Activity Update December 2016: Tadoba

Highlights:

The full report

Field Staff: -

Conservation Officer – Prameek Kannan            

Field assistant – Kishor Dudhbarai

Highlights

·      6 check dams were built in Katwal (5) and Mudholi (1), with the help of 94 village youths

·      1 a classroom lecture in Katwal with 60 students

·      A presentation about wildlife biology and conservation and our work at Tadoba to the faculty and students of the Zoology Department of the Sardar Patel Mahavidyalaya College in Chandrapur

·      Mobile Health Unit treated 408 patients in 6 villages

·      A 5-day organic farming training session with Bank of India’s R-SETI with 40 candidates from Katwal, Khutwanda and Mudholi

·      4-wheeler driver’s training programme with 40 candidates concluded this month and all candidates passed their permanent license test

Conservation

A total of 5 check dams were built in the jungle around Katwal between 14^th and 16^th of December and another was built near Mudholi on the 30^th of December. A total of 94 villagers volunteered to help us build these.

Education

Prameek gave a presentation and address to the faculty and students of the Zoology Department of the Sardar Patel Mahavidyalaya College in Chandrapur. Students in their final year of BSc Zoology and MSc students were present for the talk. The talk included issues pertaining to wildlife and environmental conservation, how students can approach a career in the same, and topics that would make for a good Master’s thesis study around Tadoba.

Employment Cell

An organic farming training programme was conducted from the 6^th to the 10^th of December with Bank of India’s Rural Self Employment Training Institute (R-SETI). The programme covered how to use lower numbers of higher yielding varieties of livestock, and how to use them on a smaller, self-sustaining plot of land. This kind of agriculture covered both goat and chicken farming, both on smaller, self-sustaining plots of land. Herein, villagers who adopted this technique would be able to earn more money off their livestock, and not encroach and graze their livestock in the forest areas, as they would be limited to a smaller, fenced in plot.

Bank of India provides low interest loans for purchase of animals and equipment for villagers who intend to adopt this form of farming. The training session was capped off by a field visit to a model plot in Guggus, where organic chicken and goat farming was demonstrated.

Our 4-wheeler driver’s training programme, which began on the 21^st of November, concluded on 20^th of December, with all candidates passing the test for a permanent license.

Mobile Health Unit

A total of 6 camps was held in December.

Activity Update December 2016: Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve

Highlights:

Boatola - Dr. Zanzal examines a patient at our free medical camp 

 Check dam built by volunteers in Compartment  No. 108

Pitezari - Dr. Zanzal examines patient at our free medical camp

Members of women's self-help groups are briefed
about alternative livelihood options
by our Conservation Officer Mukund Dhurve

Volunteers clean waterhole in Compartment No. 107 

Bagadband - Volunteers clear area around a hand pump
as part of our community assistance programme to promote public hygiene

Koylari - Mukund Dhurve briefs children before a wildlife film screening

Umarzari - Volunteers participate in plastic clean-up programme

Day patrolling at Compartment No. 107

The full report:

Team:

Mukund Dhurve         - Conservation Officer

Jivraj Salam                 - Field assistant

Salimkumar Dhurve    - Field assistant

Highlights

·      Joined Forest Department staff on 5  patrols

·      4 programmes to clean water holes in Compartments no.109, 110, 106 and 107

·      6 community assistance voluntary work projects – programmes to clean area next to hand pumps at Sodlagondi, Asalpani, Bagadband, Bodalkasa, Alezari and Kodebarra

·      7 anti-plastic programmes at Umarzari, Sodlagondi, Asalpani, Bagadband, Bodalkasa, Alezari and Kodebarra

·      Organised 5 education programmes in schools focusing on migratory birds -793 students attended

·      Organised 6 education van programmes which were attended by 785 students

·      Organised 6 medical camps in which 71 patients got free treatment

·      Build check dam in compartment no. 108

Conservation 

Our team organised 4 programmes in December to clean water holes in Compartments 109, 110, 106, 107.

 Our team also organised 6 community assistance programmes in December to clear areas around hand pumps at Sodlagondi, Asalpani, Bagadband, Bodalkasa, Alezari and Kodebarra. Unemployed youths from Mangezari participated in all programmes which were led by Mukund and Salimkumar. Details of the programmes are given in the table above.

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 areas, removing scum and organic growth and dug canals to drain away the water.

Our team joined the Forest Department in day and night patrols on the roads from Mangezari to Kodebarra, Mangezari to Jindatola, Mangezari to Govindtola, Mangezari to Bagadband and in Compartment no. 106 on December 7, 13, 23, 25 and 29.

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 our Conservation Officer Mukund Dhurve. 

     

During the month, our team organised 7 anti-plastic programmes to clean polythene/plastic litter from villages. The programmes were organised on December 4, 6, 14, 15, 18, 24 and 26 at Umarzari, Sodlagondi, Asalpani, Bagadband, Bodalkasa, Alezari and Kodebarra villages respectively. Mukund, Salimkumar and Jivraj organised the programmes which were attended by villagers and village eco-development committee (VEDC) members. The plastic litter has been kept in our Mangezari office and will be sent to Tiroda for recycling.

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 organised a total of 4 awareness programmes during December in 4 villages – Umarzari, Thadezari, Chorkhamara and Asalpani.

 Education

There were 5 education programmes during December 2016.

 Education van

There were 6 film shows during the month of December.

Employment Cell activities

Information was given to members of local self-help groups (SHGs) in our area of operations about various livelihood training programmes available through Government agencies and Star Swayam Rozgar Kendra of Bank of India. 69 members were present in this program.

MHU

There were 6 health camps in December at which 71 patients received free treatment.