Activity Update July 2017: Satpura Tiger Reserve

Highlights:

Dr Zanzal at work at our free health camp at Aaditoriya

Aaditoriya - villagers collect saplings for planting

Wildlife film screening at Jhirpa on Global Tiger Day

Prizewinners in contests organised on Global Tiger Day, Jhirpa

Karer medical camp - Dr Zanzal examines a young patient

Matkuli - our Field Assistant Hamid gives a nature education class

Matkuli - drawing contest on Global Tiger Day

Matkuli - sapling plantation programme

Naya Raikheda women get trained in sewing

THE FULL REPORT

Team: Ashfaq Aarbi – Conservation Officer

            Hameed Khan – Field assistant

Highlights

·      10,000 saplings distributed and planted

·      10 awareness programmes on sapling plantation

·      Classroom visits to 14 schools as part of our environment education program – attended by 875 students

·      8 film shows on wildlife and nature conservation- attended by 573 children

·      Arranged livelihood training at relocated village Naya Raikheda

·      Exposure visit with farmers to Pawarkheda Itarsi

·      Prepared 5 loan proposals for villagers’ self-employment

·      Celebrated International Tiger Day at Jhirpa and Pachmarhi

·      Medical camps in 6 villages - 212 patients treated

·      Visit to check on status of 7 villages which have already been relocated

Conservation

With the monsoon setting in across the landscape, our teams have been working to motivate villagers to plant saplings. In July, Satpuda Foundation and the Forest Department team jointly organised planting of saplings in our area.

A total of 10,000 saplings of bamboo, kathal, kosam, mahua karanj and jamun were planted with the support of local Gram Panchayats of Matkuli, Tekapar, Jhirpa, Pisuwa and Forest Department.

The saplings were supplied by the Social Forestry wing of the Forest Department.

Education  

During the month, our team organised 14 lectures to educate students about nature and wildlife conservation.

Education Van

During July, our team conducted a total of 8 film shows on nature and wildlife conservation.

Employment Cell - Training programmes

Satpuda Foundation helped women from villages in our area of operations get trained in sewing. They will make items such as dresses, baby dresses, ladies’ clothes and fancy items.

The government’s Handloom and Handicrafts Department, based at Hoshangabad, had invited us to send 15 candidates for the training programme. We identified 15 women from the relocated village of Naya Raikheda and sent them for the 1-month programme, which started on July 19. The entire cost of the programme is being borne by the Handloom and Handicrafts Department.

On July 22, we arranged an exposure visit of 5 farmers to a government-run institute at Itarsi which does research in agriculture and offers training programmes. The farmers were exposed to various methods of poultry and fisheries farming and the required technical expertise for them.

During the month, we visited the Assistant Development Excutive Officer (ADEO) – a Government official who is in charge of rural livelihood programmes – to submit 5 loan proposals for women to make re-usable bags. The women are from Matkuli. The loan proposals were forwarded to CEO Janpad Panchayat Pipariya, District Hoshangabad.

International Tiger Day

On July 29, Satpuda Tiger Reserve and Satpuda Foundation jointly organised functions to celebrate the International Tiger Day at Government Higher Secondary School, Jhirpa. The programme was attended by Shri D.C. Dwivedi (Principal, Government Higher Secondary School, Jhirpa), Shri D.P. Dixit (Vice Principal), Shri Sharif Khan (Range Assistant), Shri Shivnarayan Dewda (Forest Guard), and 300 school children from Jhirpa. We organised wildlife film shows and programmes to make the participants aware about tiger habitat, food chain system, bio-diversity and nature conservation.

A nature game and quiz was organised at Government Higher Secondary School, Jhirpa and a drawing contest at Government Higher Secondary School, Matkuli.

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 July.