Team:
Mukund Dhurve -
Conservation Officer
Jivraj Salam -
Field assistant
Salimkumar Dhurve - Field assistant
Highlights
·
Joined Forest Department staff on 6 patrols
·
4 community assistance voluntary work
projects – programmes to clean area next to hand pumps at Asalpani, Umarzari,
Jindatola, Mangezari
·
3 anti-plastic programmes at Kuradi,
Bolunda, Mangezari
·
8 sapling plantation programmes – total of
110 saplings planted
·
5 classroom visits to speak to students
about nature and wildlife conservation – attended by 874 students
·
6 film shows on nature and wildlife
conservation – attended by 710 people
·
Organized 6 medical camps at which 123 patients
got free treatment.
·
Celebrated World Tiger Day on July 29th
at Mangezari
·
10 candidates identified by us have been
selected to work as guides in buffer zone of Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve
Conservation
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| Bolunda plantation programme |
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| Bagadband plantation programme |
Our team organized 4 community
assistance programmes on July 04, 18, 19, 31 to clear the areas around hand
pumps at Asalpani, Jindatola, Umarzari and Mangezari respectively. Unemployed
youths from Mangezari participated in all programmes which were led by Mukund
and Salimkumar. In addition, people from each village also joined in the
programmes. Photos below.
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| Jindatola |
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| Bolunda |
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| Umarzari |
Water had spilled over while people
drew from the hand pumps and had stagnated, leading to proliferation of
mosquitoes and insects. Our teams cleared the area, removing scum and organic
growth and dug canals to drain away the water.
Our team joined the Forest Department
in night patrols on the roads from Mangezari to Kodebarra, Mangezari to
Jindatola and Mangezari to Govindtola on July 1, 7, 11, 17, 23 and 29. Patrolling was
intensified in the area after a leopard was spotted on July 7 as officials
wanted to monitor its movement and ensure that it was safe from poachers.
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| Jindatola - volunteers with Forest Department on patrol |
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| Jindatola day patrol |
The area is known to attract
poachers as power cables are strung 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. One spotted deer was also killed in this
manner. Besides our staff, volunteers from a youth club at Mangezari also
joined in the patrols. The youth club was set up with our assistance and is
mentored by Mukund Dhurve.
During the month, our team organized 3
anti-plastic programmes to clear polythene/plastic litter from villages. The
programmes were organised on July 16, 12, 18, and 31 at G.E.S. Girls High
School, Kuradi, Adilok High School, Bolunda and Mangezari respectively. Mukund,
Salimkumar and Jivraj organised the programmes which were attended by villagers
and students. The plastic litter has been kept in our Mangezari office and will
be sent to Tiroda for recycling. Photos below.
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| Bolunda |
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| Mangezari |
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| Mangezari school |
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| Berdipar - students with the litter they collected |
The Government of Maharashtra has
issued the buffer zone notification for the Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve.
Following this, doubts have sprung up in the minds of villagers as to how they
will be affected by the notification. Due to the doubts, some villagers are opposing
the notification. To clear these doubts and misgivings, we organized a total of
5 awareness programmes during July in 5 villages – Sukdi, Sodlagondi, Pitezari,
Umarzari and Asalpani.
On July 29, we organized a
programme at Mangezari to celebrate World Tiger Day. Mukund Dhurve, Sarpanch of
Mangezari Smt. Anusayabai Kumbhare and Forest Guard Shri M.N. Mehar addressed a
gathering of villagers and students of Zilla Parishad Primary School (ZPPS),
Mangezari on the importance of the tiger in the eco-system and the need to save
tigers. Other officials present included the president of the village
eco-development committee, Shri Hivraj Sayyam and Gram Panchayat members.
Before this programme, the
students of Z.P.P.S., Mangezari went on a rally through the village chanting
slogans for tiger conservation.
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| Programme at Mangezari |
Education
There were 5 environment
education programmes in schools during July.
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| Talking to students about biodiversity conservation, Bolunda |
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| Classroom lecture at Kuradi |
Education van
There were 6 film
shows on nature and wildlife conservation in July.
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| Mangezari film screening |
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| Kodebarra film screening |
Employment Cell activities
In June, we had identified 14 candidates from our area of
operations for training as guides. They were admitted to a 5-day programme
conducted by the Forest Department at Navegaonbandh from July 5 to July 9. Of
these, 10 were selected and have been employed as tourist guides in the buffer
zone of Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve.
MHU
There were 6 health camps in July in which 123 patients received free treatment.
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| Dr Anup Burade at our free health camp at Chorkamara |
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| Camp at Umarzari |
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