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| Field Assistant Balkrishna at our environment education class in Ambazari scool |
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| Balkrishna and volunteers on forest patrol, Ambazari beat |
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| Field Assistant Dilip talking to students about snakes on Nag Panchami, Ghoti |
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| Dilip talks to Khapa villagers about organic farming |
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| Khursapar - women tie a rakhi to a sapling and vow to protect trees |
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| Nimtola villagers learn about snakes |
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| Sawara villagers clearing the area around the hand pump |
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| Dr Khode at our free health camp, Wagholi |
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| IT education class at Sawara, taught by Ms Sita Uikey |
THE FULL REPORT
Team: Abhijit Dutta – Assistant Director (Conservation)
Bandu Uikey –
Conservation
Officer
Dilip Lanjewar, Balkrishna Bagmare – Field
assistants
Highlights
·
Two community foot patrols
·
One meeting on organic farming with farmers
·
Three meetings on Village Eco-development
Committee (VEDC) formation
·
One meeting on information about Animal
Husbandry Dept. schemes
·
Seventeen school education programs
conducted - 487 students participated
·
Seven film shows - 908 students participated
·
Thirteen young villagers shortlisted and sent
for livelihood training programs
·
Two meetings on various livelihood options
·
Six free medical camps - 177 patients
treatedI
·
One research project on snakes underway
Conservation Action and Awareness
On August 21, Dilip
motivated villagers to volunteer for a program to clean the area around a hand
pump in Sawara. Such cleanliness drives ensure that the cattle or villagers
don’t suffer from any illness due to water stagnation. It also helps prevent
contraction and possible spreading of any disease from livestock to the
wildlife.
On August 21, Balkrishna organized
a plastic litter collection drive in Awaleghat School. During the voluntary
work program, Balkrishna explained the
hazards of plastic waste for both environment and human health. Balkrishna explained
to the students 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 students and teachers the large amount of plastic waste along the
road leading to the school and in the village.
Later, the students volunteered
along with teachers and cleaned the plastic litter in the village and along the
road.
During the month of August, Dilip
carried out a plantation program in Khudsapar in which a total of 10 saplings
were planted on August 29. The saplings belonged to various species of plants
like imli, subabul, neem, karanj and amla.
On August 12, Balkrishna led a
team of four Village Eco-development Committee (VEDC) members from Saleghat village
on a foot patrol in the forest area near their village.
The VEDC members looked out for
signs of illegal tree felling or poaching during the patrol. No such illegal
activities were detected.
Balkrishna joined the Forest Department
staff on a foot patrol in the Ambazari beat on August 17.
These community-based patrols are supplemental
to the regular patrols being done by the Forest Department and are meant to
involve villagers in conservation activities.
On August 14, Dilip organized a meeting in Dahoda to make the villagers
aware about the formation process and benefits of a village eco-development
committee (VEDC). Bandu read out the Govt. Resolution (GR) and explained how
VEDC formation in some villages has helped in village development and in reduction
of conflict through funds utilised from the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Jan Van
Yojna.
Similar programs were carried out in Salai and Siladevi on August 24
and August 30 respectively.
On August 29, Raksha Bandhan was celebrated by Dilip in Khudsapar
by organising an event with women in which they tied Rakhi to saplings and
plants.
Environmental Education
School Education Programs
In August, a total of 17 school education programs were conducted by Dilip and Balkrishna in which students were given lectures on man-animal conflict, biodiversity conservation, climate change and other issues related to nature conservation.
A total of 487 students attended these programs.
Education Van Program
The education van conducted seven wildlife movie screenings
in August.
A total of 908 students attended these programs (table below).
The focus this month was awareness on snakes as villagers
encounter snakes more often during monsoon.
Dilip and Munindra
explained to the students and teachers the behavior of snakes, the reason for
their venturing into houses during the monsoon, and the action to be taken if a
snake is spotted inside human settlements.
They also helped the
students differentiate between venomous and non-venomous snake by showing a
movie and through a PowerPoint presentation.
Dilip requested students not to panic and kill any snake if
found inside or in the vicinity of houses. He instructed them to call the Forest
Guard or a certified snake handler.
IT Education Program
Satpuda Foundation
has donated desktops as well as laptops to the Zilla Parishad School in Sawara
village and has been conducting IT education program for the students free of
cost since the year 2013. Basic computer skills are taught to the students to
make them feel comfortable with the technology and improve their IT skills.
Sita Uikey, a resident of Sawara village works on an honorarium basis for
Satpuda Foundation to impart IT education to students, wherein, she is able to
earn a livelihood as well. Four such classes were held in the month of August
2018 in ZP School Sawara for the students of this village.
Employment Cell
During August, our team shortlisted young villagers from
buffer zone villages for various residential livelihood training programs in driving,
JCB operator, tailoring, mechanic, electrician, etc. funded by the Pench Tiger
Conservation Foundation.
The Deputy Director of Pench Tiger Reserve had earlier asked
our team to submit list of candidates from villages to the respective Range
Forest Officers (RFOs).
In August, our team short-listed 13 young villagers from
various villages for this livelihood training program, the details of which are below:
On August 2, Dilip conducted a
meeting on livelihood options with the villagers of Kadbikheda. Dilip conducted this meeting to encourage young
villagers to register their names for residential livelihood training programs
in Nagpur and Chhindwara.
A similar meeting was conducted on August 23 by Dilip in Khapa for
improving the revenue of farmers through organic farming. He explained
to the farmers how the organic food market is growing and how it is fetching
more returns than the traditional crop output.
Mobile Health Service (MHS)
There were 6 medical camps held in August in which 177
patients were treated.
Research
A field survey on recording snakes, incidents of sighting
them and incidence of snake bites in buffer zone villages is currently
under way. This study will help us in preparing a checklist of snakes for Pench
Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra and will also help in noting the snake species that
are more prone to come into contact with humans. The study will conclude in December
2018.
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