The systematic and nuanced communication of science to a larger audience outside academia is gaining momentum in India. Such outreach has multiple benefits: providing evidence for the public to make informed decisions, science gaining a place in policy level discussions and aiding collaborations between disparate fields and places of scientific study. With climate change and associated risks, the significance of such communication assumes greater importance. The current climate crisis is effectively a biodiversity crisis. However, this linkage is lost in public and policy-level discussions. The ATBC would be an excellent forum to motivate practising scientists and young researchers to communicate their experiences, and engage with the media for more effective dissemination.

What we plan in this workshop: 1) work with scientists so that they can engage with media more effectively and 2) discuss the tools scientists can use to talk about their own work as they pursue academic goals.

This workshop would be conducted by three of us from Mongabay-India: S. Gopikrishna Warrier, managing editor, who has more than 35 years of experience in environmental journalism and communications; Sandhya Sekar, programme manager, who has transitioned from academia to journalism; and Sahana Ghosh, contributing editor, who is one among the most effective science journalists in the country today.