Quarterly update: April, May, June and July 2010

As always all our teams in the field (Conservation Officers and Field Officers) have been hectically busy with a wide range of activities to preserve and improve the tiger landscape: water conservation, tree plantation, clean-up drives, fire-fighting, patrolling with forest officers, education of local communities, vocational training and employment for villagers to reduce their dependence on the forest.

Posting the whole quarterly report is not possible as there are more than a hundred snapshots and items. I'm posting just a few images and activities here to show the scope and range of our work. The names of our officers are listed at the end of the report. Kudos to all of them for their hard work and dedication.

I'll post separate updates soon on our Landscape Monitoring Unit and Melghat Eco-restoration project.

Fire-fighting
Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve


Above: At Dewada



Above: Firefighting at Adegaon

Our team in the Satpuda TR also helped put out a fire.

Pench Tiger Reserve - Firefighting at Sawra with villagers and Ranger:
We had asked Mr Kharabe, RFO (Territorial) Deolapar to participate in the inauguration of our sewing and embroidery training programme in Sawra. On his way to join us, he saw a fire in the forest around 2 kms from the village. He came to Sawra and asked for assistance. Around 10 school children, 2 adult villagers, teacher Manoj Mankar, Anoop Awasthi and Dilip Lanjewar responded. The whole team fought the fire for 1 1/2 hours. Mr Kharabe was so pleased with the response that he gave Rs 500 to the children. The team decided to purchase a volleyball and a
football for the children's use. Mr Kharabe also promised his assistance to any of our future programmes. He came back to the village and gave a talk on forests, the benefits of forests to villager and the need to protect them.

Satpuda TR: On April 19 a fire was started by villagers in the forest near Birjikhapa to facilitate their collection of mahua flowers. Our Conservation Officer Ashfaq was having lunch with the Deputy Ranger at Nayakheda when they saw smoke. Seven Forest Department staff and Ashfaq then rushed to the spot to fight the fire which, by then, had spread and was threatening to damage even the village. Some of the villagers also joined in the fire-fighting.

Because forest fires are such a menace in summer, we are working to educate villagers about the harmful effects of forest fires and the need to assist the Forest Department in containing them. We have conducted awareness programmes in 4 villages in April: Parraspani, Raikheda, Nandner and Dhargaon in the Matkuli cluster. In May we organized programmes in 11 villages to educate villagers about forest fires - how carelessness can cause fires, other reasons for fires, the harm caused to nature and wildlife as well as humans, and also how to fight fire. In 2 villages, Nayakheda and Birjikhapa, forest guards joined us in the programme.

Kanha NP: In April at a programme at Batwar, our team educated villagers about the many harmful effects of forest fires and the need to help the Forest Department in fighting them.

-->Anti-poaching patrols: Pench: Joined hands with Forest Department on anti-poaching patrols on several occasions. On May 1 and 20, our Field Assistant Bandu Uikey volunteered in patrols around waterholes in West Pench, with forest guards Munde and Rathore. On June 6 and 13, he joined patrols at Ghatpendari in checking waterholes for signs of poaching and poisoning, and to clean them of litter.
Water conservation



Above: Cleaning soak pit at Adegaon, Tadoba-Andhari TR, May 2010



Above: Cleaning waterhole at Sitarapeth, TATR, June



Above: Cleaning soak pit at Kondegaon, TATR, July



Above: Constructing waterhole at Khamma, Pench TR, May



Above: Soak pit at Turia, Pench, June



Above: Shramdaan/voluntary work at Ghoti, Pench, June. Creating a waterhole.



Above: Waterhole at Chapri, Kanha National Park, May



Above: Cleaning waterhole at Chapri, Kanha NP, May

Seed banks and tree plantation



Above, below: Seed collection, Pench, June





Above: Seed collection at Dewada, TATR, June



Above: Free distribution of seeds at Chapri, Kanha NP, June. Ajeewika (an MP government agency set up for rural livelihood development) and the Agriculture Department, invited SF to distribute free seeds to poor farmers in Chapri where our centre is located. The seeds are corn, rice and tur.



