Implementing Agency:
Department For International Development (PAND)

Managing Institute:
WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature)

Contractor:
Worldwide Fund for Nature India

Project Code: 149-680-111	Start Date: 01-Feb-94	End Date: 01-Mar-97
Commitment: £102,000	Status: Completed	Type of Funding: Bilateral - JFS

Project Background:
Like most other developing countries, India is today facing environmental problems of enormous magnitude that adversely affect the lives of its people form all walks of life. Many of these problems have resulted due to a lack of understanding and concern about environmental and sustainable development issues. This has led, among other things, to over-exploitation of natural resources and badly planned development and industrial projects. These have intensified socio-economic problems as well as created large scale air, water and soil pollution.

There are huge disparities in incomes and lifestyles of people in India. This means that a large percentage of the population lives in poverty, with few options to choose environmentally appropriate lifestyles. Others are in a position to make environmentally sensitive decisions but rarely do so, partly because of lack of awareness.

In order to ensure people make positive choices about the environmental impacts of their lifestyles, there is an urgent need to create mass scale awareness on environmental and development issues. If India's environmental problems are to be effectively tackled, then it is critical to have an informed public that understands and supports environmental initiatives.

One of the most effective ways of getting the message across to the largest possible audience in a country as vast and diverse as India is through the mass media, including television and the English and vernacular press. Both these media have the potential of being extremely effective tools for environmental communication, but have not been sufficiently exploited for this purpose so far.

The television revolution that has recently hit India provides an excellent opportunity to reach out to the literate as well as the illiterate population of the country. Since the advent of satellite television, TV today attracts audiences ranging from the educated elite to poor villagers in all parts of the county. Recognising the rapidly deteriorating environmental scenario, the Supreme Court of India in several directives has emphasised the need to use the mass media, especially TV, for promoting environmental awareness. Responding to this, the Government is now increasingly interested in allocating prime time TV slots to environmental programmes.

However, the Government has not yet been able to implement this satisfactorily. The vastly increased penetration of TV to all sections of Indian society remains under-utilised in terms of this objective. There is a great dearth of good programmes on TV, and very few incisive articles on environmental issues in the written press. Most environmental documentaries shown on TV today attract few viewers because of the academic or pedantic manner in which they are presented. Similarly, although many English newspapers are now carrying more and more features on environmental issues, they are usually superficially researched and poorly written. Vernacular papers still carry very little or no environmental news.

Project Objectives:
To increase the awareness among rural and urban populations on environmental issues through print and TV media to mobilise environmental action by individuals NGOs Government and corporate sector.

To help catalyse reversal of environmental degradation in India by creating awareness on a mass scale.

To increase awareness among literate and illiterate population in urban and rural areas on environmental issues through print and TV media.

To mobilise environmental action by individuals, NGOs, Government and corporate sector by increasing accessability of information and resource material on critical issues.

To raise WWF India's profile and increase its effectiveness as an environmental NGO.

Intended Outputs:
Regular production ofenvironmental features for dissemination to English and vernacular print media.

Regular production of TV films dealing with environmental issues for broadcast on national and international channels.

Production of high quality environmental monthly magazine that will be self-financing within 3 years.

Publication of environmental resource material for use by Government, NGOs and institutions.