Activity Update March 2013: Pench Madhya Pradesh

Team: Anoop Awasthi – Conservation Officer

            Niranjan Hinge – Field assistant

            Bandu Uikey – Field assistant

 

Highlights

• One shramdhaan to clean water body  at Khamba
• 2 nature trails for students of Satosha and Jamuntola villages
• Environment education programme in 13 villages -- covered 561 students
• 4  medical camps –  151  patients treated
• Eco-friendly Holi programmes at Khamba, Satosha
• Informed Forest Department about forest fires twice and assisted in fire-fighting

Conservation 

Niranjan helps Forest Department staff to fight a fire
in the forest near Jamuntola

Eco-friendly Holi programme in Satosha

On  March 31, Anoop and Niranjan led a team of  6 children of  Khamba village in a programme to clean a water body adjoining the village. This body is used by domestic livestock during the day and wild animals at night. Spotted deer and sambhar are spotted regularly in the area.

On March 18, Niranjan led 7 children from Satosha village on a nature trail in the jungle adjoining the village. On the trail, Niranjan identified various species of local flora and fauna and explained the need for conservation to the children. A similar nature trail was organized on March 24 for 16 students of Jamuntola village.

Nature trail at Jamuntola

The Field Directors of Kanha and Panna Tiger Reserves had asked Satpuda Foundation to organize workshops on livestock management to motivate villagers to better manage their livestock and reduce grazing pressure on the forests. Between March 5 and March 8, we organized 7 workshops at Kanha which were attended by villagers and officials of the Forest Department.

Workshop on livestock management in Kanha

In Panna, two workshops were organized on village micro-plans. Besides, the team visited 3 villages and prepared one micro-plan which will be used as a model by the Forest Department to prepare plans for other villages. Livestock management expert Ravi Patil of Chandur Bazaar, Amravati district, and Anoop Awasthi visited the two Reserves. At Kanha, they were accompanied and assisted by Amit Awasthi, our Conservation Officer for Kanha.

Panna TR: workshop on livestock management and village micro-plans

Panna TR: workshop on livestock management and village micro-plans

Education

In March, our team conducted environment education programmes in 13 schools in our area of operations.

Aamajhari - Niranjan conducts environment education class at the school

Satosha - Niranjan conducts environment education class at the school

Mobile Health Unit (MHU)

We assisted Nature Conservation Society, Amravati in holding 4 medical camps in March.

Khamrith - free medical camp for villagers