Our Story
VNC, Voluntary Nature Conservancy (formally known as ‘Vidyanagar Nature Club‘ registered as Public Charitable Trust in India No: E/2659/Anand) is also a registered non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is one of the most versatile organizations active at the grass-root since its inception in 1988, nurturing nature for a better future.
Voluntary Nature Conservancy (VNC) was born in the minds of a few young zealous friends with ideas of sharing the simple joys of bird watching, cycling in the midst of nature, and enjoying being in nature’s lap on the outskirts of urban habitats. It is said that passion and effort are the true friends of constructive change, and it was with this thought that VNC came into being.
The activities of VNC can be divided into three heads, Environment Education, Research & Conservation and Awareness & Advocacy. We, at VNC, strongly believe that an environmentally sensitized society is the only solution to long term conservation and hence all our efforts are towards achieving this objective. Under our environmental education programs, we provide the people with not only the information to make an informed decision but also develop the skills needed to make a positive impact.
Under our Research & Conservation head, we have a lot of projects related to understanding human-wildlife interaction. These projects include, but are not limited to, crocodiles, wild ass, wolves, forest owlets, and arachnids. All our projects are funded by well-renowned organizations such as The Rufford Small Grants Foundation, Idea Wild, Bombay Natural History Society, The Forest Dept., Govt. Of Gujarat, Duleep Matthai Nature Conservation Trust and such. Under Awareness and Advocacy, we carry out the Snakebite Mitigation Program, the tree plantation program, Save the Sparrow project, Greenathon(annual marathon), Save the Vulture program, and drives to reduce pollution. Besides this, we also deal with ongoing environmental issues that occur around us, such as illegal cutting of trees, water pollution, and waste management.
VNC stands tall due to a committed team of volunteers who are the backbone of the activities. The team at VNC is dedicated to conserve the environment and make sustainable efforts towards the same. The team believes in being rooted in the community and clarity of work; as a result, complete transparency in the transactions related to both fiscal and non-fiscal matters is maintained. This is also done to uphold the faith bestowed on us by our supporters, donors, and volunteers.