Above: Digging pit for plantation at Patpara, Kanha NP, June



Above: Plantation preparation at Ghatpendri, Pench, June



Above: Digging pits for plantation at Adegaon, TATR, July



Above: Plantation at Turia, Pench June



Above: Plantation at Ghatpendri, Pench, July


Above: Distribution of saplings at Chapri, Kanha NP, July. Under an Ajeewika scheme, villagers are given Rs 2 to dig one pit and Re 1 to plant one sapling.



Above: Plantation at Chapri, Kanha NP, July


Above: Sapling distribution at Bindakheda, Satpuda TR, July


Above: Tree plantation by D P Tiwari, Biodiversity Board, at Matkuli, Satpuda TR, July

Rainwater harvesting

Ajeewika has launched a programme to harvest rainwater in all the 10 villages that we work in in Kanha. The work of monitoring progress and follow-up has been entrusted to us. Work on rainwater structures is going on in the schools in all our villages, and four have been completed.


Vocational training

Driving - course funded by Hemendra Kothari Foundation, at Moharli, Tadoba-Andhari TR



Sewing



Above: Malvi, at Matkuli, Bori-Satpuda TR, with her sewing machine. She was trained in sewing through SF.



Above: The sewing group at Sawra, Pench, that was trained through Pratham's skill centre facilitated by SF. Here they are displaying re-usable shopping bags they've made after the course. The bags will be available for sale in Mumbai (through the Mumbai-based volunteers) and one or two other cities when they are ready.

Mobile Health Unit

Pench - medical camps in 24 villages, 694 villagers treated



Above: Setting up the Mobile Health camp at Narhar, Pench, July



Above: MHU at Turiya, Pench TR, May



Above: MHU at Dewada, Tadoba-Andhari TR, June



Above: MHU at Jamni, Tadoba-Andhari TR, May



Above: MHU at Palasgaon, Tadoba-Andhari TR, July



Above: MHU at Wanera, Pench TR, July - Conservation Officer Anoop Awasthi and a volunteer dispense medicines from the ambulance



Above: Forest guard Mr Wadke with our MHU team at Piparheti, Tadoba-Andhari TR, June

Clean-up drives



Above: Anti-plastic campaign at Bhamdeli, Tadoba-Andhari TR, May. Anti-plastic drives were conducted in 3 villages.

Composting

Forest officials in the buffer area villages around Kanha NP have recently introduced a scheme for setting up vermi-compost units in villages. Mr Solanki, RFO Khatiya, asked SF Conservation Officer Amit Awasthi to assist in spreading awareness about this scheme in our project villages.



Above: Awareness programme on vermi-composting at Manegaon, Kanha NP, May



Above: Compost pit being dug at Chapri, Kanha NP, July



Above: Compost pit at Sauthiya, Kanha NP, July

Nature education



Above: Nature trail at Chapri, Kanha, June.
There have been several nature and birding trails organized by our Tadoba Conservation Officer Bandu Kumare as well. Bandu was a Park guide earlier and uses his knowledge to enthuse young people about the biodiversity of the region.



Above: Nature game at Sitarampeth, Tadoba-Andhari TR, July



Above: Awareness programme on tree plantation at Matkuli, Bori-Satpuda TR



Above: Environment education at Aamajhari, Pench, July



Above: Rally on conservation at Chapri, Kanha NP, July



Above: Environment education programme, Dewada, Tadoba-Andhari, July



Above: Film show, Kondegaon, Tadoba-Andhari, July

Water pots for birds



Above: SF team making water pots for birds, Nayakheda, Satuda TR, May



Above: Self-Help Group at Nayakheda putting up water pots for birds, Satpuda TR, May. Water pots were placed for birds in 14 villages.



Above: Children putting up water pots for birds at Khamna, Pench, May

Pench: Education van programme in 7 villages, attended by 292 people

Clothes distribution



Above: Clothes distribution at Ghoti after voluntary work (shramdaan) - Pench, June. Under our clothes-for-work scheme, garments are not handed out indiscriminately but are distributed only after villagers have done some conservation work for the community.

Placements
Some of the young villagers who have found good jobs through our Employment Cell.

