Activity Update May 2014: Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve

Team:

Mukund Dhurve       – Conservation Officer

Jivraj Salam              -   Field assistant

Salimkumar Dhurve – Field assistant

Highlights

·      Joined Forest Department staff in 4 night patrols and six day patrols

·      Assisted Forest Department in fighting local fires in forest on 2 occasions

·      3 community assistance voluntary work projects – programmes to clean area next to hand pump at Mangezari, Asalpani, Govindtola

·      3 programmes to clean water holes in the buffer area of Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary in compartment  no. 109, 110, 111

·      Livelihood programmes - identified 4 youths and sent them for training in desktop publishing (DTP) at STAR Rozgar Yojana, Gondia

·      Identified 18 candidates for drivers’ training programme at STAR Rozgar Yojana institute, Gondia

·      Organized 6 medical camps at which 206 patients got free treatment

Conservation

Anti-plastic drive in Mangezari

Children cleaning up plastic trash from their school premises

Despite scorching heat, our volunteers cleaned this waterhole
in the jungle

During May, our team assisted in fighting fires in the forest on two occasions. Volunteers from a Mangezari-based youth club, sponsored and mentored by Satpuda Foundation, joined Mukund, Jivraj and Salim and staff of the Forest Department in fighting fires in Compartment 111 on May 4 and in compartments 109 and 110 on May 5.

Our team organized 3 community assistance programmes in May.

On May 2, we organized a programme to clear the area around a hand pump at Govindtola in which 8 people, including unemployed youths and school students, participated. A similar programme was organized on May 3 at Jindatola to clean the area around a hand pump.  12 people, including 2 adult villagers, joined Mukund and Salimkumar in this programme. Another programme was organized on May 20 at Asalpani to clean the area around a hand pump.  8 youths from the village joined Jivraj and Mukund in this programme.

In all the three places water had spilled over while people drew water and had stagnated, leading to proliferation of mosquitoes and insects. Our teams cleared the areas, removing scum and organic growth and dug canals to drain away the water.

Our team joined the Forest Department in night patrols on the road from Mangezari to Kodebarra and Mangezari to Jindatola on May 3 and May 21. Power cables run on poles erected by the side of the road. In the past, there have been instances of poaching on this road when poachers used hooks and wires to draw power from the cables and killed animals by electrocution. Sometimes, wires are drawn several hundred meters into the jungle from the cables. At least one gaur and one leopard have been killed over the past year, using this method. Besides our staff, volunteers from the youth club at Mangezari also joined in the special patrols.

Forest Guard Kahudkar (left) and Mukund Dhurve (right) with volunteer
on patrol in the buffer zone

On May 25, we organized a programme at Mangezari to create awareness about forest fires and human-wildlife conflict. During this season, there is increased incidence of forest fires and human conflict with wildlife as villagers go into the jungle to pick mahua flowers and tendu leaves.

International Biodiversity Day at our office. Village women learn
the importance of conservation at our awareness programme.

With the heat rising in the summer, our team has been motivating villagers to put up pots with water so that birds can quench their thirst. In a programme on May 7, we arranged for 10 pots to be put up near Satpuda Foundation office at Mangezari by youths from Mangezari.  Forest Guard Mr. Kahudkar participated in this programme which was led by Mukund and Jivraj.

A magpie robin quenches his thirst at a water pot at our Mangezari office

Another water pot at our office

The magpie robin has settled in nicely in this improvised nesting box
at our Mangezari office!

Education

There were no programmes as schools were busy with annual exams.

Education van

There were no film shows as schools were shut for the annual summer vacation.

Employment Cell activities

During May, we identified and sent 4 young ladies for training in computer skills which will improve their chances of getting jobs. They were sent for a month-long training programme in desktop publishing, data entry and use of Tally software package. The training was conducted at Gondia at STAR Rojgar Training Centre, an institute funded by Bank of India. The training began on May 5. All expenses will be borne by the institute. The youths are all from Mangezari.

Candidates sent for computer training:

We also identified 18 candidates for a driver’s training programme which will be run by STAR Rojgar Training Centre. The programme will start in July. The youths are from the following villages in our area of operations: Mangezari, Kodebarra, Govindtola, Asalpani and Jindatola.

Candidates for driving training:

On May 27, we organized a one-day workshop at our office at Mangezari to promote awareness among villagers about the working of self-help groups (SHGs) and various livelihood options. Villagers from Mangezari, Kodebarra, Govindtola and Jindatola participated in the workshop where they were shown how to make pickles from mahua flowers and how to make incense sticks. They were also shown how to make improved stoves, which emit less smoke and use less firewood. The programme was led by Mukund and he was assisted by Anil Kumar, an official from Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). Photos below.

MHU

There were 6 health camps in May.