Activity Update April 2019: Pench Madhya Pradesh

Highlights:

Chirrewani - Students watch a wildlife documentary

Durgapur - Our colleague Niranjan briefs students
on the importance of World Earth Day.

Durgapur- Dr. Khode treats patients at our free medical camp

 Khamba - Children pour water into a bird bath

Kohoka- Our colleague Sumit explains role of bees
through an education kit designed by us

Mohgaon - Our colleague Kamlesh conducts a survey
on farmers' awareness about wildlife

Satosha - Our colleague Niranjan helps students spot birds on a nature trail

Satosha - Our colleague Niranjan organises a nature game
for village children

Turiya - Children prepare saplings from seeds of local plants
that they have collected 

THE FULL REPORT

Team:

Conservation Officer – Sumit Kumar Kar

Field Assistant – Niranjan Hinge (Turia cluster)

Field Assistant– Kamlesh Pawar (Khamarpani cluster)

Major highlights of the month

·      Health camps at 6 villages -- 121 patients treated

·      Education program at 11 schools attended by 215 students

·      Film shows attended by 147 students

·      Earth Day celebration on 22^nd April

·      Three nature trails

·      Birdbath preparation and installation

·      Seed collection and nursery preparation

·      SHG meeting at Turiya and Kundai

Conservation work: (Table 1)

Seeds are the source of regeneration of the forest. They form the means through which trees pass on their genetic information. During the month of April, Niranjan and Kamlesh organised wild seed collection activities with children of buffer villages. The objective of the activity was to familiarise children with the shape, size and appearance of various types of seeds found in the forest and to create a nursery by planting the collected seeds. The saplings generated will be used for plantation activities during the monsoon.

Earth Day is celebrated across the globe on 22^nd April. Since 1970, Earth Day has been a focus for various activities centered around preservation of various life forms and maintenance of the delicate balance of life on Earth. Satpuda Foundation celebrated Earth day by having interactive sessions with young students. Niranjan arranged an education program at Durgapur village to celebrate the occasion.

On April 15, Kamlesh assembled a group of volunteers at Chirrewani to construct a compost pit. Kamlesh had earlier explained to the villagers the concept of waste management and how compost pits can help in waste management and compost making. Composting recycles various organic materials otherwise regarded as waste products and produces a soil conditioner (the compost). Compost is rich in nutrients. It is used, for example, in kitchen gardens, horticulture, and organic farming thus completing the nutrient recycling process.

Water scarcity during summer can led to avaian mortality. In order to involve students in conservation of avifauna, our team organised the making of bird baths in villages of the buffer region. During April, Niranjan held activities at various villages in the buffer region to install bird baths with the help of students and villagers. Similar activity was also undertaken by Kamlesh in Khamarpani cluster. The bird baths were installed by the students who volunteered to regularly fill them through the summer.

Abundance of cow dung in rural India can be tapped via biogas plants to convert the organic material into biogas which mainly consists of methane via anaerobic process. Biogas is a sustainable form of energy which is used mainly for cooking reducing the need for fuel wood and thereby reducing pressure on forest. Biogas is produced from slurry of cow dung through anaerobic decomposition. Satpuda Foundation has been undertaking repair activities of faulty biogas production unit and stoves. During April, Niranjan repaired a faulty unit at Turia.

Plastic, due to its non-degradable nature, creates waste management issues. With plastic packing in numerous daily use products, the rise in plastic waste is significant. The plastic litter not only makes the surroundings look dirty, it is often mistaken by herbivores as a food source. This results in death in some instances due to blockage of digestive tract. Plastic waste often finds its way into water and results in water pollution. Satpuda Foundation regularly organises anti-plastic programs in which volunteers help in gathering plastic waste and dispose of it properly. Niranjan organised an anti-plastic drive on April 21 in Satosha village.

On April 6, Kamlesh organised a nature trail for students of Mohgaon Primary School. During the nature trail program, Kamlesh explained the various birds found in the vicinity of the village and their role in the ecosystem. Kamlesh also explained the utility of various plant and insect species found in the forest. Niranjan organised similar trails on April 19 and 22 at Satosha and Durgapur villages respectively.

Environment Education (Table 2)

In the month of April, a total of eleven school education programs were held by Niranjan, Kamlesh and Sumit in which students were given lectures on a wide range of topics such as pollution, man-animal conflict, biodiversity conservation and other issues related to nature conservation.  A total of 215 students attended these programs.

Education Van Program (Table 3) 

During April, we screened 6 films on nature and wildlife conservation, attended by 147 students from six schools. During the education van program, documentaries related to various tiger reserves of India, Western Ghats and bird diversity of India were shown to the students. The shows were followed by interactive sessions with our staff on wildlife related issues.

Satpuda Foundation 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. A computer awareness and hands-on practice session was held at Kohoka Middle School on 5^th April in which a total of 26 students were involved.

Nature Games (Table 4)

Nature games are unique as they impart important conservation-related messages through interesting, simple games. They are more interactive than a traditional lecture and are more effective in capturing the attention of young minds. During the month of April, three such nature games were organised.

Employment Cell (Table 5)

One of the activities related to livelihood at the Foundation is supporting women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in starting and sustaining new ventures which can give them adequate financial returns. During the month of April, the following activities were undertaken with respect to SHGs.

Mobile Health Service (MHS) (Table 6)

During April, 121 patients were treated through our free medical camps organised in Turiya cluster.        

Research

A research project is currently under way to understand the awareness level of farmers in the buffer region. A questionnaire was prepared which included basic queries regarding agriculture, knowledge about impact of fertilisers and pesticides on environment as well as crop depredation by wildlife and significance of insects and birds in agriculture. The project is intended to study the awareness level among farmers and to identify areas which could be improved through training. During April, basic data collection and data entry operations were conducted.