Above: Placement of Ramdayal at Maheshwari Resort, Chapri, Kanha, May



Above: Placement of Harichand at Maheshwari Resort, Chapri, Kanha, May



Above: Placement of Choubhelal at Maheshwari Resort, Chapri, Kanha, May


Above: Abhiman Choukey of Sitarampeth (Tadoba) placed with Economic Explosives, Nagpur, May

Above: Conservation Officer (Tadoba-Andhari TR) Bandu Kumare interacting with youths in Dewada about placement and ITI courses, May



Above: Placement of Devsingh Sayyam at Chapri, Kanha, June



Above: Placement of Ashok Uikey at a resort, Kanha, July



Above: Placement of Nathulal Maravi of Chapri at Tigerwoods resort, Kanha, July

Events



Above: Function to celebrate International Biodiversity Day at Nayakheda, Bori-Satpuda TR, May



Above: Distributing certificates to successful candidates of four-wheeler training programme funded by Hemendra Kothari Foundation, Moharli, Tadoba-Andhari TR, May



Above: Dignitaries address villagers at Nayakheda on World Environment Day, Bori-Satpuda, June. The programme was funded by the MP Biodiversity Board which in turn had received funds from UNDP for celebrating this day in different places in the state. SF Conservation Officer Ashfaq Arbi, Mr Abdullah Khan (Ranger, Matkuli), Ms Aarti Arjun Palliya (President, Janpath Panchayat, Pipariya), Mr Uday Raj Singh (CEO, Janpath Panchayat, Piparaya), Mr Azhar Siddique (Dy Ranger, Jhiriya) addressed about 180 villagers from Nayakheda, Dhargaon, Anjandana, Nandkot, Mongra and Naikheda. The speakers talked about nature and biodiversity, the need for conservation and also plantation of saplings.



Above: Awareness on plantation and better farming techniques, at Manegaon, Kanha. We conducted programmes in 6 villages in partnership with Ajeewika, an MP government agency set up for rural livelihood development. The programmes taught farmers how to select appropriate seeds, preparing soil and fields for farming, and techniques of transplanting saplings. In the picture above, Mr S P Jain, SDO, Forest Department, speaks to the villagers.



Above: Conservation Officer Amit Awasthi giving information on better farming techniques at Kuthwahi, Kanha - June



Above: Biodiversity workshop at Ashramshala at Matkuli, Bori-Satpuda, July



Above: Certificate distribution through CEDMAP, Bhopal, to womens' Self-Help Group at Ec0-centre, Matkuli, Bori-Satpuda, July

Pench: Mowgli Utsav 2010 in Turiya:

-->

Every year, the MP Government organizes a festival for school children called "Mowgli Utsav" to spread awareness about wildlife and nature. Children and school children are selected from each Zillah of MP to participate in the 3-day programme. On April 9 our Conservation Officer Anoop Awasthi led the participating school children to the village Aamajhari to show them our activities and also to explain about village life and their link to the surrounding bio-diversity. Aamajhari is around 5 km from the Turia entry gate of the Pench Tiger Reserve. The children were also told about the benefits villagers gained from their proximity to the National Park, as well as the impact that humans had on the fragile eco-system. On April 10 we organized a play by the Sawra school children to convey the message that forests are the key to our water supply. The play, staged by 12 children under the guidance of one teacher, was well-received by the audience.

Ramtek MLA Ashish Jaiswal visited Sawra and saw the school and the sewing training.

Work at Kanha Community Resource Centre:

This CRC is on the model of the NCSA Community Resource Centre at Muthawa, Melghat TR. The shed housing for the gypsy and the kitchen have been repaired. Next to the mahua tree our team have dug a waterhole which is being used by chital, wild boar and birds. The fields were dug in June and ploughed in preparation for farming, and seeds have been purchased. A compost pit has been has been dug to generate organic fertilizer from organic waste at the Centre.

Follow-up on resettled village Bhagwanpur, Tadoba-Andhari: Our team has been making regular visits to this resettled village to check the progress of the community and their needs and requirements, and also to check progress of work on a bridge on the Bhagwanpur-Naghala Road. 11 wells have been sanctioned by the Panchayat Samiti. Villagers want a separate Gram Panchayat for their village instead of being attached to the Tolewahi GP. They feel a separate GP will make them eligible for funding and other benefits under tribal development schemes.

