Activity Update June 2018: Pench Maharashtra

Highlights:

Kirangisarra: Field Assistant Dilip explaining
the resettlement process to villagers

Chargaon - people from 10 villages who attended the Jobs Fair

Kadbikheda - Field Assistant Dilip speaks to villagers
on World Environment Day

Villagers preparing a soak pit, Kanhadevi

The completed soak pit, Kanhadevi

Mohgaon: Conservation Officer Bandu Uikey reads out a
Government Resolution to the Village EcoDevelopment Committee

Speaking to Mohgaon villagers about the benefits of starting
a Village EcoDevelopment Committee

Field Assistant Balkrishna telling villagers at Narhar about the
upcoming jobs fair (Rozgar Melawa)

Field Assistant Dilip speaks to Sawara villagers about the importance
of conserving local plants

Plastic litter clean-up drive by villagers and Forest Department staff

Lantana products made by villagers, on display in the souvenir shop
at Sillari, Pench Tiger Reserve

Young villagers register for vocational training programmes
at the Rozgar Melawa, Sillari

Dr Zanzal at our free health camp at Surewani

THE FULL REPORT

Team: Abhijit Dutta – Assistant Director (Conservation)

Bandu Uikey – Conservation Officer

            Dilip Lanjewar, Balkrishna Bagmare – Community Officers

Highlights

·      Two community foot patrols

·      One programme for preparing pits for plantation

·      Three meetings on formation of Village Eco-Development Committees (VEDC); Government Resolution (GR) was read out and explained at these meetings

·      One meeting on resettlement at Kirangisarra

·      Three pre-monsoon awareness programmes on snakes

·      Three school education programmes

·      Three livelihood meetings

·      Lantana craft displayed at Sillari safari gate souvenir shop for sale

·      Two job placements

·      Three youths sent for hospitality training

·      Two youths encouraged and sent for poultry training

·      Informed and mobilised people from 40 villages to participate in ‘Rozgar Melawa’ conducted by Pench Tiger Conservation Foundation

·      Organised six free medical camps, 205 patients treated

·      Three research projects completed by interns

Conservation Action and Awareness

On June 26, Bandu and Balkrishna organised a voluntary work programme to prepare a soak pit in Kanhadevi (Tekadi) village. Six villagers volunteered to prepare the soak pit along with our team. Balkrishna had earlier explained to the villagers the importance of water conservation and need to improve ground water level with the help of water conservation structures like the soak pit. The villagers prepared the soak pit from which the excess water, mostly grey water, now percolates into the ground effectively.

On June 21, Dilip organised a plastic litter collection drive in Sawara village. During the voluntary work programme, Dilip explained the hazards of plastic waste for both environment and human health. Dilip explained to the villagers that plastic and non-degradable waste was causing irreparable damage to the ecosystem and adversely affecting birds and other life forms. He also told them that the waste was equally harmful to people. He brought to the notice of the villagers the large amount plastic waste along the road leading to the school and in the village.

Later, the villagers volunteered along with forest guards and cleaned the plastic litter in the village and along the road.

On June 23, Dilip led a team of 6 Village Eco-Development Committee (VEDC) members from Wagholi village on a foot patrol in the forest area near their village.

The VEDC members looked for signs of illegal tree felling or poaching during the patrol.

No such illegal activities were detected.

They also checked for presence of wildlife in the area from the pugmarks, hoofmarks, scats or dung. Signs suggested that wildlife, including leopards, seemed to roam around the area. Dilip asked the villagers to take appropriate steps to avoid any conflict and keep a vigil for any illegal activities.

These community-based patrols are supplemental to the regular patrols being done by the Forest Department.

Separately, Balkrishna joined the Forest Department staff on a foot patrol in the Ambazari beat on June 30.

On June 26, a voluntary work programme was organised by Dilip in Adivasi Ashram School in Dahoda village. The students and teachers were encouraged to prepare pits for tree plantation. 50 pits were dug in the school premises by the students, teachers, villagers and Dilip. The plantation programme will be held in the month of July during Van Mahotsav week.

On June 19, Bandu organised a meeting in Mohgaon to make the villagers aware about the formation process and benefits of a Village Eco-Development Committee (VEDC). Bandu read out the Government Resolution (GR) in the presence of the Round Officer and the Forest Guard and explained how VEDC formation in some villages has helped in village development and in reduction of man-animal conflict through funds utilised from the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee JanVan Yojna.

The villagers agreed to form a VEDC and, on June 26, a resolution was passed by the villagers to form a VEDC in Mohgaon.

A similar programme was conducted by Bandu on June 23 in Surewani.

