Activity Update November 2019: Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve

Ashtha - Meeting with Village Eco-Development Committee
to discuss livestock management and crop raiding by wildlife

Ashtha - Students participate in our anti-plastic and cleanliness drive 

 Bhamdeli - Elderly patients being treated at our  free medical camp

Karanji - School students and staff watch a film on wildlife conservation

Katwal - Mr. Abhimanyu from Sky Mushrooms, Nagpur,
making a presentation on mushroom farming

Katwal - Villagers being trained in mushroom farming

Khutwanda - Conservation officer Ajay conducts a survey
on human-animal conflict and crop damage
during our free medical camp

Khutwanda - Our team discusses ways to mitigate
human-animal conflict with villagers

Kudesawli - Students explain climate issues through
their drawing

Moharli - Young students of the village school on a rally to
spread awareness about conservation

Sitarampeth - Members of women's SHG are briefed
about alternative livelihood options

Wamanpalli - Students learn about wildlife through a nature game

THE FULL REPORT

Team: 

Conservation Officer:  Ajay Poddar

Field Assistant:  Kishor Dudhbarai

Highlights of the month: SEE TABLE 1

• 8 awareness programs on human-animal conflict attended by 349 villagers and students 
• 1 wildlife conservation awareness rally with 90 students 
• 2 garbage management programs to prevent human- animal conflict – 65 students participated
• Nature club activities - nature and bird watching trail and drawing competition – 45 students participated
• 10 environment education programs with 662 students and 30 teachers 
• Oyster mushroom cultivation training workshop - 20 young villagers participated
• 3 women’s SHG meetings were organised - 45 members attended
• 8 VEDC meetings were organised - 144 members attended
• Medical camps in 6 villages with 378 patients treated 

During November, we organised several meetings with villagers focusing on reduction in human-animal conflict. We introduced the villagers to the recently released human-animal conflict Resolution issued by Maharashtra Forest Department.  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, encounters sometimes turn fatal for villagers, often leading to retaliatory killing of wildlife. Resolving issues like garbage dumps around villages, cattle grazing, minor forest produce (MFP) collection and unemployment, help in reducing human-animal confrontation.  

We also focused on wildlife movement outside protected areas (PAs). Wild herbivores like blue bulls, spotted deer, sambar deer and wild boar also pose a threat to villagers by raiding farms, damaging the crops and sometimes attacking farmers. Farmers suffer losses in these depredations. Farmers were told to maximise the usage of solar-powered fencing to try and deter wild animals from their farms. Our team is preparing a list of farmers who are willing to set up solar-powered fencing around their farms. 394 villagers attended these meetings. 

We organised garbage management meetings and activities with villagers of Khutwanda and Kondegaon. Programs were organised in order to sanitise the area around the villages, as garbage spillover and food leftovers lure wildlife into villages and cause human-animal conflict. We collected over 5 kilograms of plastic litter through public participation. 65 villagers including members of the VEDC (Village Eco-Development Committee), and children participated in these activities.

Environment Education - SEE TABLE 2

During  November, we organised environment education programs in Chiwanda, Karanji, Kondegaon, Kanargaon, Gunpur, Kudesawli, Wamanpalli, Pachgaon, Khutwanda and Katwal villages. We  organised these programs with students and teachers to make them aware of the importance of biodiversity and conservation. We taught them about nature and wildlife’s value through wildlife films, documentaries, presentations and classroom lectures. 662 students and 30 teachers participated in the programs.

Students of Nature clubs ‘Wagh,’‘Bibbat’ and ‘Ashwal’ from Moharli, Kudesawli and Kondegaon participated in a wildlife conervation awareness rally, drawing and essay writing competition and a nature trail. 120 students participated in these activities. 

Employment Cell - SEE TABLE 3

We organised 8 Village Eco-Development Committee (VEDC) meetings and 3 Self-Help Group (SHG) meetings focusing on alternative livelihoods which would reduce dependence on forests. Forest dependence leads to human-animal conflict and degradation of wild habitat.  209 villagers attended these meetings. In the SHG meetings, we discussed several livelihood related issues. We formed groups of members who are willing to be trained in making paper bags and in embroidery. 

As there is increasing tourism in buffer zone of Tadoba, some villagers requested us to organise a workshop to train women as nature guides. We shared success stories of women guides trained by us in Priyadarshini Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. 45 members attended these meetings.  

In the VEDC meetings, we discussed human-animal conflict and wildlife conservation guidelines outside protected areas (PAs). 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 killed by electrified fencing. We also discussed and explained short- and long-term benefits of fodder plantation. We discussed the rise in human-animal confrontation in and around Moharli and how to prevent this by adopting cattle sheds and stall feeding for cattle, to prevent straying of the animals into forests and falling prey to carnivores around the area. 144 villagers attended these meetings. 

Following a request from villagers, we organised a workshop on mushroom cultivation for residents of Katwal. We had earlier trained villagers in Pench to cultivate and market mushrooms, and their success has drawn villagers from Tadoba to emulate them. Mr. Abhimanyu of Sky Mushrooms, Nagpur visited Katwal and spoke to the candidates about mushroom cultivation and marketing etc. 20 interested candidates attended the workshop. Some of them also prepared a first batch of mushroom spawn for cultivation. They are cultivating oyster mushrooms as the local climate is suitable for it. 

Mobile Health Unit - SEE TABLE 4

During November, we organised free medical camps in 6 villages - Moharli, Bhamdeli, Sitarampeth, Kondegaon, Khutwanda and Katwal.  378 patients were treated in these camps.