Highlights:
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| Winners of volleyball tournament organised by us to mobilise youth for conservation |
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| Chakar - check dam built by volunteers |
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| Matkuli - Conservation slogans displayed at the volleyball tournament organised by us |
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| Matkuli - Volleyball tournament |
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| Pisuwa - Our volunteers clean water body in the jungle which is used by wildlife |
THE FULL REPORT
Team: Ashfaq Aarbi – Conservation Officer
Hameed Khan – Field
assistant
Highlights
·
8 water
conservation voluntary work projects during the month – built 2 check dams, cleaned
6 water bodies
·
15 awareness programmes on forest fires
·
3 programmes to provide birds with water
·
4 nature trail and bird watching programmes -
attended by 217 students
·
4 wildlife film shows – attended by 2,145 students
·
4 unemployed youths placed in jobs at Budhni
at starting salary of Rs 5,500/- per month
·
Medical camps in 6 villages – 204 patients treated
·
Visit to check on status of 6 villages which have already been relocated
·
Awareness programme on National Rural
Livelihood Mission (NRLM) schemes
·
Celebration on World Forestry Day at Matkuli
·
Arranged Volleyball Tiger Cup 2017
Conservation
During March, we organised 8 programmes related to water
conservation.
On March 7, we organised a programme to clean two water
bodies in the jungle around 2 km from Pisuwa village. They were covered with
leaves and organic litter and animals were finding it difficult to drink. Our
team, consisting of field assistant Hameed Khan and 11 children from Government
Primary School; Pisuwa cleared the litter and made the water bodies accessible
to the animals again. Spotted deer are regularly spotted around these water
bodies while there are occasional sightings of sloth bears, leopards and other
wildlife.
On March 15, we organised a programme to build two check dams
on a stream around 2 km from Chakar village. A team comprising 9 students of
Government Primary School, Chakar, one teacher and Hameed built the dams. The
resultant water bodies will benefit domestic livestock in the day time and
wildlife at night. Spotted deer, monkeys and leopards are spotted in the area.
During the month, our team organised 15 awareness programmes
on forest fires.
Fires are a recurring hazard during summers – both
deliberate and accidental.
Sometimes, villagers start fires as they believe that tendu
leaves sprout better after such fires. Collection of tendu leaves takes place
during May. In our awareness programmes, we explained the dangers that such
fires cause to the forest and to wildlife and how they could harm villages if
they blazed out of control.
With the onset of summer, water has become scarce and birds
are struggling to get water to drink. Satpuda Foundation encourages villagers
across the landscape to provide water for birds by placing old bottles, pots
and cans in suitable locations for birds to get access. During March, we conducted
3 programmes in Pisuwa, Matkuli and Tekapar in which we promoted awareness
about the importance of birds in the eco-system and the need to ensure their
survival by helping them with water.
World Forestry Day
On March 21, we organised a function to celebrate the World
Forestry Day at Matkuli. This programme was attended by Mr. Vishal Dongre (Range Officer), Shri
Dwivedi, Principal, Govt. Higher Secondary School, Jhirpa, President and
members of Eco Development Committee and Gram Panchayat, Matkuli.
Education
During the month, our team organised 4 lectures to educate
students about nature and wildlife. We organised 4 nature trails and bird
watching programmes.
Education Van
During March, our team conducted a total of 4 film shows on
nature and wildlife conservation.
Employment Cell
4 youths from relocated villages got jobs in March thanks to
our assistance.
Details of the placements are as follows:
Mobile Health Service (MHS)
Satpuda Foundation organises medical camps at which
villagers get free treatment and medicines. These camps, whose schedule is set
in conjunction with the management of the Tiger Reserve, are run by the Mobile Health
Service (MHS) of Satpuda Foundation.
There were health camps in 6 villages in March.
Relocated villages
Ashfaq and Hameed khan visited the relocated villages of Sonpur,
Raikheda, Mongra, Jamandhonga, Parraspani, Anjandana, Dhargaon, Nankot, Kukra
and Nandner during March to follow up on the status of the relocated villagers.
Shri A.K.
Nagar Field Director & Chief Conservator of Forest and A.K. Mishra, Joint
Director, STR and Shri P.C. Sharma (CEO, Zilla Panchayat Hoshangabad) have
asked Satpuda Foundation to focus on youths from relocated villages in our
livelihood activities. STR management will approach the concerned government
agencies to implement livelihood training programmes under the National Rural Livelihood
Mission (NRLM).
BCRLIP villages
Shri A.K.
Mishra, Joint Director, STR has asked Satpuda Foundation to focus on Biodiversity
Conservation and Rural Livelihood Improvement Project (BCRLIP) and NRLM programmes from Almod, Barud, Jhirpa, Aaditoriya,
Khanchari, Karer, Dundi, Bandhan and Kukarpani villages in our livelihood
activities. STR management will approach the concerned government agencies to
implement livelihood training programmes under BCRLIP. The first livelihood skills training programme
is scheduled to take place in May in which villagers will be taught to make
handicrafts from bamboo. This programme will be under NRLM.
Volleyball Tiger Cup
2017
On March
25-26, we organised a volleyball sports programme at Matkuli. We organised this
programme as a means to gather local youths, promote awareness about
conservation issues among them and draw volunteers for conservation.
80 youths
from 8 villages participated in the competition, while about 1,200 villagers
were spectators.
Six teams
have already volunteered to join as members of Satpuda Foundation and have
promised to assist in our conservation activities.
This
programme was attended by Aashish Khobragade (Range Officer, Matkuli), Shri
Thakurdas Nagwansi (MLA, Pipariya), Shri Rajiv Jaiswal (President, Nagar Palika
Parishad, Pipariya), Kamal Kishore Pal (Sarpanch- Matkuli), Smt. Laxmi Yadav
(Sarpanch- Pisuwa) and prominent villagers.
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