On June 4, Bandu organised a pre-monsoon awareness programme on snakes for the villagers of Ghatpendari. Bandu explained the behavior of snakes, the reason for them venturing into houses during the monsoons, when their pits get flooded, and the action to be taken if a snake is spotted inside human settlements. He also helped people differentiate between venomous and non-venomous snakes by showing an educational film to the villages.

Similar programmes were organised on June 11 and June 19 in Salai and Chargaon respectively.

A meeting was conducted by Dilip at Kirangisarra Sarra on June 13 to explain the resettlement process and package to the villagers. He encouraged the villagers to unite for this and explained how resettlement will help them avail better infrastructure, schooling and medical facilities among other  incentives.

During May, our team had informed people about various government schemes through meetings and displays of booklets in villages. Some villagers approached us during June and Bandu helped them apply for these schemes by filling application forms and submitting necessary documents. Some of the villagers have availed the benefits of these schemes in the form of seeds or compost for agriculture.

On June 15, Balkrishna organised a meeting on alternative livelihoods in Suwardhara. At the meeting, held in the presence of the Forest Guard, he explained how to avail benefits like free skill-development training programmes which will help villagers get access to improved economic opportunities and reduce their dependence on forests.

Similar programmes were organised in Ambazari and Sawara on June 21 and June 22 by Balkrishna and Dilip respectively. Dilip organised his meeting with Self Help Group members in Sawara and encouraged them to make and sell cloth bags, to make the most of the Maharashtra state government’s ban on plastic (polythene) bags.

On June 20, the Forest Department celebrated the Foundation Day of the Pench Tiger Conservation Foundation at the Amaltas complex in Sillari.

Kishor Rithe, President of Satpuda Foundation, was the Chief Guest during the function which was attended by the APCCF (Wildlife) Nagpur, SP Nagpur Rural, CCF, FD, Pench and DCF, Pench. Abhijit and Bandu made a presentation on Satpuda Foundation’s grassroots community conservation work in Pench in the past ten years and the impact it has had on the communities and on conservation. Abhijit and Bandu also explained the positive impact of VEDCs in the buffer zone of the Tiger Reserve through a case study.

On June 5, Dilip celebrated World Environment Day by bringing villagers, mostly women from Sawara and Kadbikheda, to Amaltas complex in Sillari to attend a programme organised by the Forest Department.

Dilip explained the importance of celebrating this day, took them on a nature walk where he explained the importance of water holes and the importance of conserving local flora and fauna. He then took them to the Tiger Tale museum and explained the life cycle of tigers and the need to protect them and how this helps humans.

Environment Education

As the schools reopened only in the last week of June, student attendance was low and only three school education programmes were conducted in the month.

Balkrishna assisted Nature Conservation Society, Amravati (NCSA) in conducting nature camps for village children in Melghat.

School Education Programmes

Employment Cell

During the month of June, two youths got jobs with a road construction company with our help.

Youths placed at HG Company

An important market linkage was created for the lantana craft artisans of Pench by displaying their products for sale in the souvenir shop at the Sillari gate of Pench Tiger Reserve.

Three young villagers were referred by us to join the PACE training center at Sillari for a month long hospitality training programme.

PACE is an acronym for Pratham Arora Centre for Education. It has its headquarters in Mumbai and has tied up with Pench Tiger Conservation Foundation to train local youths in hospitality.

Details of the villagers are given below:

Two young villagers were guided by us to join the Bank of Maharashtra’s Rural Self-Employment Training Institute (RSETI) training center at Nagpur for a ten-day training programme on rearing poultry. Their details are as follows:

The Pench Tiger Conservation Foundation organised a Rozgar Melawa on 25 June at Amaltas Complex, Sillari. The Forest Department asked us to mobilise people for the event. We informed all the village heads and influential villagers about this programme in the buffer zone of the Pench Tiger Reserve. Moreover, we mobilised youth and women from around 40 villages to attend this event. We brought around 200 people in vehicles provided by the Forest Department.

We invited training institutes like CII Chhindwara, IL & FS Skills Chhindwara and RSETI, Nagpur to be a part of this event and give details of their programmes to people from the buffer zone of Pench. Young villagers registered their names for various training programmes at the event.

Number of people mobilised and brought to ‘Rozgar Melawa’ at Sillari conducted by Pench Tiger Conservation Foundation

Mobile Health Service (MHS)

During June, 205 patients were treated through our Mobile Health Service (MHS) free medical camps.

Research

Three draft reports were submitted by interns on three projects focusing on wildlife tourism, alternative livelihood and conservation. These draft reports will be analyzed, edited and then published in the public domain.

 

Summer Internship projects completed