Rescue of chitals attacked by village dogs:

Kanha, May 14: SF Conservation Officer Amit Awasthi was at the village Mocha when he heard a commotion near the forest beat box. A chital fawn was being attacked by village dogs. Amit and some villagers chased away the dogs and carried the chital to the eco-centre at Khatiya. Unfortunately it died soon after.

Tadoba, May 31: SF's Bandu Kumare was at his home in Moharli when he heard the cries of an animal and the shouts of villagers. When he ran to investigate he found a chital being attacked by three village dogs, with villagers standing around watching and doing nothing to stop them. With the help of a village youth Sanjay Kulmete (also one of the driving course trainees), and 3 employees of TRACT as well as a forest guard and one forest labourer, he pursued the dogs for 5 km. Finally the dogs gave up the chase and the chital escaped to the jungle. Shockingly, the villagers were upset at the chital's escape and accused the rescuers of depriving them of some bushmeat. However an encouraging incident is that an 8 year old village boy joined the rescue effort, saying that the chital was a spirit of the forest and should not be harmed.

SF teams in the field:

Pench:

Conservation Officer - Anoop Awasthi

Field Assistants - Bandu Uikey, Dilip Lanjewar, Niranjan Hinge

Tadoba-Andhari:

Field Assistant - Bandu Kumare

Satpuda Tiger Reserve:

Conservation Officer - Ashfaq Aarbi

Field Assistants - Vikram Parte, Umashankar Yadav

Kanha:

Conservation Officer - Amit Awasthi

Field Assistant - Sampatlal Dhurwe

Pench snapshots

Pictures from my March and early June trips to Pench Tiger Reserve.



Above: This huge male soaked in the Bijamatta waterhole for some time...



... then climbed up the bank and disappeared into the forest.





He emerged about 10 minutes later and crossed the road right in front of our gypsy!



Pench has an Eden-like atmosphere, perhaps because the large meadows and grazing herds of chital give it such an air of serenity. Below: Chital, langur and a sambar together at a waterhole.







Above: Joined by a Great Egret



Above: Pench peacocks are plentiful and picturesque, often posing beautifully on the rocks. In summer you can see them doing their spectacular dance - I have no good pictures of that.



Above: Gaur



Above, below: We got an interesting view of gaur courtship when this huge male - the biggest I've seen - came to a herd of females and seemed to select one after much sniffing. This affectionate display followed!





Above: Summer colours, red, green, gold. This was on the 1st or 2nd of June if I remember correctly. Out of the 50 vehicles in the park, 48 were parked in the Alikatta elephant camp, with their occupants waiting in queue to be ferried on elephant back to view a tiger that had been spotted resting in a thicket nearby. This is a really boring way to see a tiger, and moreover I would have had at least a half-hour wait among a chattering crowd stuffing themselves with samosas and sandwiches: not the ideal way to spend the limited time one has in a forest. It dawned on me that the rest of the park was now human-free. So off we went!



Above: The driver Rajan parked in shade beside this waterhole and everyone dozed off for some time



Above: Malabar Pied Hornbill. There is a pair near Alikatta that I've seen several times.



Above: The local name for this lovely creeper is Mahul bel, but I keep forgetting the botanical name - something beginning with "c." It's all over the trees around mid-April and is partly the reason that Pench looks its best at that season.

Pench Tiger Reserve

Excursion to Melghat - Nature Education Programme for CBSE high school students

NCSA announces its nature education programme for CBSE students, to be held as always at Melghat Tiger Reserve. There will be two programmes a month from October 2010 to February 2011, and bookings will be made from September 1-15 2010. Email ncsa.india@gmail.com for programme schedules and menu and for booking.

