The Sigur Nature Trust is a private reserve in the center of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, southern India.

We are protecting this small reserve because we believe that we are all responsible for the protection of nature. Humanity’s relentless destruction of nature is unsustainable. According to the famous scientist E.O. Wilson of Harvard University, half the Earth should be kept wild.

The Trust has protected 30 acres of land for the past 50 years. With activities ranging from involvement with local communities, observations, teaching and research, we aim at creating a healthier relationship with the wild.

Attention: the Trust is a not-for-profit organization. We do not in any circumstances rent rooms and we are permanently closed to tourism.

SNT small-grant 2019 for the study of fish diversity in the Sigur River.

The Sigur River, flowing through the heart of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, provides water to a dry region of significant importance for the conservation of wildlife. The Kamarajsagar dam was constructed across the river in the 1960s. From a perennial river supporting over 30-species of fish, became seasonal and flowed only during the rains. This led to undocumented ecological destruction. There was no fish left in the river after 2000. In 2017 a minimum flow was restored, ensuring the re-establishment of conditions appropriate for ecological restoration.

On the 15th September 2019, the Sigur Nature Trust will provide a small grant (Rs 60,000 maximum) to document the ecological changes. The objectives are to compare the fish diversity of the Sigur River to that of other streams, assess the speed of fish colonization and provide guidelines for long-term management, including food security of local communities.

The grant is exclusively reserved for students. Candidates should send:
• their biodata
• a proposal (maximum 3 pages)
• a budget (1 page)
• a scan copy of a certificate of registration in an Indian education institution

By accepting the grant, the successful candidate also agrees to share data and provide a report to the Trust in a convenient format chosen by the candidate (M.Sc. thesis or Ph.D. thesis or report or preferably, a scientific publication). The Trust can provide additional support such as data analysis should the candidate request it. The Trust will first disburse half the grant value and the second half will be disbursed after a review conducted at the grantee’s convenience.

The deadline for the submission of proposals is the 1st of September 2019. Applications should be sent in PDF at the e-mail address: sigurnaturetrust@gmail.com.

Sigur Nature Trust small-grant 2019 for education and awareness.

Children from the center of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve paradoxically have little incentives to know about their exceptional environment.

On the 15th September 2019, the Sigur Nature Trust will provide a small grant (Rs40,000 maximum) to undertake an awareness project in a local school (Mavinhalla or Masinagudi or Kargudi). The awareness project will describe the process of ecological succession. The project will also highlight the danger of overgrazing and overharvesting, and will emphasize the benefits derived from the knowledge and propagation of useful plants for medicine, art and income.

The grant is exclusively reserved to students or individuals with a track record. Candidates should send:
• their biodata
• a proposal (maximum 3 pages)
• a budget (1 page)
• a certificate of registration in an Indian education institution for students

By accepting the grant, the successful candidate also agrees to provide a report (maximum 5 pages) to the Trust in a convenient format chosen by the candidate. The Trust can provide additional support such as documents, photographs and videos should the candidate request it.

The deadline for submission is the 1st of September 2019. Applications should be sent in PDF at the address: sigurnaturetrust@gmail.com.

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