Nature Science Initiative

What Nature Science Initiative does

Nature Science Initiative (NSI) is a non-profit Trust registered in Uttarakhand, India (registration dated September 2011, formally operational from 2012), headquartered at 36 Curzon Road, Dehradun. It conducts ecological research and runs conservation programs in the Western Himalayas, with operational reach extending into Delhi-NCR. Its program portfolio spans citizen science (MigrantWatch, SeasonWatch, Delhi Bird Monitoring), environmental education in primary schools of Uttarakhand, nature-guide training in partnership with state forest departments, and the Art for Science initiative producing interpretive materials such as bird posters, The Secret Garden children's book, and multilingual garbage-awareness posters.

NSI operates with a small core team of approximately 7 people — 4 trustees (Sanjay Sondhi, Soumya Prasad, Paramjit Singh, and Director Raman Kumar), 2 research associates, and a bench of 9 programme associates/project fellows. The organization is funded entirely by individual donations and research grants from foundations such as The Rufford Foundation and Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance, with no product or service revenue. It holds Section 12A and 80G tax exemptions under the Indian Income Tax Act. Strategic partners include the Uttarakhand Forest Department, Punjab Heritage & Tourism Promotion Board, Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Nature Conservation Foundation, Titli Trust, and Centre for Ecological Sciences (IISc). No proprietary technology products or AI capabilities are developed; the organization's deliverables are scientific publications, training programs, awareness materials, and public events (Doon Nature Walks, Uttarakhand Spring Bird Festival).

Name

Nature Science Initiative

Legal name

Nature Science Initiative

Website

https://naturescienceinitiative.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nature Science Initiative is a Dehradun-based non-profit trust conducting ecological research, citizen science, and conservation education programs in India's Western Himalayas, serving schools, rural youth, forest departments, and the general public through donations and small research grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Conservation & Human–Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (BPAGAIAI)

Keywords

• Ecological research
• Biodiversity conservation
• Citizen science programs
• Environmental education
• Wildlife monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Dehradun

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: NSI is funded entirely by donations from concerned individuals. No products or services are sold for revenue.
2. Research Grants: NSI receives research grants from foundations and organizations such as The Rufford Foundation, Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance, and others.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Nature Science Initiative runs applied ecological research and biodiversity monitoring programs in the Western Himalayas, focused on birds, bats, and the impacts of human activities (especially garbage) on wildlife. It delivers public-facing science through citizen science programs (MigrantWatch, SeasonWatch, Do-No-Trash), nature education in schools, free public nature walks, and nature guide training, complemented by publications such as The Secret Garden children's book and interpretive bird and garbage posters.