Melghat Tiger Reserve:

Situated in northern Maharashtra in the Satpuda landscape, the Melghat Tiger Reserve was once the logging and hunting grounds for British people. The river Tapti in the north and five rivers which actually contribute huge amount of water to Tapti flows through Melghat Tiger Reserve and enrich the flora, birdlife, reptiles, butterflies, spiders and many more creatures. This is one of the best places in the country to see raptors in good numbers including the newly discovered family of spider and endangered Forest Owlet. (Detailed information on Melghat would be circulated separately)

Nature Conservation Society, Amravati (NCSA):

Nature Conservation Society, Amravati (NCSA) started in 1990 and was officially registered on September 9, 1991 under Society's Registration Act-1860 and Mumbai Public Trust Act 1950. It is also registered under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act 1976 (FCRA) (Reg no.083740067) and sec.12-A and 80-G of Income Tax Act 1976. NCSA is a non- profit organisation working in Central India with the focus towards conservation of wildlife and Bio-diversity of this region through education, research, protection and consultation with various sections of the society. NCSA has been fighting on lot of conservation issues in central India since past two decade and also earned credibility of being a “dedicated grass root level NGO” which has established a unique wildlife conservation model by involving local communities.

(More on NCSA and its conservation achievements can be read on its website
www.ncsaindia.org)

Muthawa, A Community Resource Centre of NCSA in Melghat:

Muthawa is a God of Korku Tribals. NCSA has created a small camping facility near the Sipna river on 8 hectare land and also have been developing a “Community Resource Centre”(CRC). The CRC is locally famous as “Muthawa” centre.

The location is scenic and situated near village Kotha on Bori-Kotha road close to Harisal town on Paratwada-Dharni highway. The CRC is surrounded by forest from two sides and you get a good view of Melghat Tiger Reserve from the Muthawa centre. The natural regeneration at the CRC land is very high. There are around 80 plant species and it has become a paradise for raptors specially Crested Hawk Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Honey Buzzard, Shikra and Common Kestrel. The chital, four-horned antelope and black-naped hare are occasional visitors at the centre as they get ample fodder and water at the centre.

Presently we do organic farming, agro-forestry and implement many community-based conservation programmes at the CRC. (Detailed information on Muthawa CRC would be sent separately)

Details of nature education programmes

Participation:

The programme allows only 25 students in one batch. If you have a greater number of students you can arrange more programmes but the outer limit for every batch should not cross 25 students.

The number of teachers accompanying every batch should not exceed 3. Students’ composition may be 50% girls and 50% boys in case of educational institutes where co-education is allowed. The course is best suited to age group: 11-14 yrs (6th to 8th Std)

Programme Schedule

The students batch should arrive before lunch time preferably at the CRC. The five- day duration would be like 15th February 20xx, Departure -20th Feb 20xx.The programme booking starts from 1st September to 15th September of every year.

The actual programmes start from 1st October of every year. Once the education institute book the programme by paying 50% fees, NCSA would send the confirmation letter with payment receipt and the institute will have to pay remaining fees at the most a week before commencing their course.

Note: If the school is unable to attend the course due to some reason,75% course fees would be returned back to the institute immediately. If same thing happens from the NCSA, we will return 100% fees to the institute within 8 working days from the date of cancellation informed to the school.

Climate:

February is pleasant in Melghat. Nights are a little cold but you can
comfortably sleep with one blanket. Afternoons would be little hot and kids need to bring their caps.

Arrangements:

Accommodation: The accommodation would be provided in tents. There would be a total of 6 tents, as big as 10 feet X 12 feet. Every tent accommodates 6 Kids (Or 3 elders) comfortably. The tents are neatly floored with mud and dung. We also put a nylon carpet and on the top of it there would be cotton carpet. It would be better if the kids brings sleeping bags.

Lavatory Block: Lavatory block includes 3 toilets and 3 bathrooms for girls and
separate set of 3 toilets and 3 bathrooms for boys. (Including one each western type) There is a provision of hot water in each block.

Indoor training sessions: The in door training sessions would be conducted in theopen air hall of 30 feet X 35 feet. The hall is floored with mud and dung and sitting arrangement during the training sessions would be on the carpet.

Library: The library has also been established in 2009.There are some books for sale too.

Power: There is no power supply from state Electricity department. CRC produces its own power with Mahua based bio-diesel. Recently in 2009, the training centre at CRC has been made fully solar-based.

