to engage with the grass-roots public and relevant stakeholders (such as legislators, media persons, forest department) on conservation issues in local languages. This would help them to better understand the subject. This will also help the naturalists, conservationists and wildlife biologists to create awareness among wider sections of the public. There is a close link between language and conservation movement. Hence, it is essential to encourage students to communicate conservation science through vernacular languages.

In this workshop I will introduce students through an interactive lecture on importance of using local languages, challenges in writing and translating into local languages, aspects to consider while translating ecological concepts, importance of documenting and redeeming traditional nomenclature and coining new scientific terminologies. We also briefly discuss about the current status of nature writing in different Indian languages. As a part of this workshop, I would also ask the participant to produce a write-up in their language on the subject of their interest and give information on how and where to publish it.

The workshop aims to foster science communication through a unique collaboration between artists and researchers. Participants will work closely with artists to visually interpret and break down popular science articles published in Current Conservation magazine, creating art and design-based communication materials that effectively convey the concepts and ideas discussed in the articles.

The artists will share their own art and design processes, demonstrating how they approach visual storytelling. They will introduce tools such as metaphors, humour, analogy, and satire to help participants conceptualise and simplify complex scientific ideas for a broader audience. Participants will then be divided into groups and assigned an artist. Each group will collaboratively work on one published article with their assigned artist.

The workshop will provide researchers with practical methods to communicate their science and research in an accessible and engaging manner. Participants will delve into specific art and design techniques necessary for effective communication. Each artist will bring in their own expertise in the field to help participants through their journey.

By the end of the workshop, participants will have the skills and knowledge to create small artworks or sketches on their chosen topics, utilising the techniques and insights they have gained. This hands-on experience will empower researchers to present their work more effectively, ensuring it reaches and resonates with their desired audience. This will be followed by a short presentation by different groups where the facilitators can provide the participants with valuable feedback that they can use to complete their artworks in the future.

This workshop will have a mix of oral presentations and interactive sessions with the participants. We will have three parts to the workshop. The first part will walk the participants through the broad biology, ecology, and the threats that sharks and rays face globally and in India. We will also discuss the approaches to shark and ray research and conservation in India along with their outputs.

The second part of our workshop will entail an interactive session that guides participants to learn how to identify different species groups of sharks and rays through cut-outs and identification cards.

The third and last part will be a soft launch of a website that we are working on that is meant to be a consolidated site for resources and networking opportunities that will help early-career shark and ray enthusiasts enter this field. Since one of the purposes of this workshop is also to meet shark researchers and enthusiasts, we will also share a Google group ID for those interested in keeping in touch and getting notified on opportunities in the sector.

Conservation careers is a less discussed topic; however, there is a need to understand the breadth and depth of it as an increasing number of students are pursuing academic degrees aligned with conservation science. Conservation careers may look fancy and glamorous for those who are not into it; therefore, a prospective student should get a thorough understanding before deciding his/her career path.

The short workshop is designed in a way to navigate prospective students into the domains of Environmental Science, Ecology, Conservation, and Sustainability Studies. The workshop will mainly focus on the following:

• Academic journey requirements to work in the domain of ecology & conservation
• Career paths as a student is out in the job market
• Job market analysis with regards to multiple sectors such as Academia, Corporate, NGOs, Entrepreneurship, and Research including salary packages
• Case studies and Pros and Cons of Conservation Careers

The workshop will involve interactive mode of teaching, discussions, Q & A, and individual activities for the students to realize their choice of career. The career will involve intensive activities such as SWOT analysis and career goal planning so that participants get an idea of their future careers.

The workshop will primarily focus on UG and PG students, but PhD students are welcome to join. The focus of the workshop is on the Indian and Asian job market.

I have conducted several such workshops earlier since 2021 in online mode. The workshop will be much more effective in person mode, wherein participants can readily interact and involve in group discussions.

Human behavioral change has been looked at as panacea for all evils in wildlife conservation, and the lack of the same has often been its Achilles’ heel. The workshop begins by setting out the what, why, and how of human behavioural change in contexts where it matters for wildlife conservation.

Human behaviours manifest at the level of different ‘groups’ of stakeholders in such contexts. What are group behaviours? Why do groups adopt or not adopt new behaviours? How can desired changes in behaviour be catalysed? By addressing these three questions we will try to discuss and arrive at a framework informed by social psychology, which can play a critical role in conservation.

The workshop will begin with an activity where we will establish the concept of conservation identity in India. We will go into its composition and its use in identifying “groups”, which is foundational to understanding group behaviour. In social psychology, understanding cultures gives a broader idea about the society. Understanding identities, which are the individuals lens for processing information, allows us to map how cultures translate to behaviours. This will allow us to understand why groups may or may not adopt new behaviours and how psychological research can catalyse the adoption of desired behaviours. Using a case study of firewood collection practices in Chandrapur, Maharashtra we will create a practictioners’ toolkit for conservation interventions catalysing behavioural change for conservation. We will also share our learnings on avoiding common pitfalls in achieving behavioural change.

This workshop will explore community mapping as a participatory research method, discussing its utility in documenting Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and advocating for resource conservation. Participants will learn about the process and methodology of community mapping, understanding its significance in various biophysical settings, including coastal, forest, and pastoral landscapes.

The primary focus will be on using community mapping to document usage patterns of commons, serving as a crucial advocacy tool against developmental pressures. For instance, mapping species-wise fish availability in an island's lagoon helps preserve these spaces by highlighting their importance equally to the biodiversity and community livelihoods. These maps illustrate the community's dependency on local resources, their ecological knowledge, and their stewardship practices, promoting ecosystem conservation.

The workshop will predominantly focus on coastal settings, briefly discussing the usage of QGIS for accuracy. Participants will also learn how community mapping can be used in legal contexts to advocate for community rights, a recognition often missing in India for coastal and marine resources.

We will cover various qualitative data collection techniques utilised for community mapping. However, community-mapping is a community-driven activity and thus enhances accessibility for marginalized communities. If time permits, we will discuss the interactions between community institutions and state institutions, and how community mapping facilitates documentation of these interactions.

Additionally, we will also briefly cover the probable drawbacks of community mapping techniques. The session will include practical activities, such as group exercises, to apply the learned concepts and ensure an interactive learning experience.

Sand is the most extracted mineral in the world, with over 50 billion tonnes of sand being used globally, every year (Source: Sand & Sustainability, UNEP 2022). Construction sand is extracted almost exclusively from rivers, with far-reaching implications for riverine ecology, human communities and society.

Our workshop will deploy collaborative mapping exercises based on examples of river sand extraction in India. It will delve into basic concepts of river hydrology, ecology, resource extraction, environmental law & governance. This will be used to explore and understand emergent conflicts arising from the present day functioning of India’s sand extraction industry, and what are ways in which such conflicts can be challenged to create accountability and justice.

Participants will receive basic training for Veditum India Foundation’s India Sand Watch platform and project. Through this example, ideas of data archives, open-data, citizen science & importance of collaborative & collective action will be introduced.

This workshop will equip participants to leverage tools like open-data & citizen science for appropriate interventions in large-scale and daunting challenges.

Acoustic signals from a species primarily indicate the presence of a species. However, acoustic signals have many other functions like detecting, locating, and impressing potential mates and quite the opposite for predators. We introduce acoustic signals, devices and device settings for recording, storing, and analysis using Raven Pro and Seewave in R. Use of Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) as a less intrusive method for monitoring and conservation will be discussed.