Activity Update November 2018: Tadoba

Highlights:

Katwal villagers selected for the exposure visit on livestock management

Villagers learn about livestock management on an exposure visit
to a model dairy farm in Nagapur

Visit to a cow pen in Nagapur

Plastic clean-up drive in Adegaon

Volunteers at the cleanliness drive

Kishor talks to Dewada villagers about livelihood options

Kishor briefing Katwal women about an embroidery training program
run by Nehru Yuva Kendra

Environment education programme at Katwal

Teaching children to spot and identify birds, Khutwanda

Wildlife film screening at Khutwanda school

Check dam at Kondegaon

Kishor talks to Kondegaon villagers about livestock management

The check dam being built at Kondegaon

A check dam being built at Mudholi

Wildlife film screening at Sitarampeth

THE FULL REPORT

Team:

Conservation Officer: Mr. Ajay Poddar

Field Assistant: Mr. Kishor Dudhbarai

Highlights of the month:

·      3 anti-plastic and cleanliness drives - 110 villagers participated

·      3 check dams built through Voluntary work project- 56 villagers participated

·      4 environmental education programs- 165 students attended

·      2 Nature club activities- nature and bird watching trail and kitchen garden – 36 students participated

·      4 women’s SHG meetings were organised - 85 members attended

·      8 VEDC meetings were organised - 215 villagers attended

·      19 young villagers selected for driving training program

·      1 exposure visit on livestock management to model dairy farm in Nagapur village, Wardha dist. - 6 villagers participated

·      Man-animal conflict survey carried out in buffer zone villages

Conservation

On November 13^th, 26^th and 27^th,
we organised cleanliness and anti-plastic programs in Katwal, Adegaon, and Mudholi. The programs were organised in order to sanitize the area around villages, as litter sometimes leads wildlife to venture into the village and causes man-animal conflict. We also collected over 8 kilograms of plastic litter through public participation (voluntary work project). A total of 110 villagers volunteered for these activities.

Education Program

On November 19^th, we visited and organised environmental education  programs in Zilla Parishad (ZP) schools of Khutwanda, Katwal and Sitarampeth. A total of 110 students and teachers participated in these activities. We organised film shows, documentaries and talks on wildlife conservation. A similar program was organised on November 22^nd  in ZP school of Katwal and students were also informed about a nature camp proposed to be held in December. 55 students attended this program.

On November 9^th, nature club ‘Ashwal’ of ZP school, Kondegaon set up  a kitchen garden in the village’s Anganwadi campus. 14 students of the club participated in the activity.

On November 12^th , we organised a bird watching and nature trail followed by an awareness session. 22 students of ZP school, Khutwanda joined this expedition where they observed birds like Honey Buzzard, Rufous Treepie, Jacobin Cuckoo and others.

Employment Cell

We organised 8 village eco-development committee (VEDC) meetings and 4 women self-help group (SHG) meetings focusing on alternative livelihoods which would reduce dependence on the forests that leads to man-animal conflict and degradation of forests.

A total of 300 villagers attended these meetings and shared their thoughts.

In the SHG meetings, we discussed about forming a group of interested members who are willing to take up training in making paper bags and embroidery. The training will be provided by Nehru Yuva Kendra, Chandrapur. A total of 85 members attended these meetings.

In the VEDC meetings, we discussed and explained short- and long-term benefits of fodder plantation. We also discussed the increasing number of man-animal confrontations in the Moharli buffer area and how to prevent this by adopting cattle sheds and stall feeding for their cattle, which sometimes fall prey to medium and large carnivores when they wander out of the village in search of fodder. A total of 215 villagers attended these meetings.

Following a discussion in October with cattle owners of Tadoba buffer villages, we organised an exposure visit on November 20^th to a model dairy farm in Nagapur village in Wardha district.

Nagapur village has a reputation of producing a large amount of milk, 2,800 litres every day from cows. It has approximately 400 milk producing cattle and 140 households. This village is known for its livestock management. During the visit, we met some members of an organisation ‘Gau Dughdh Utpadak Sahkari Sansthan, Nagapur’ and discussed the techniques and practices they have been following in order to improve the village’s economy which is mostly dependent on livestock. 

We selected cattle owners from Mudholi, Khutwanda, Sitarampeth, Katwal and Sarpanch of Kondegaon village where grazing is a major issue.

6 selected members accompanied our colleague Ajay Poddar on this exposure visit. Several more meetings on this issue are planned for December f in Tadoba buffer area.

19 eligible young villagers from villages in Tadoba buffer region registered for four-wheeler driving training, to be organised by Satpuda Foundation and funded by the Forest Department.  We are making a list of 50 unemployed eligible young villagers, of which 42 candidates have already been selected. 

Details of the programs are given below:

List of the candidates (four wheeler drivers training)