Activity Update June 2019: Pench Madhya Pradesh

Highlights:

Khamarpani - Recruitment drive conducted by Checkmate Security

Kohoka - Our colleague Sumit explains the concept
of water management in an environment education programme

 Potiya - Students learn about nature through a nature game
organised by our colleague Niranjan

Satosha - Our colleague Niranjan organises a game
to teach students about nature and wildlife

Turiya - School students on a nature trail 

Turiya - Volunteers prepare a soak pit 

Turiya - Volunteers help in setting up a nursery
 in a programme organised by us

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 (See Table 1)

• Recruitment drive conducted in association with Checkmate Security Pvt. Limited for unemployed young villagers 
• SHG meeting and training program  
• Nursery preparation 
• Nature trails conducted in Turiya and Potiya 
• Environment education program in 4 schools attended by 71 students

With the arrival of the monsoon, planting drives are organised by Satpuda Foundation across the landscape. To provide seedlings for planting, Niranjan conducted nursery seedling plantation activities with the help of local young villagers,  from seeds collected last month. Seeds of trees such as neem and mahua were planted, and other nursery related operations were conducted.

On June 6, Niranjan assembled a group of volunteers at Turiya to dig a soak pit. Niranjan had earlier explained to villagers the concept of groundwater recharge and how soak pits can help in faster percolation of waste water and reduce the spread of water-borne insect vectors. 

On June 21 and June 16, Niranjan organised nature trails for students. During the nature trails, Niranjan explained about the various birds found in the vicinity in the buffer region of Pench Tiger Reserve and their role in the ecosystem. A visit was organised to a nearby dry river bed to create awareness on water conservation and importance of water hole for wildlife conservation. 

Environment Education (See Table 2)

In June, a total of four school education programs were organised by Niranjan and Sumit in which students were given lectures on a wide range of topics such as water conservation, pollution, human-animal conflict, biodiversity conservation, and other issues related to nature conservation.  71 students attended these programs. 

Nature games (See Table 3)

Nature games are useful as they impart important conservation-related messages through interesting and simple games. They are more interactive than traditional lectures and are more effective in capturing the attention of young minds. During June, two such nature games were organised. 

Employment Cell

Satpuda Foundation has been helping local young villagers get employment by connecting them to potential recruiters. During June, Satpuda Foundation organised recruitment workshops in association with Checkmate Industrial Services Pvt. Ltd., Pune, in the Khamarpani cluster. The recruitment drive was conducted for the position of security guards, to be employed in Pune. The drive was successful with many young villagers of the region registering.

One of the activities related to employment at the Foundation is supporting Self Help Groups (SHGs) start and sustain new ventures which can give them adequate financial returns while reducing their dependence on forests for livelihood. During June, with the efforts of our team and support from the government’s NRLM (National Rural Livelihood Mission), a new shop was allocated by the local Panchayat for women SHG members to operate in Turiya village. The new shop will enable the SHG members to expand their food business and also act as a selling point for SHG-made handicrafts. A meeting was organised in which Sumit and Niranjan discussed the future course of action. A training session in accounting and book-keeping was organised by Sumit for the SHG members.