Utensils: CRC would provide each student a set of plate, glass, tea mug, spoon and blanket (they may like to bring one shawl to attach to the blanket). This set of utensils and goods provided by CRC would be with the kids throughout the programme duration. Students are advised to bring their clothing and essential medication. Every student must carry a cap and a torch. They should bring extra sleepers to wear. But shoes are compulsory during the field work in the forest.

Education Material: Participants would get a note book, pen, pensil, sharpener and eraser at the time of registration. They would also get the information material kit with CD. There is a library available at CRC where kids can refer the books and magazines. Every participant would get the Certificate, CD of photographs and a programme report after completion of training programme.

Health: Students are advised to bring their essential medication. Nearest PHC is at Harisal and it is just 3 km away from CRC. There would be Gypsy parked at the CRC for 24 hours to transport patients from CRC to PHC.

Food: The food would be strictly vegetarian and very simple. There would be plain rice, Chapati and a vegetable during the lunch with green salad and buttermilk. Poha, upama, gram, bean would be in the breakfast. There would be fruits after the meals. Kids would get tea/coffee in the morning and afternoon. (Tentative menu attached)

Water: The drinking water would be underground tubewell pure water. We serve it after boiling the same. It is sweet in taste and pure in quality. But Kids would be free to even use their bottled water.

Communication: For communication, there are two phone numbers of CRC-
9421789144(BSNL), 09325088197 (Reliance).BSNL is not reliable due to poor
reception. But Reliance communication is very good. Students can also avail email facility which will be available on payment basis. (Rs.50 for minimum 15minutes)
(office email id is ) Only one node would be available. We would request the kids not to use their cell phones throughout the day.

Travel: Khandawa or Akola / Badnera. From both stations the distance of "Muthawa" community resource centre (CRC) is same and approximately 135 km. Please contact Mr.Vishal Bansod (9422916150), Education Officer of NCSA at Amravati for any specific help in booking some vehicles and sending them to Khandawa/ Badnera/ Akola station.

Cost: Rs. 3000/ participant (student/teacher) which includes accommodation, food, utensils/goods, training charges and travel during the field modules in Melghat. It also includes the entry fees and tourist charges of Melghat Tiger Reserve. This does not include any charges of bringing the kids up to CRC.

Mode of Payment: You can send the said cost by Demand Draft or cheque drawn in favour of “Nature Conservation Society, Amravati” payable at Amravati. You can also send the same by money transfer or electronic transfer. The payments (booking amount as well as final amount) should be paid by Demand Draft only payable at Amravati.

Other discipline: Kids need to get the utensils and essential goods described above from programme organizers. While accepting the same and returning the same, participants should ensure that it is in good condition.

They will have to wash their plates and glasses after every meal/ breakfast. No
disposables please. If the Kids use their own bottled drinking water, they will have to take back their empty bottles.

Students are advised to bring their clothing which suits to forest and should be
comfortable for them while trekking. It should be preferably green, bottle green and should avoid red and white.

At the agriculture field they will have to work bare-footed too. If some participants have some health problems, it would be better to inform the programme organizer in advance.

Participants should not carry any item in polythene bags or plastic wrappers.

Littering, playing recorders, musical instruments is not allowed during the
programme. There would be an eco-friendly “cultural night” on the last evening arranged by participants themselves. This should not disturb the peace of the surrounding environment.

Safety measures and precautions: NCSA and organizers would take all the
precautionary safety measures during the training programme. However NCSA, its trustees and organizers, accept no responsibility, of any accident/ misshap, that may occur during the programme.

Read about a typical nature education programme here.

Please email ncsa.india@gmail.com for information and booking, and also for the programme schedule and menu.

Teachers' Environmental Leadership workshop: "The Birth of the Forest"

Report by Ar. Vishal Bansod,
Kids For Tigers City Coordinator,
Amravati & Paratwada,
Education and Conservation Officer, NCSA

16 August 2010

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

Teachers expecting “one more usual workshop” were thrilled to discover the “birth” of the forest in Melghat Tiger Reserve.

