information that form part of the school’s science curriculum. In the past five years, the exhibition has been shown to over 2,700 schools and viewed by 210,500 students and 12,812 teachers. CEE has also conducted Teacher Training Workshops (TTW), which provide teachers with an orientation on biodiversity conservation. A total of 35 TTWs have been conducted with the participation of 1,500 teachers. Science Express: Exhibition on Wheels Science Express (www.scienceexpress.in) is a unique science exhibition on a 16-coach train that travels across India and showcases cutting-edge research in science. An Indo-German collaborative project, the Science Express was launched on 30 October 2007 by the Honorable Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh and German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel. This innovative exhibition has received an unprecedented response and created four national records. The project had three phases and ended in April 2010. The exhibition has traveled over 50,000 kilometers, covering 150 locations during 600 exhibition days, and drawing 5,100,000 viewers, mostly students. This state-of-the-art mobile exhibition promoted scientific interest among the general public and encouraged students to pursue higher studies and careers in science. It hosted interactive exhibits developed by the Max Planck Society, Germany; Department of Science and Technology, Government of India; and Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre, Ahmedabad. It also housed the ‘Joy of Science’ hands-on lab for conducting science and mathematics experiments, as well as exhibitions on climate change and India’s heritage in science and technology. Science Express is now being converted into the Science Express Biodiversity Special (SEBS), where the first eight coaches are being redone to show case India’s rich and unique biodiversity. The first coach will cover a general introduction on biodiversity, and the rest will focus on one or more bio-geographical zones, specifically Himalayas and trans-Himalayas, deserts and semi-arid regions, Gangetic plains, Western Ghats, Deccan, North East region, and coastal regions and islands. Development of a Climate Change Knowledge Network In the past, mountain ecosystems, despite their evolutionary significance, and ecological value and services, have largely remained marginalized from the sustainable development agenda. Perspectives have changed since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 and awareness of mountain ecosystems have since increased significantly. In this context, the richness, representativeness and uniqueness of mountain biodiversity have gained considerable attention in recent decades. The mountains of the Himalayas, which continue to evolve and thus exhibit great dynamism, represent the youngest and yet most complex mountain system on Earth. Unfortunately, they are also among the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots. Given that the impacts of climate change have been and are predicted to be of highest magnitude in higher latitudes and altitudes, there is an urgent need to understand intensity and Figure 2. CEE training workshop. direction of ongoing and potential changes in the structure and function of biodiversity elements in such areas. In this regard, the Himalayan region, with its unparalleled vertical profile, emerges as the most ‘vulnerable’ candidate among the high altitude landscapes of the world. The region therefore requires immediate attention and action in terms of understanding patterns and processes of change to develop a realistic plan for the conservation and sustainable use of the region’s biodiversity under a changing climate. ENCOURAGING PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN BUSINESS AND COMMUNITIES FOR BIODIVERSITY 123
In Celebration of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s 84th Birthday Anniversary
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