It was way back in September 1985 that an informal group of amateur naturalists got together to initiate a programme to sensitise the citizens towards nature and environment. They called themselves AHMEDABAD NATURE LOVERS’ ASSOCIATION. Popularly known as ANALA, this group has become synonymous with nature camping in later years. Conservation through Environment Education became the motto of this registered public charitable trust. In Sanskrit Anala means a “spark”.
Ahmedabad Nature Lovers’ Association – ANALA is the realization of the need for conservation conscious and action oriented non-governmental organization in Ahmedabad. In the 29 years of its existence, ANALA has conducted over 500 environment education programmes involving thousands of youngsters, especially students.
In the initial years, ANALA was focusing its synergies on environment awareness campaigns through public demonstrations, street plays and study classes. The struggle against a proposed five star hotel in one of the rare green patches of Ahmedabad city, conducting of a nature exposure camp in a remote village of Panchmahal district and a Science Popularization March throughout the state of Gujarat with a street play troupe are few of the commendable activities of ANALA during these years.
Later on ANALA joined the ongoing movement to create an environment conscious society through its innovative outdoor educational camps. Since then ANALA has been conducting environment education camps regularly in different protected areas like Hingolgadh, Jambugodha, Little Rann of Kachchh, Parvati Hills, Mithapur, Mount Abu, Dholavira, Saputara, Pachgani, Dalhousie, Jayalgarh and Manali involving thousands of students from more than a hundred schools in Gujarat.