The City-dweller and the Tiger: Activity Update December 2015: Pench Maharashtra

Team: Anoop Awasthi - Assistant Director

Bandu Uikey, Dilip Lanjewar – Field Assistants

Highlights

· Organized workshop on “Gaon Ke Mann Ki Baat” at Chargaon

· One voluntary work project to construct check dam at Sawara village

· One voluntary work project to prepare soak pit and compost tank at Chargaon

· 4 nature trails held for students of Ghoti, Pipariya, Salai, Ghatpendari, Salai village schools

· Bandu and Dilip joined Forest Department staff on anti-poaching patrols twice each

· Organized village meetings at Khapa, Khudsapar, Chargaon, Ghatpendari to provide information about different scheme of VEDC and vocational training.

· Organized environment education programmes in 18 schools which were attended by 508 students

· Organized 6 medical camps at which 125 patients were treated

· Organized demonstration on solar fencing at Khudsapar, Satrapur and Sarekha village

· Organized demonstration of improved stove at Khudsapar village

· Assisted schools to organized Van Bhojan Programme in Ghoti, Kadbikheda and Fulzari

· Organized anti-plastic campaign and conservation rally at Kadbikheda

· Assisted in vaccination of livestock through Forest and Veterinary Departments

· Assisted Forest Department in identification of 14 open wells which need to be fenced through Jan Van Vikas Yojana in buffer area near Ghatpendari village

· Participated in meeting of Pench Tiger Conservation Foundation at Sillari

Conservation

On December 29, Anoop Awasthi and Bandu Uikey organized a workshop on Gaon Ke Mann Ki Baat at Chargaon village which is situated in buffer area of Pench Tiger Reserve, Saleghat Forest Range. Representatives and village eco-development committee (VEDC) members of Chargaon, Makardhokda, Suwardhara, Shiladevi, Ambazari, Saleghat, Dhawlapur, and Sawangi participated. Anoop explained to the participants about importance of wild life and forests, sustainable development practices, livelihood based vocational training, livestock management, fodder development, organic farming, eco tourism and garbage management. The representatives of villages explained their problems and issues. Photo below.

Ghatpendari - Forest Departmentofficers explain to villagers
the different schemesfor village development

Before the workshop, our team prepared a soak pit and two compost pits - one for biodegradable waste and another for non biodegradable waste in school campus of Zilla Parishad Primary School, Chargaon. The use and benefits of these pits was explained to the participants. Photo below.

On December 13, Dilip gathered a team of 8 villagers of Sawara village and built a stop dam over a stream flowing along the village boundary about 500 meters from the jungle. The resultant water body will benefit domestic and wild animals. Deer, wild boar and jackals are regularly spotted in this area. Photos below.

On December 29, Dilip Lanjewar and Range Forest Officer, Deolapar, Mr. Sathawne, jointly organized a demonstration on “Improved Solar fencing technique” with the help of Nagpur-based firm “Agro Engineering Equipment”. Mr. Avinash Jadhav explained to the villagers about the technique and demonstrated it. Similar programmes were organized on December 9 in Satrapur and December 22 in Sarekha village. Solar fencing is one method by which crop depredations by wildlife can be reduced, thus lessening the potential for human-wildlife conflict. Photo below.

On December 8, Bandu led a team of 15 youths of Ghatpendari village in a programme to assist the Forest and Veterinary Department in the vaccination of 210 domestic livestock of Ghatpendari and Salai villages.

Dilip joined VEDC members and Forest Department staff on patrols on December 26 and 28 at Khapa and Wagholi villages. The teams patrolled the borders of the villages. Bandu joined similar patrols on December 6 and 13 in Ghatpendari. No illegal activity was detected on these patrols.

Photos below: Bandu assisted the Forest Department in a survey of unfenced open wells in the buffer area near Ghatpendari

In December, Bandu and Dilip took students of Salai, Ghatpendari, Ghoti, Sillari and Pipariya on a total of 4 nature trails. On the trails, Bandu and Dilip spoke to the students about birds, trees and forests. The impact of degradation of natural resources was explained to the students.
Photos below: Trails, nature games