Activity Update May 2017: Satpura Tiger Reserve

Highlights:

Aaditorya - villagers install water pots for birds

Matkuli - villagers put up water pots for birds

Almod - villagers clean a water body for wildlife

Mehandikheda - cleaning a water body for wildlife in the jungle

Matkuli - programme to celebrate International Biodiversity Day

THE FULL REPORT

Team: Ashfaq Aarbi – Conservation Officer

            Hamid Khan – Field assistant

Highlights

·      12 water conservation voluntary work projects during the month – 10 water bodies cleaned and 2 soak pits dug

·      5 awareness programmes on need to provide water for birds and putting up of  500  water pots/containers

·      Assisted in fighting fires in forest on 3 occasions

·      11 awareness programmes on forest fires

·      Celebrated International Biodiversity Day at Matkuli

·      Participated in Biodiversity workshop at Bhopal

·      5 youths placed in jobs with Pratibha Garments, Indore

·      Helped 35 villagers prepare loan applications for self-employment

·      Visit to check on status of 10 villages which have already been relocated

Conservation

During May, we organised 12 programmes related to water conservation.

On May 1, we organised a programme to clean a water body in the jungle around 2.5 km from Almod village. The water body was covered with leaves and organic litter and animals were finding it difficult to drink. Our team, consisting of field assistant Hamid Khan and 9 adult villagers from Almod village, cleared the litter and made the water bodies accessible to the animals again. Spotted deer are regularly spotted around this water body while there are occasional sightings of sloth bears and leopards.     

We organised 9 similar programmes during the month to clean other water bodies in the jungle. Details are given in the table above.

On May 3, we organised a program to dig a soak pit at the Government Primary School (GPS), Pisuwa. 18 children joined hands with Hamid in digging the pit, which will take spillover water from a hand pump on the school premises. The pit will help to recharge the water table around the hand pump.

A similar programme was organised at Matkuli on May 6.

Our teams work across the landscape to provide water to birds during the scorching summer. Our team motivated villagers in Tekapar, Matkuli, Almod, Aaditoriya and Jhirpa, to put up around 500 small containers with water around the villages and their outskirts for birds to quench their thirst.

With the onset of summer, forest fires are a major hazard in the dry, deciduous forests across the landscape. Our teams make it their top priority to assist in fighting fires. On May 20, we assisted in fighting a fire which had broken out in the jungle around 2 km from Matkuli. 8 people employed by the Forest Department on daily wages (known as fire-watchers), Pankaj Yadav, Shivnarayan Devda (Forest Guards) and 2 youths from Matkuli joined Ashfaq and Hamid in fighting the fire.

During the month, our team also organised 11 programmes in villages to promote awareness about forest fires and the need for everyone to join hands in fighting fires. In 3 of the meetings, local staff of the Forest Department joined us in addressing the villagers.

The details are given in the table below:

Biodiversity workshop

On May 18, Madhya Pradesh Biodiversity Board arranged a workshop on Biodiversity at Bhopal. This programme was attended by Mr. Srinivasa Murthy (Member Secretary, MP Biodiversity Board), Mr. Abhilash Dubey (Manager Administration & Finance) and several NGOs and college students.

Celebration of International Biodiversity day

On May 22, we organised a function to celebrate the International Biodiversity Day at Eco Centre Matkuli. This programme was attended by Shri Sanjeev Sharma (Assistant Director, Satpuda Tiger Reserve), Pankaj Khare (Regional Manager, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department, Pachmarhi), Vishal Dongre (Ranger- East Pachmarhi), Aashish Khobragade (Ranger- Matkuli), H.L. Sharma (Deputy Ranger), Sharif Khan (Deputy Ranger),  Pankaj Yadav (Forest Guard), Shivnarayan Devda (Forest Guard), Gokal Prasad (Sarpanch- Singanama), Smt. Renu Mehra (Sarpanch- Pagara), Smt. Laxmibai Yadav (Sarpanch-Pisuwa), Presidents and members of Eco Development Committees of Matkuli, Khari, Tekapar, Chirrai, Mehandikheda, Aaritodiya and Biodiversity management committee members of Matkuli, Tekapar, Pisuwa, Pagara, Singanama, Nandwada, Samnapur and Lanzi. The programmes were organised jointly by Satpuda Foundation and M P Biodiversity Board.

To celebrate the occasion, a total of 4 films on biodiversity, nature and wildlife were screened at Eco Centre Matkuli. A total of 110 people attended.The theme was “Biodiversity conservation, sustainable tourism and livelihood”.

Employment Cell - Placement

5 youths from relocated and buffer villages got jobs in May thanks to our assistance.

Details of the placements are as follows:

During the month, we visited the Assistant Development Excutive Officer (ADEO) – the Government official in charge of rural livelihood programmes – to submit 35 loan proposals for villagers whom we had trained earlier to make handicrafts and furniture from lantana. The villagers are from Baridevi – a relocated village which comprises residents of the erstwhile Sonpur and Anjandana. The loan proposals were forwarded to CEO Janpad Panchayat Pipariya.

Relocated villages

Ashfaq and Hameed Khan visited the relocated villages of Sonpur, Raikheda, Mongra, Jamandhonga, Parraspani, Anjandhana, Dhargaon, Nankot, Kukra and Nandner during May to follow up on the status of the villagers.

Shri A.K. Nagar, Field Director & Chief Conservator of Forests, Shri A.K. Mishra, Joint Director, Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) and 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).