“Of all the questions which can come before this nation, short of the actual preservation of its existence in a great war, there is none which compares in importance with the great central task of leaving this land even a better land for our descendants than it is for us.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
We all have reflected and rejoiced upon the year gone by, and are now looking forward to a new year that will come to be, with fresh new hopes and beginnings. For the last ten years we have created a tourism model that goes hand in hand with our mission to conserve the forests of Madhya Pradesh. This may still seem like a drop in the ocean; but not without rich rewards.
We at Pugdundee Safaris would like to take this opportunity of wishing all our patrons, well-wishers and visitors a purposeful 2019; one in which we will work hand in hand as global citizens; preserving and protecting our forests and land like never before.
PHRASE OF THE YEAR
Introducing to you our phrase of the year, Sustainable Conservation.
Coincidentally our phrase of the year stems from our long-term goal, of conserving our precious forests, its inhabitants and the communities living around it. We intend to dedicate ourselves completely towards ‘Sustainable Conservation’ not just in 2019, but as a future goal for the years to come. We hope the outcomes stemming from our phrase of the year will translate into transformative progress and change.
At Pugdundee Safaris, we have been working in tandem with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations; incorporating them in our organizational ethos. It gives us pleasure to report that we have managed to imbibe the SDGs as our blueprint, and adopted reasonable practices to preserve the forests.
Roadmap to Sustainable Conservation Here are few steps Pugdundee Safaris will be taking in 2019, to make Sustainable Conservation a long-term reality.
1. Setting new Standards in Eco-Lodge Our Waghoba Eco lodge, in Tadoba currently under construction, is a unique endeavor in Eco-friendly construction.
Built with hand-made, sun dried Adobe bricks, these lodges have Guna Vault roofs that are setting path-breaking standards in construction.
The material used in these lodges is superior to our other lodges that in fact have also been constructed using locally sourced material and waste wood, engaging local labor.
2. Removing Single-Use Plastic by 100%With sustainability coursing in our veins, we have taken big strides in keeping the area around our lodge free of plastic. We have managed to remove all single-use plastic from our accommodation and public area. We have switched from packaged drinking water to reusable steel bottles that are provided to our guests on their arrival. This has led to saving over a 100,000 bottles over the course of three years.
In 2019 our aim is to work harder on the supply chain processes together with our vendors to ensure that they also use sustainable packaging, as a major amount of plastic also enters into the premises while buying kitchen items. We have started opting for sustainable options. This is no mean task given the fact that plastic continues to be omnipresent.
3. Capacity Building We have been working hand in hand with our locals, and have created a tourism model that brings in fair opportunities for them.
We involve communities of the region in our operations, and have successfully employed almost 80% of our team from amongst these individuals, many of who now hold key managerial positions. We regularly conduct trainings and capacity building programs to enhance their skills and groom them for better personal and professional growth.
4. Successful Training & Educational Programs Our PRONAT and ANAT programs that were launched last year have shown progressive success.
Amateur Naturalist Course, A-NAT, a recently conducted program in early January 2019, has been curated for people interested to learn about wildlife or those who would like to explore a future as a naturalist, regardless of their educational background.
Whereas, Professional Naturalist,PRONAT, is a thirty-day program that focuses intensely to elevate passionate nature enthusiasts into professional naturalist with knowledge and skill sets. This program was successfully conducted in August 2018
We will be introducing the Junior Naturalist Program this year, which will be a low cost program for children. This program aims to encourage and elicit interest in nature and conservation.
The journey ahead is promising and exciting, but may be arduous at times. But we at Pugdundee Safaris are confident that 2019 will be a year of transformative growth. With our focus on Sustainable Conservation, we are confident that we will able to empower both nature and mankind develop a symbiotic relationship of organic growth.
Feel free to reach out to us for more information.Email us at [email protected] or call us at 91-11-40136332
By- Natasha Sinha