The doctors who explained this birth process were wildlife conservationists Kishor Rithe and Green Teacher Prof. Nishikant Kale. Teachers learned how barren land get covered with different types of grasses, providing complete protection to the land. Land with grass cover regenerates herbs and shrubs due to seed dispersal from birds' droppings and pollination by insects/butterflies. The floral “sponge’ now helps the barren land to germinate sun-loving plants. After three years, the land harbours shade-loving floral species. And you get the young forest.

Kids For Tigers Amravati & Paratwada had arranged a teachers' environmental leadership workshop at NCSA’s Community Resource Centre, near Harisal, Melghat Tiger Reserve on 16th August 2010. Around 30 teachers and head masters from 25 schools participated in the workshop.

The Sanctuary ‘Kids for Tigers’ Programme has stepped in to its tenth year in Amravati city. Looking at the success of the Kids for Tigers programme in Amravati city, the programme has been extended to Paratwada town which is the entry point for Melghat Tiger Reserve. A well- structured workshop was organized for the school teachers from these cities at Muthawa, the famous Community Resource Centre of Nature Conservation Society, Amravati. The CRC is the best learning place in Melghat.

After an introductory session, Prof. Nishikant Kale, President, NCSA, delivered a lecture on the current scenario of “wildlife conservation.” He mainly focused on the central Indian Highlands and elaborated on the issue by adding small stories.

Mr. Kishor Rithe, well-known wildlife expert, spoke about the real need for such specialized programmes when there are so many EVS programmes. He explained different themes that the Kids for Tigers programme has implemented in India in the past 10 years. He requested teachers to go beyond merely “plantation” and to help in building “strong” children in today’s broken world. The entire world is going through severe ecological crises and we need a really “strong” army of children who can repair this climate-challenged world by providing solutions, Kishor Rithe urged.

During second session the teachers were taken for a short nature walk at the “private sanctuary” created at the CRC. Teachers learned about 110 floral species of medicinal plants along with several species of bird and butterflies.

Teachers also visited the Bio-diesel plant where Prof. Kale explained to them about the plant and the energy security of the country. Green teacher Mr. Prakash Laddha and Amol Sawant, Akola KFT Coordinator delivered lectures on various school activities and small innovative conservation projects implemented by them.

Mr. Pravin Kavitkar, one of the most dynamic environment educators and Master trainer for the Social Forestry Department, shared his experiences with the teachers.

Ar. Vishal Bansod, KFT Amravati & Paratwada coordinator took review of last year's activities and facilitated an interactive session on various activities to be carried out during 2010-2011.

After the group discussion, teachers came out with some innovative ideas suitable for their schools and cities. Teachers promised to collect at least 2 lakh signatures for saving our tigers and also to take the touching “Truth about Tigers” film to the maximum number of children from their schools.

Vishal Bansod also presented the slide show on “Save Our Tigers.”

Teachers extended their thanks to the organizers for arranging such a different workshop, and that too in the forests of Melghat. Teachers have now started planning an excursion for selected students in Melghat.

NCSA advisor Dr. Anil Asole, CRC in-charge Neharu Yeole, Maroti Alokar, Sanjay Pundekar, Alkesh Thakare and Ajeem Shaik took painstaking affords to make this event success.

Vishal Bansod
Amravati

Vacancy at NCSA's Community Resource Centre, Melghat

NCSA announces an opening for the following post urgently at Melghat Community Resource Centre - Education Officer

Qualification: Any Graduate /PG, preferably MSc Environmental Science, B.Ed.

The Education Officer (EO) will be working at Nature Conservation Society, Amravati's (NCSA) Community Resource Centre(CRC) at Melghat Tiger Reserve. The EO will be responsible for implementing the training and education programmes at the CRC as well as in the Melghat Tiger Reserve. He/she should have good knowledge of English, Hindi and Marathi languages.

The duration of the assignment is one year and the candidate may apply next year to continue. The honorarium up to Rs.8000/month will be provided depending upon the qualification and experience along with the accommodation (negotiable).

Please send your CV’s and applications to ncsa.india@gmail.com or niwaka@rediffmail.com before 15th July 2010.

