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This International Day of Forests, digitally walk through rare, untold stories of India’s natural heritage with us and Google

By  The NCF Community February 03 2022, 8:57 AM

#InternationalDayofForests

On International Day of Forests, we at Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) have partnered with Google Arts and Culture (GAC) to showcase rare stories of our country’s natural wealth on the global digital platform. These stories have been developed by different programmes at NCF, in three Indian langauges (Tamil, Malayalam and English) and can be viewed for free by anyone on the Google Platform.

This is a first-of-its-kind partnership between Google and NCF and aims to bring out rare and unusual stories about endangered species, habitats, community-driven initiatives and scientific knowledge about indigenous flora and fauna to the larger global public.

The variety of stories range from the marvelous to the astounding: A glimpse into what wonders lie in the tree buttress of a densely packed, untouched rainforest in Valparai, Tamil Nadu; A swim through the underwater forests of coral reefs off the island of Lakshadweep; The world from the view-point of Paga, a Great Hornbill as he soars over the forests of Pakke in Arunachal Pradesh; and the life journey of the majestic Ghost tree - the ghost that does not walk.

As conservation scientists and lovers of nature, with these stories, we hope to use a global digital platform to further the cause of wildlife conservation and create awareness about India’s precious fauna and flora.

Here’s a glimpse of some of these marvelous stories from our forests. For the whole list of stories available on the Google platform, please click here.

Explore the secrets that live around a fallen log in an Indian rainforest, இந்திய மழைக்காடுகளில் கிழே விழுந்து கிடக்கும் மரங்களைச் சுற்றியுள்ள அதிசியங்கள்,

Fascinating flora and fauna that live around a tree buttress of an Indian rainforest, இந்திய மழைக்காட்டு மரங்களின் தாங்குவேர்களைச் சுற்றி வாழும் வியத்தகு உயிரினங்கள்

Languages: Tamil, English

  • Get boggled by the sheer variety of flora and fauna that lives around a decaying log and around the buttress roots of trees in a rainforest in the Anamalai hills in Tamil Nadu. All through a beautiful oil painting of the understorey.

  • Read the stories below:

A mesmerising glimpse into coral reefs: Underwater architects of the Indian ocean, ഇന്ത്യൻ മഹാസമുദ്രത്തിലെ പവിഴപ്പുറ്റുകളുടെ മായികലോകം

Languages: Malayalam, English

  • Through captivating visuals from the Indian ocean, get a glimpse into the rare world of corals and learn how these marine city planners play important roles in the ocean ecosystem.

  • Read it in depth below:

Learning to live with the wild: Resilience of a forest-fringe village of India

Language: English

  • In a remote forest-fringe village of Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka, a conservation initiative provides rural women with an alternative means of livelihood. Read this inspiring story of how small, but important changes to the livelihoods of a village, can aid conservation and reduce wildlife-human conflict.

  • Read it in depth below:

An Indian rainforest from a Great Hornbill's point of view

Language: English

  • Explore the rainforest of Pakke, Arunachal Pradesh from the unique point of view of Paga, a forest resident of the endangered species of the Great Hornbill.

  • Read it in depth below:

Majestic trees: The story of a ghost who does not walk

Language: English

  • Meet and learn the secrets of Streculia urens, the Ghost who does not walk.

  • Read it in depth below:

Explore the common birds of India

Language: English

  • Birds are all around us. Turn the volume up as we introduce you to beautiful birds and tune into their calls.

  • Read it in depth below: