ABOUT

Department of Zoology

It has been a long felt need that the Kannur University should commence PG and Research departments in all disciplines/ areas of enquiry as part of its development as a centre of learning and academic excellence. As part of this expansion and development programme the Department of Zoology was sanctioned at Mananthavady considering the area’s rich biodiversity which still remains scientifically unexplored.

This campus is also in line with the multi-campus structure of Kannur University, as outlined in the University Act, which is a major step forward in the process of the decentralization and greater democratization of knowledge by not concentrating it at a centralized location. This naturally aids the dissemination of systematic and structured knowledge over a larger geographical area and among larger sections of the population. This is especially relevant in the context of Wayanad which suffers from serious lack of facilities in higher education and research. This vision and approach are in agreement with the U G C’s stated policy to promote village/rural campuses for more efficacious and equitable dissemination of advanced enquiry and knowledge.

As in the case of all Departments and Institutions in the initial stages, presently all the attention, effort and time are devoted to the building up of basic infrastructure and facilities, including laboratory and library. The designing of the course, framing of the syllabus etc. have been done on a priority basis with the help of experts in the field with the objective of imparting cutting edge training in frontier areas and emerging fields to satisfy needs which currently remain unfulfilled especially in the context of new scientific requirements arising out of rapid and large scale environmental changes. For instance, there is an acute shortage of trained and committed manpower in areas like biodiversity conservation and management, which is the thrust area of the P G programme of this department. In this respect, the department’s thrust areas and courses will be different from those of conventional life science courses; the objective will be the imparting of rigorous and systematic training in conservation biology in a broad matrix of biological system so that students will be able to apply theoretical knowledge of specificities and micro-issues aided by a sound understanding of the macro-context and generalities which affect the present and future of all life forms.