Product overview

Nature Science Initiative (NSI) is a non-profit research and conservation organization that operates as a program-based entity rather than a traditional product company. Its portfolio includes educational publications (The Secret Garden book, Hornbill and Bulbul posters, Garbage Poster in multiple languages), citizen science programs (MigrantWatch, SeasonWatch, Do-No-Trash platform), training programs (Nature Guide Training Programme), research programs (Garbage Impacts Research & Awareness Programme, Hornbill Monitoring), and public engagement activities (Doon Nature Walks, Uttarakhand Spring Bird Festival). The Art for Science programme integrates interpretive materials across these offerings to connect citizens with nature conservation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Secret Garden Children's book with illustrations and cartoons explaining ecological relationships (fig trees, fig wasps, hornbill parenting behavior), sold through third-party distributors and used in school and public education.
• Hornbill Poster Interpretive poster about hornbills of the Western Himalayas, part of the Art for Science programme, designed to connect the general public with nature and conservation concerns.
• Bulbul Poster Interpretive poster about bulbuls of the Western Himalayas, part of the Art for Science programme, helping connect the common man with nature and conservation concerns.
• Garbage Poster Educational poster on garbage impacts available in multiple languages (English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Sinhala) to communicate the harmful impacts of inadequate garbage segregation on public health, animal welfare, and the environment.
• MigrantWatch Pan-India citizen science programme coordinated by NSI to monitor bird migration patterns, encouraging ordinary people to observe and report the environment to support long-term ecological data collection.
• SeasonWatch Citizen science project at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, focused on seasonal monitoring of bird populations, with NSI participation.
• Do-No-Trash Platform Platform focused on behavior change communication for sustainable living, including the 30-Day Plastic-Free Challenge, social media campaigns, and workshops on composting and bioenzymes.
• Nature Guide Training Programme Training programs on bird ecology and identification for rural youth, nature guides, and forest staff, conducted in collaboration with the Uttarakhand Forest Department and Punjab Heritage & Tourism Promotion Board to build eco-tourism and conservation capacity.
• Garbage Impacts Research & Awareness Programme Research programme examining the influence of garbage disposal patterns on the diet and behavior of domestic and wild animals, combined with public awareness campaigns on garbage segregation and waste management.
• Doon Nature Walks Monthly free nature walks open to all members of the public, organized by NSI to promote awareness about ecology and biodiversity in the Dehradun area.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Titli TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2014Co-organizer of Uttarakhand Spring Bird Festivals held in February 2014 at Asan Conservation Reserve and February 2015 at Pawalgarh Conservation Reserve. NSI Trustee Sanjay Sondhi is also a trustee with Titli Trust.
• Uttarakhand Forest DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for bird tourism training programs, nature guide capacity building, hornbill monitoring, and citizen science program coordination. Multiple training programs conducted across Garhwal and Kumaon Himalayas.
• Asian AdventuresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with this leading Indian nature tour operator to examine the impact of indiscriminate garbage dumping around nature reserves. Collaboration on garbage project examining foraging patterns at dump sites under different garbage management scenarios.
• Slow Motion ProjectsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner in communicating harmful impacts of inadequate garbage segregation on public health, animal welfare, and environment. Collaboration on public engagement through focused education and awareness sessions.
• Been There Doon ThatminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for garbage awareness campaigns in Uttarakhand pilot locations, contributing to public engagement through education and awareness sessions.
• iWoot MediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for garbage segregation awareness campaigns using audiovisual, print, and social media approaches.
• Punjab Heritage & Tourism Promotion BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining programs on bird ecology and identification for rural youth and nature guides conducted in Gurdaspur (December 2012).
• Aga Khan Trust for CultureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSI scientists conducted biodiversity assessment (birds and butterflies) at Sunder Nursery in New Delhi as part of Aga Khan's ecological restoration programme and urban renewal. NSI also conducted workshops for children from Nizamuddin Basti.
• Nature Conservation FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistribution partner for The Secret Garden children's book via their Instamojo platform. Advisory committee member Dr. M.D. Madhusudan is from NCF.
• Centre for Ecological Sciences (Indian Institute of Science)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on frugivore and seed dispersal monitoring. NSI team members conducted transect surveys and monitoring with CES researchers.
• Youth for Living PlanetminorOthersNSI team member Mohan Joshi is part of the core group that set up this youth group raising awareness about conservation issues in rural Uttarakhand.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WWF-India: Largest environmental NGO operating in India, covering species conservation, policy advocacy, and large-scale habitat programs across the country. Overlapping mission with NSI on wildlife conservation, but operates across multiple ecosystems and priorities, not specializing in the Western Himalayan bird/nature-guide niche.
• Wildlife Institute of India (WII): Premier Indian government training and research institution for wildlife conservation, producing most of India's field ecologists. NSI trustees and associates (Soumya Prasad, Raman Kumar) are WII alumni; the institutional research mission and Himalayan field work broadly overlap NSI's applied research, but at vastly larger scale and as a public body.
• Wildlife Conservation Society — India: Global NGO with India programs on landscape-level wildlife conservation, species recovery, and protected-area management. Broadly comparable to NSI in conservation mission and field research, but operates much larger budgets and multi-state landscape programs.

Emerging players

• Indian Bird Conservation Network: Indian network of bird-conservation NGOs and individuals including BNHS and other state-level organizations. Directly comparable to NSI's citizen science and bird-conservation education mission; functions as an aggregator across smaller organizations like NSI.
• Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON): India-based autonomous ornithological and natural history research institution focused on bird ecology, biodiversity assessment, and conservation. Directly comparable niche overlap with NSI's bird-monitoring work, but operates as a government-supported research body rather than a community-led NGO.

Direct peers

• Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT): Indian non-profit focused on wildlife research, conservation policy, and habitat protection. Similar non-profit, science-led conservation model with research and field programs, but with stronger fundraising and policy advocacy orientation than NSI.
• Titli Trust: Indian non-profit focused on wildlife and habitat conservation in the Uttarakhand Himalayas. Co-organizer of Uttarakhand Spring Bird Festival with NSI; trustee Sanjay Sondhi holds dual roles. Closely comparable geography and bird conservation mission.
• Nature Conservation Foundation: India-based non-profit conducting ecological research and conservation in the Western Ghats and Himalayas. Directly comparable peer: NSI distributes books via NCF's Instamojo platform, shares advisory ties (Dr. M.D. Madhusudan), and has overlapping research on frugivory and citizen science programs (SeasonWatch originated at NCBS/NCF).
• Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS): One of India's oldest conservation NGOs (founded 1883), focused on avian research, citizen science, and conservation education. Comparable to NSI in mission (bird conservation, public engagement, scientific publishing) but operates at national scale with much larger institutional footprint.
• Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS): India-based non-profit (Bangalore) conducting applied ecological research, conservation biology training, and citizen science programs. Directly comparable to NSI: same applied-ecology nonprofit structure; Raman Kumar (NSI Director) completed his PhD through CWS; overlapping scientific training and conservation-research model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nature-science-initiative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Nature Science Initiative