The UN Environment Programe (UNEP) celebrates December 11 as the International Mountain Day annually to focus on the importance of mountains in our lives.
The UN Environment Programe (UNEP) celebrates December 11 as the International Mountain Day annually to focus on the importance of mountains in our lives. The Government of India, in partnership with UNEP and support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is running a project in the high altitude Himalaya to ensure conservation of biodiversity, land and forest resources titled ‘SECURE Himalaya'. This year, SECURE Himalaya is launching another initiative of Youth Video Fellowship Films. The purpose of Youth Video Fellowship is to take the learning from Green Hub – Youth Fellowship & Video for Change (A Dusty Foot and Northeast Network Initiative) and adapt it for Uttarakhand, piloting it in partnership with the Forest Department and under the SECURE Himalaya Project.
The SECURE Himalaya Youth Video Fellowship Films have launched eight different films online, made by the youth from the villages of Uttarakhand. The films covered subjects from the Biodiversity of Darma Valley, Govind Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park to the Gangotri landscape.
These films are also being planned to be displayed in a community screening to engage people in discussions about the importance of preserving biodiversity. Rita Banerji, Founder- Director Dusty Foot Productions and Green Hub, further asserted the importance of this program and emphasized that, “Youth are core to enabling a sustainable future that looks at ecological security as the bedrock of the economy. This fellowship is to involve the youth from the remote Himalayan Landscapes of Uttarakhand to tell their own stories and become the environment spokespersons for the region.”
According to, Ruchi Pant, Head of Natural Resource Management & Biodiversity at UNDP India, “participation of local communities, especially women and youth, is important to ensure sustainability of conservation efforts. By developing some cadre video fellows, the SECURE Himalaya project aims to empower youth to understand their local biodiversity and promote local stewardship for effective management of fragile ecosystems.”
Watch the films here:
1) Biodiversity of Darma by Jayendra Singh:
English: https://youtu.be/S0wsw4wXSkg
Hindi: https://youtu.be/L8OtJCOonCU
2) Biodiversity of Govind Wildlife Sanctuary by Manveer Singh:
English: https://youtu.be/O3r9ph2HWqQ
Hindi: https://youtu.be/uNBDCeJppb
3) Biodiversity of Govind National Park by Randev Chauhan:
English: https://youtu.be/kQQ79Zs0CXM
Hindi: https://youtu.be/-ke-nQgFFAc
4) Gangotri Landscape in Winters by SECURE Himalaya Youth Video Fellowship Team:
English: https://youtu.be/XDqMBU058fE
Hindi: https://youtu.be/xiy0mG1r7E8
5) Chaudas Patti ki Jeevan Shaili by Kavindra Singh Kutiyal:
https://youtu.be/d0qQskWXisw
6) Sanskriti, Govind National Park by Randev Chauhan:
https://youtu.be/dq6Z5v-IoBE
7) Vastukala, Govind Vanyajeev Vihar k Gaon by Devraj:
https://youtu.be/1jATJGaizaI
8) Tootti Dor by Jayendra Singh:
https://youtu.be/DQD6KHXjbwA