Enduring Andamans

A summer school at ANET

ANET The Andaman & Nicobar

Environment Team

Flights typically arrive by noon

Introductions & orientation & tour of property post-lunch

Evening: Short film of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, History of ANET

DAY 1

ActivitiesThe day's activities include a walk through the mangroves in the morning as well as a

walk to look for sea kraits in the evening. Students will scan areas along the New Wandoor Beach and will be given an overview of ANET's sea krait monitoring programme.

Students will not be allowed to handle sea kraits.

DAY 2

Lectures

Introductory lecture outlining the structure of the course

Planning and executing your science project

2 or 3 short modules on communicating your science (art, film, etc.)

DAY 3

LecturesBetween South and Southeast Asia: networked

geographies and politics in the Indian Ocean

The journey of the fish: groupers and sharks from reef to plate

ActivitiesVisit to the fish landing centre, assessing the ecologies and economies of extraction using

from market data, discussions on boom and bust fisheries, meso-predator release, trophic

cascades and related concepts

DAY 4

LecturesEnduring islands: an exploration of human history

Migrant journeys: exploring settler livelihoods in time and space

ActivitiesA visit to the historic Ross island to explain the settlement of the islands, followed by a visit to the Cellular Jail whose structure was based on

Bentham's idea of the panopticon

ActivitiesAn early morning visit to Mt. Harriett National Park will include a number of simple mapping activities that help understand the theory of island biogeography, species-area relationships and aspects of conservation planning. An evening hike to the nearby Kani Dera area will be dedicated to an ethnobotanical exploration as this is a landscape used by people

DAY 5Lectures

A tale of two hotspots: ecological treasures of the Andaman & Nicobar islands

The rainforest (explaining speciation, biogeography)z

DAY 6

ActivitiesStudents are encouraged to participate in a Discover SCUBA Dive. Those who are already certified can dive based on the limits and specifications as per their certification. Snorkelling and dive transect-based activities will be used for counting species of interest, as well as identifying the extent of coral bleaching and disease

LectureThe reef (explaining climate change, food webs, invasive species, economically important species)

DAY 7 REST DAY !!!!

The seventh day will be a day of rest. Students can relax at the base, explore neighbouring villages, or visit the beaches. In the evening there will be a short presentation about Dakshin and ANET's

flagship project: leatherback turtles in the Nicobar islands. Follow the leatherback diaries from the first field surveys in the 1970s to recent satellite telemetry studies which show that these ancient

mariners are frequent visitors to diverse destinations such as the waters off Madagascar and northwestern Australia. Students will have an opportunity interact with team members at the

barbecue which will follow

DAY 8

LecturesThe pig and the turtle: ritual complexes and ecological regulation among Andamanese communities

After the tsunami: reorganising traditional knowledge and resources in the Nicobars

ActivitiesThough colonisation and settler influx decimated many indigenous peoples, these islands remain the last stronghold of a few traditional communities that have resisted change and continue to lead largely sustainable lifestyles. As a follow up to the lectures students will carry out a number of assignments that will include revisiting colonial memoirs, a visit to the Anthropological Museum and a sound and light show in Port Blair

DAY 9

LectureThe intertidal zone (explaining diversity, competition, disturbance, pollution) and the impacts of the tsunami

ActivitiesThe activity for the day will be a several hours long hike through the intertidal zone. This part of the coast was inundated by the 2004 tsunami resulting in salt water intrusion and the loss of coastal trees. Students will carry out an activity that assesses the role of topographical features to patterns of occurrence of key intertidal organisms that they learn to identify

LectureThe mangroves (explaining fisheries, tidal systems,

sediments, community structure)DAY 10

ActivitiesThe mangrove systems is an ideal place to study plant and animal adaptations to extreme environmental conditions (submergence, salinity, heat and desiccation). During this field session, student will witness first hand, these adaptions at work. Furthermore experiments are conducted to understand the behavioural adaptations of mangrove fauna.

DAY 11

3 Day projects are meant to boost creativity in thinking under time constraints.The projects are designed to provide an opportunity for a friendly contest between participants. Students can select their own projects and choose to work with a mentor if they so wish. Above all, 3 Day projects are meant to be fun!

Field projects !!!

Example: Field projects to answer specific questions. 3 Day projects need not be data driven, though you'll be surprised at how much data you can collect in three days if you choose the right question

DAY 12

Example: Communicate a unique educational idea through a format such as art, photography or films

DAY 13

Field projects !!!

DAY 14

Presentations !!!

DAY 15

Discussion session:Ushering in change: moving from understanding to policy and action

Feed back session

Afternoon: Trip to Port Blair

Evening: barbecue