Activity Update October 2019: Pench-Bor Wildlife Corridor

Add captionKalmeshwar - Workshop for Forest Department staff
on human-animal conflict mitigation

Malegaon - Mandar briefs villagers on how to avoid conflict with wildlife

Telgaon - Film show on birds in Narendra High School

Telgaon - Lohgad and Telgaon SHG members are briefed
 on livelihood options

Telgaon - Students participate in essay and drawing competitions
during Wildlife Week

Telgaon-  Mandar briefs youths on alternative livelihood options

Umari - Mandar briefs women's SHG members about mushroom cultivation

 Umari - Members of Durga SHG start the process of mushroom cultivation

Umari - Mushroom cultivation unit set up by Durga SHG

THE FULL REPORT

Mandar Pingle – Conservation Officer

Highlights

• Wildlife Week celebrated by 286 students of Pench-Bor corridor
• Organised workshop for Forest Department staff on tackling human-animal conflict  
• Organised training and set up 2 mushroom cultivation units in Umari - 20 villagers participated
• Organised meetings of women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) on alternative livelihood options 
• Organised meeting of village young villagers in Telgaon on alternative livelihood options -  attended  by 27 young villagers 
• Meeting of farmers on human-animal conflict prevention organised - attended by 110 farmers

ACTIVITY- SEE TABLE

Satpuda Foundation celebrated Wildlife Week 2019 along with students of Telgaon, Lohgad and Umari villages. Drawing, painting and essay competitions were arranged for the students of Narendra High school in Telgaon on 5 October, Narendra High School in Lohgad on 6 October and Sarvoday High School in Umari on 7 October. 286 students took part in these competitions. The students of class 8 and class 9 wrote essays on topics such as 'If I became a forest officer,’and ‘Wildlife: Our friend or foe.’ Students of classes 5 to 7 participated in drawing and essay competitions and made illustrations to showcase floral and faunal biodiversity.  

On 11 October, Satpuda Foundation organised a meeting on alternative livelihood options for members of women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) from Telgaon and Lohgad villages. 42 women belonging to 19 SHGs attended the meeting. During the meeting, the women were provided information on setting up of food processing micro-enterprises. The Extension Officer for the Maharashtra Rural Self-Employment Scheme (MSRLM) for Kalmeshwar Panchayat Samiti provided information on training that can be given to the women. He also gave information on government subsidies and insurance schemes for SHGs.

On 28 October, Satpuda Foundation organised a training program on oyster mushroom cultivation in Umari village. 13 women of Durga Mahila Bachat Gat and 5 farmers from Telgaon attended the program. Mandar Pingle provided training on oyster mushroom cultivation and assisted the members of Durga Mahila Bachat Gat in setting up a unit with a production capacity of 50kg. Mandar also provided training on processing, packaging and marketing of fresh and dry oyster mushrooms. 

On 17 October, Mandar assisted Dnyaneshwar Sarve, a youth from Umari village, in setting up an oyster mushroom cultivation unit in a shed in his farm. 

On 18 October, a meeting was arranged for unemployed young villagers from Telgaon. During the meeting, Mandar provided information on existing job openings at Amazon Pvt. Ltd in Butibori, Nagpur. Mandar also provided information on job openings for security guards in the Pune and Nashik regions. The villagers were also informed about various skill development training programs being conducted by the Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI) and Maharashtra Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (MCED) in Nagpur. Information on these job openings were also provided to young villagers from Lohgad, Umari, Bidgaon and Temburdoh later in October.

On 18 October, an audio-visual presentation was arranged for students of Narendra High school in Telgaon. During the session, students were taught about birds found near their village. Mandar explained the ecological importance of the birds and the need to protect birds. The students also participated in a quiz on birds. Later Forest Guard Mr. Raut interacted with the students and explained to them the role of the Forest Department in wildlife protection and urged them to assist Forest Department staff in conservation initiatives.

On 18^th October, Satpuda Foundation organised a meeting for farmers from Telgaon to provide information regarding compensation schemes for crop depredation by wild animals. Farmers reported that crop depredation due to wild boar and blue bulls is a matter of concern for farmers in the region. Mandar provided information on the compensation scheme being implemented by the Maharashtra State Forest Department. Information on the documents required and the format for compensation claim application was explained to the farmers in detail during the meeting. Mandar also informed the villagers that they should strictly avoid resorting to illegal activities like electrocution, poisoning etc. to curb crop depredation. Contact details of the concerned Forest Department staff were also provided to the villagers.

On 24 October, a workshop on prevention and mitigation of human-animal conflict in Pench-Bor tiger corridor was organised for the staff of Kalmeshwar Territorial Forest range by Maharashtra State Forest Department and Satpuda Foundation. The workshop was organised keeping in mind the increasing human-animal conflict cases due to tigers and leopards in the region. During the training, the Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Mr. Prajyot Palave and Range Forest Officer (RFO) Mrs. Archana Naukarkar briefed the staff on conflict cases in the range. Mandar gave training to the staff on creating awareness and outreach amongst villagers on human-animal conflict. Issues relating to crop-damage, cattle kill compensation and speedy compensation to prevent revenge killings of wildlife were discussed. The staff was also given instruction to organise regular patrols to detect signs of electrocution, poisoning, open wells etc. within their jurisdiction.  

On 30^th October, Mandar received information from Mrs. Nirmala Srirame, Anganwadi caretaker of the village that a tiger had been sighted in a farm near Gondikhapa village. Mandar, along with Forest Department’s Round Officer Mr. Sarode, Forest Guard Mr. Rewatkar and 2 labourers employed by the Forest Department visited Gondikhapa to confirm the location of the tiger. The team patrolled the nearby forest area to check for any signs such as pugmarks or scat of the tiger. However, no signs were found. Earlier on October 28, a cattle kill made by tiger was reported in Malegaon village near Gondikhapa. Villagers from Malegaon had also reported sighting the tiger in their farms on October 29. Later on October 31, a meeting with villagers of Malegaon and Chandikapur villages was organised in order to prevent any conflict. During the meeting, Mandar along with Mr. Rewatkar advised the villagers of the necessary steps to safeguard themselves and their cattle. Information on cattle kill compensation was also provided to the villagers. Primary Response Teams (PRTs) comprising of 5 volunteers each from these two villages have also been formed to assist Forest Department staff in case a conflict situation arises.