Activity Update August 2019: Tadoba

Ashtha - Villagers attend our meeting on human-wildlife conflict

 Khutwanda - Students learn about wildlife identification
through an interactive nature game

Kondegaon- Students observe birds and learn about
invasive species of plants that harm the local ecosystem

Mudholi - Our colleague Kishor speaks to villagers
about stall feeding and fodder management

Mudholi - Our team gives information to villagers
 about vocational training programmes

Wadala - Our colleague Kishor speaks about local wildlife
and nature to village school students

Wadala - Our team conducts a socio-economic survey of villagers

Wadala - Villagers attend our awareness programme
on managing human-wildlife conflict

Team: 

Conservation Officer:  Ajay Poddar

Field Assistant:  Kishor Dudhbarai

Highlights of the month: (See Table 1)

• 14 awareness programs on man-animal conflict - 508 villagers and students attended
• 3 anti-plastic and cleanliness programs to prevent man- animal conflict - 130 villagers participated
• 4 awareness programs on livestock management to reduce grazing pressure on forests - 76 villagers participated
• 11 Environment education progammes - 542 students attended
• 3 Nature club activities - nature and bird watching trail, interactive nature games - 53 students participated 
• 4 women’s Self-Help Group meetings were organised - 64members attended 
• 9 Village Eco-Development Committee meetings were organised - 176 members attended

During August, we organised several meetings with villagers focusing on reducing human-animal conflict. In order to spread awareness, we spoke to the community members about potential threats and the danger of venturing into the forest areas for fuel wood, mahua, tendu collection etc. As the Tadoba area has a good tiger breeding population and other large carnivores, many encounters turn fatal, often leading to retaliatory killing of wildlife by villagers. Resolving issues like garbage dumps around villages, cattle grazing, minor forest produce (MFP) collection and unemployment, help in reducing man-animal confrontation.  

Wild herbivores like blue bulls, spotted deer, sambar deer and wild boar also pose threats to villagers by raiding crops, damaging property and sometimes attacking farmers. Farmers suffer hefty losses in these depredations. Farmers were told to maximise the use of solar-powered fencing. Our team is preparing a list of farmers who are willing to set up solar-powered fencing around their farms.  508 villagers attended these meetings. 

We organised cleanliness and anti-plastic programs with villagers of Katwal, Khutwanda and Bhamdeli. Programs were organised in order to sanitise the area around villages, as garbage spillover and food leftovers lure wildlife into villages and cause man-animal conflict. We collected over 7 kilograms of plastic litter through public participation (voluntary work project).  130 villagers including members of women’s SHGs and children volunteered for these activities. 

We also organised meetings with cattle owners and farmers on livestock management. Attendees were informed about stall feeding, cattle sheds and fodder units through success stories from the villages in Nagpur and Wardha districts. Post monsoon, a fodder plantation drive will take place with the help of the Forest Department near Mudholi village. Also, a cattle castration program will be organised in Khutwanda, Kondegaon and Katwal in October.  76 cattle owners and farmers attended the meetings.

Environment Education programs (See Table 2) 

During August, we organised environment education  programs in Ashtha, Wadala, Kondegaon, Katwal Mudholi, Sitarampeth, Bhamdeli, Moharli, Agarzari, Adegaon, Udiyatola, Dewada, Junona and Khutwanda villages. We  organised these programs with students and teachers in order to make them aware of the importance of biodiversity and conservation. We taught them about nature and wildlife’s value through interactive sessions and various nature games.  595 students participated in the programs. 

Employment Cell (See Table 3)

We organised 9 Village Eco-Development Committee (VEDC) meetings and 4 Self-Help Group (SHG) meetings, focusing on alternative livelihoods which will reduce dependence on the forests that leads to man-animal conflict and degradation of forests.  240 villagers attended these meetings. 

In the SHG meetings, we discussed several livelihood related issues. We also formed groups of interested members who are willing to be trained in making paper bags and in embroidery. The training will be provided to these members in order to improve their earnings and reduce their dependency on forests.  64 members attended these meetings.  

In the VEDC meetings, we discussed plantation to be done in the buffer zone, collection and distribution of saplings from the Forest Department. We also focused on increasing usage of solar-powered fencing in farm lands to prevent conflict with wildlife and to reduce the incidence of wild animals being electrocuted by electrified fencing. We also discussed and explained short- and long-term benefits of fodder plantation. We discussed the increasing numbers of man-animal confrontations in and around Moharli and how to prevent this by adopting cattle sheds and stall feeding for their cattle, which often fall prey to carnivores around the area. 176 villagers attended these meetings. 

We organised youth empowerment and livelihood awareness sessions in Kudesawli village for unemployed young villagers from corridor villages of the proposed Kanargaon Wildlife Sanctuary.  We discussed various livelihood issues and job schemes that can benefit those forest dwellers. We formed a social media group to discuss and share thoughts about the topic.