Activity Update August 2018: Tadoba

Highlights:

Bhamdeli: our program on how to avoid conflict with snakes

Wildlife film screening at Chorgaon

Kishor discussing livelihood options with Womens SHG in Dewada

Plastic trash clean-up drive in Katwal

Field Assistant Kishor identifying birds on a trail in Khutwanda

Our team Ajay and Kishor discuss livelihood options
with unemployed villagers of Khutwanda

The school nature club prepares a kitchen garden at Kondegaon

Kishor teaches Kondegaon children how to identify snakes and avoid bites

Vegetable patch being set up in Kondegaon school

Wildlife documentary screening at Kondegaon school

Our Conservation Officer Ajay Poddar discusses livelihood options
with unemployed young villagers

Villagers clearing wild vegetation around the hand pump, Mudholi

THE FULL REPORT

Team:

Conservation Officer: Mr. Ajay Poddar

Field Assistant: Mr. Kishor Dudhbarai

Highlights of the month:

·      4 anti-plastic and cleanliness drives to reduce man- animal conflict - 87 villagers participated

·      7 environmental education programs- 325 students attended

·      Nature club activity -1 kitchen garden set up in Zilla Parishad School, Kondegaon

·      3 programs on snake bite awareness and prevention - 130 students attended

·       3 women’s SHG meetings were organised - 36 members attended

·      4 VEDC meetings were organised - 113 members attended

·      2 meetings organised to select candidates for residential training courses- 55 unemployed young villagers attended

·      12 eligible young villagers selected for hospitality course and backhoe loader operator training at CII, Chhindwara

Conservation 

On August 4^th, 21st, 24th and 25^th we organised cleanliness and anti-plastic programs with villagers of Katwal village. Programs were organised to remove plastic litter, to clean the areas in and around village and around hand pumps and water tank as they choke drainage and attract conflict animals. We also organised awareness sessions on identification of common snakes and bite preventions, as in the monsoon cases of snake bite increase (this is because snake pits get flooded, causing the animals to emerge).  A total of 87 villagers participated in the programs.

Education Program

On August 6^th  ,7^th  and 8^th , we organised environmental education  programs in Zila Parishad schools of Kondegaon, Khutwanda, Katwal, Udiyatola, Adegaon and Chorgaon. A total number of 297 students along with their teachers participated in the activities. We organised film shows, documentaries and talks on wildlife conservation awareness.

On August 14^th , we organised outdoor environmental education  activities including nature trails, bird watching etc. Students learnt about floral diversity and invasive plants through these activities. 28 students of Zila Parishad school, Khutwanda participated.

On August 23^rd,  the nature club of students ‘Ashwal’(sloth bear), formed by our team in Zila Parishad school, Kondegaon, set up a kitchen garden in their school with the help of our team. They planted seedlings of green egg plants, chillies and varieties of beans in a area of 15x10 feet behind the school kitchen.

On August 3^rd,9^th and 28^th, we  organised  sessions on common snakes and snake bite prevention. Sessions were organised in Kondegaon, Sitarampeth and Mudholi villages, as human-reptile confrontation density increases in the monsoon. 130 students attended the sessions.

Employment Cell

We organised 3 Self-Help Group (SHG) meetings and 4 village Eco-Development Committee (VEDC) meetings, focusing on alternative livelihoods which would reduce dependence on forests that leads to man-animal conflict and degradation of forests. 149 villagers attended these meetings and shared their thoughts.

In VEDC meetings, we discussed and explained short- and long-term benefits of tree plantation. We also discussed the collection of saplings and identification of areas for plantation. 

We also discussed about the worrying increase in man-animal confrontations in the Moharli buffer, and how to prevent this by adopting cattle sheds and stall-feeding for cattle, which sometimes fall prey to medium and large carnivores around the area.  

We organised 2 meetings with unemployed young villagers from Katwal, Mudholi, Khutwanda, Kondegaon, Sitarampeth, Bhamdeli, Moharli, Junona, Dewada and Adegaon at our Moharli office and at Khutwanda, to discuss residential and non-residential training courses at various institutions across Vidarbha region. 55 young villagers attended.

Our team selected 12 unemployed young villagers from buffer villages for different residential training courses at the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) training centre and IL&FS, Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh and PACE academy, Amaltas, Sillari, Pench Maharashtra.

Details of the programs are given below:

List of the candidates (Residential training courses)