Tropical Institute of Ecological Sciences (TIES)

Tropical Institute of Ecological Sciences (TIES) is a not-for-profit environmental research and education organization founded in 2004 by a group of college and university teachers. The institute conducts research, capacity-building programs, and community outreach focused on ecosystem conservation and environmental literacy. TIES works with school students, teachers, and communities through structured field-based courses, biodiversity documentation projects, and conservation initiatives. Its Academic and Research Division blends traditional ecological knowledge with scientific methodology, and its faculty includes subject-matter experts across ornithology, herpetology, botany, and wildlife biology. Flagship initiatives include the Junior Naturalist Course, the Indian Snakebite Initiative, the Adopt a River programme, and Bees For Life, each combining hands-on fieldwork with a structured curriculum. The institute has been recognized by the Kerala State Biodiversity Board and the Kerala Forests Department, and was designated a Centre of Excellence under the state government's Emerging Kerala initiative. TIES has received multiple state and national recognitions, including the Kerala State Tourism Award, the Skal International Sustainable Tourism Award, and the Global Environment Protection Award. Its programs have engaged students and community members across Kerala in long-term ecological research and conservation practice.