The Park administration has initiated an extensive educational/learning program which contributes to the protection of the Park and its ecosystems. They offer visitors a rich and varied experience and provide the international scientific community with valuable information and data on the parks ecosystems.

The Park's Conservation Education program aims include:
• Creating conservation awareness.
• Creating awareness of endangered species
  and ecosystems.
• Widening opportunities for conservation compatible
  income generation for local village people.
• Helping visitors to develop awareness, appreciation
  and understanding of the area
• Making the visitor's experience enjoyable
• Achieving management goals
• Helping build support for the GHNP

Educational Programs

Local Community
GHNP field personnel, park rangers, foresters, and local center managers are drawn from the Ecozone villages that border GHNP. These individuals possess a broad knowledge of the local flora and fauna as well as the practical dynamics of the region's ecosystem. Conservation knowledge is inherent in the folk songs, folklore, rituals, traditional lifestyles, and local architecture which all demonstrate aspects of a harmonious relationship between man and nature.

Some of the educational/learning programs are targeted toward the preservation of local knowledge by transmitting it to the next generation. In the past, there was no need for conservation education since it was a necessary part of life for the local inhabitants. Education efforts have become necessary due to changes in lifestyle brought by modern economic and cultural developments and the creation of the Park itself.

The Park administration is collaborating with a community based organization, SAHARA, that operates in the Ecozone villages. One of the SAHARA programs trains young people from the local villages as park guides and trek support personnel to provide ecotourism employment. This program enhances the knowledge these young people already possess and provides them with additional tools required for conservation preservation. In addition, as knowledgeable guides they are able to enrich the visitors appreciation of the fauna and flora encountered during treks.

SAHARA is also helping women of the Ecozone form Women Saving and Credit Groups (WSCG), which create opportunities for conservation and compatible income generation.

Finally, a street theater group has formed in the Ecozone area. This group is active in the villages and towns trying to sensitize and educate the local people about Park issues using entertainment. Street theater productions cover issues such as, protection of wildlife, village participation in the alternative income generation sources offered by government or non-government agencies, and promotion of social and cultural activities including adult education.
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Visitors
GHNP offers visitors educational programs at different levels of depth and complexity. There are Park introductory slide and lecture programs for groups such as school children, trekkers, and those with scientific interest. They can be tailored to the needs and interests of a group. These programs must be scheduled with the Park Director, as they are not offered on a routine basis.
There are education facilities at the information centers at Sai Ropa and Larjee in the form of poster and sign presentations. Sai Ropa also offers a 0.5 km biodiversity trail with plantings of trees, shrubs, and medicinal herbs species found in the Park, with informative signs.
Sai Ropa also contains demonstration sites for vermicomposting (e.g. worm composting), solar energy, and a butterfly enclosure.
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Research Participation
For more ambitious visitors there are the opportunities to participate in the Park's scientific research. Programs include:

Long Term Ecological Monitoring program (LTEM)
This activity is most appropriate for GHNP trekkers who wish to enhance the larger nature experience with a focus on small scale environments. This work allows an expanded appreciation and understanding of the Park's ecological web. A network of experimental plots has been established which are used for data gathering by participants. Ecotourists are encouraged to be part of LTEM and prior to trekking can be briefed by Park management on how to fill out the relevant forms. A booklet, explaining LTEM and Census Operations, along with some basic training will be provided by the Park Management to those who are interested. The accompanying Park guide can help the visitor record his/her observations and then return the form to the Park.

For a more detailed description of this program, the site layouts, the forms and scope of the observations see Appendix I. LTEM is considered essential for developing integrated management strategies and ecodevelopment (ecologically sustained development) guidelines and is fundamental to the Park's on going research efforts. Thus, visitors can make a real contribution to biodiversity conservation.

Pheasant Survey Project
Pheasants are a unique part of the Park and some species are endangered. Pheasant survey and census techniques have two main objectives: (1) to enumerate pheasants in a given area, and (2) to compare the abundance of pheasants during successive surveys or between different areas.

The major method employed in the survey is the counting of pheasant calls. This method can be used for most of the pheasants that call during morning hours in their breeding season. The counts can be made from a strategic point in the habitat of the particular pheasant. As with the LTEM program (especially for the novice), the assistance of a knowledgeable park guide is essential for orientation and training. For a detailed description of the methodology and recording forms for this project please consult Appendix II.
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