Activity Update April 2019: Tadoba

Highlights:

Adegaon - Our colleague Kishor conducts
an environment education programme in the village school

Katwal- Kishor briefs SHG members about
the business potential of paper straws and paper bags

Khutwanda- Members of the Nature Club 'Aaswal'
with seeds collected for planting during the monsoon

Kondegaon - Villagers clean village in a public hygiene programme

Moharli - Children participate in an anti-plastic programme

Sitarampeth - Our colleague Kishor speaks to villagers about forest fires

Sitarampeth - Students learn about nature through a game 

THE FULL REPORT

Team:

Conservation Officer: Mr. Ajay Poddar

Field Assistant: Mr. Kishor Dudhbarai

Highlights of the month:

·      3 anti-plastic drives and programs to reduce man-animal conflict - 68 villagers participated

·      1 check-dam built- 9 villagers volunteered

·       4 women’s SHG meetings were organised - 48 members attended

·      7 VEDC meetings were organised - 82 members attended

·      5 environment education programs in Zilla Parishad (ZP) schools – 192 students attended

·      Nature club activity - Seed collection with students of Zilla Parishad (ZP) School, Khutwanda - 18 students participated

Conservation work: (Table 1)

On April 4^th, 15th and 27^th, we organised cleanliness and anti-plastic programs with villagers and children of Katwal, Moharli and Kondegaon. Programs were organised to clean the main public areas in and around the villages and around the hand pumps and wells. Wild growth and litter provide shelter to snakes and scorpions and attract scavengers. 68 villagers participated in activities organised by us.

On April 21^st, nine villagers of Khutwanda volunteered to construct a check dam.

Environment Education: (Table 2)

On April 4^th, 9^th, 16^th and 24^th we visited UdiyaTola, Adegaon, Bhamdeli and Khutwanda Zilla Parishad Schools to conduct programs in order to teach students about Tadoba’s biodiversity and its importance in the landscape. During these visits, our team interacted with students and organised lectures and presentations on forest fires. Various documentaries and film shows on wildlife conservation were shown to the students. A total of 160 students attended.

On April 21^st, we organised a nature trail for students of Zilla Parishad School, Sitarampeth. During the nature trail, students spotted various birds and learnt about biodiversity and its conservation. A total of 32 students participated.

On April 27^th, we also organised a walk for students of ZP school Khutwanda. During the walk, we collected over 1 kilogram of mixed seeds of local trees. A total of 18 students of the nature club ‘Aswal’ participated in the drive.

Education Program (Table 3)

Employment Cell (Table 4)

During April, we organised 4 Self-Help Group (SHG) meetings and 7 Village Eco-Development Committee (VEDC) meetings, focusing on alternative livelihoods which would reduce villagers’ dependence on forests. 130 villagers attended these meetings.

In the VEDC meetings, we discussed about man-animal conflict in the summer season when villagers tend to venture into conflict prone areas for minor forest produce (MFP) which often leads to confrontation with large carnivores and fatal attacks. We discussed about ways to reduce villagers’ dependence on forests through the adoption of alternative livelihood options. We also spoke about forest fires during the season, ways to prevent fires and the need for all villagers to support fire-fighting efforts when fires do break out. A total of 82 villagers attended these meetings.

In the SHG meetings, we held review discussions with women of Katwal and Mudholi villages, who we had earlier trained in making paper bags. We also arranged a video tutorial for women who are interested in paper straw and bag making.  A total of 48 women from different SHGs attended these meetings.