Mahindra UWC of India marks 10th anniversary

Mahindra United World College of India recently marked its 10th anniversary with a week of celebrations, which included the official opening of the Van Vihar Biodiversity Park and Conservation Reserve.

The Van Vihar Biodiversity Park and Conservation Reserve, officially opened by Indian Prime Minster Dr Manmohan Singh, is located on the College’s campus in the Western Ghats, a region identified by conservationists as one of 25 ‘biodiversity hotspots’ around the world. These areas support nearly 60 per cent of the world’s plant, bird, mammal, reptile and amphibian species.

College Head David Wilkinson says “I am personally very pleased with the way that we are able to use our local environment to further the UWC ideals, which calls on graduates to be politically and environmentally aware agents of change.”

The creation of the Park and Reserve has also improved MUWCI’s connections with universities and colleges in Pune and Mumbai as students and researchers use its resources for their studies. The project is also helping foster relationships with neighbouring villages as Hector Andrade, Head of Humanities at MUWCI and the driving force behind the project says. “we can involve the people in a wider movement to restore the biodiversity of Mulshi Taluka and the entire Western Ghats,”

The Biodiversity Park and Conservation Reserve is a tangible reminder of MUWCI’s achievements during its first decade and a symbol of its continuing growth in the years to come.