International Course on Conservation Biology and Wildlife Management(CBWM), December 2-20, 2010, Amravati, India

How to manage wildlife habitats for sustainable development by research-based conservation actions at micro, macro and landscape level:

What: The course on “Conservation Biology and Wildlife Management” is to train scientific and field personnel belonging to government wildlife agencies, non-governmental organizations and universities in managing wildlife habitats for sustainable development by research-based conservation actions at micro, macro and landscape level.

When: December 2, 2010 to December 20, 2010

Where: Amravati, India. The course will be based at Amravati University in Central India. Field assignments to the Melghat Tiger Reserve and to the Pench Tiger Reserve are planned.

Sponsors: The 19 day course will be sponsored and conducted by the Satpuda Foundation, Nature Conservation Society—Amravati, and S. G. B. Amravati University. It will be conducted with the support and collaboration of the Wildlife Department of the State of Maharashtra, India.

Course Goals: The primary goal of the course is to demonstrate how scientific studies in conservation biology can be utilized for wildlife management at micro and macro level as well as in the larger landscapes. The participants will be introduced to various biodiversity conservation and sustainable development issues. They will be also trained in scientific reporting, proposal
writing and the use of various field equipment and computer software that are important for data collection and management. The orientation is followed by a series of lectures, seminars and workshops on several topics including biodiversity inventory and monitoring, conservation biology, protected areas management, wildlife management and animal ecology and behavior.
These classroom sessions provide the theoretical background to various scientific techniques that are frequently used in field projects. The participants use this background to conduct research projects, either alone or in small groups, and gain hands-on experience in using various techniques and collecting data. Subsequent classroom sessions train participants in statistical methods of analyzing their data and interpreting the results for decision-making purposes. Ultimately, the participants use their training in scientific reporting to develop project reports with the assistance of the course instructors. Thus, the participants are guided through all stages
of conducting a field project and trained at every stage of their research experience.

The course will be conducted in English. Participation is limited to a maximum of 20 trainees per course.

Who Should Apply: Scientific and field personnel belonging to government wildlife agencies, non-governmental organizations and universities are eligible to participate in CBWM course.

How to Apply: Those wishing to participate in CBWM course should request an application form from the Course Co-ordinator, and return it with all other information requested. All information requested with the application form is essential for the selection process. Selections are made on a competitive basis and successful candidates will be notified about two months
before their course commences.

Deadline: Applications for course are entertained throughout the year, but those received after September 1, 2010 will not be entertained. If requested they will be held over for a later course.

Cost to Attend: Tuition fees for participants will be $1,800 (a few deserving Indian participants will be selected at the subsidized cost of U.S. $550 or INR 25,000)

For more information on the course or to obtain an application form, send an email to satpuda@gmail.com or rithekishore@gmail.com

Preview: reusable shopping bags made by the Sawra Self-Help Group

In an earlier post "A stitch in time" I wrote about the sewing course SF organized in Sawra in collaboration with Pratham's skill centre. Click here to read about it.

One of the first items being made by the Sawra Self-Help Group is reusable shopping bags. This is the design they are starting with. Each bag can be folded away into a small pouch that can be easily carried in one's handbag or pocket. The bags will be made from different fabrics, some waterproof, some durable and also some made of handwoven and hand-dyed fabric. Proceeds from this product will go directly into the bank account of the Sawra group and will not be routed through Satpuda Foundation. Each bag will have a tag on it explaining that it was made by Gond tribal villagers living in the Pench tiger landscape.

The first batch of bags should be in Mumbai by end July or early August. We'll keep you posted.

All images: Kirti Chavan

In the tiger's footsteps...

I took this picture on a brief but exciting walk to visit a waterhole in the forest near Tadoba-Andhari TR. The water body was created by the SF team with the participation of local villagers.

Water conservation projects are high on the activity list of all our field officers. Click here to see some waterholes and stop dams built under our programmes.

Two friends accompanied Bipasha and me, so including our Conservation Officer Bandu Kumare we were a group of five. Bandu used to be a park guide earlier so he knows a lot about wildlife and the forest.

On all my trips to Tadoba I've looked at the forest from the road and wondered what it's like in there, among the teak trees and bamboo clumps. What does it look like to a bear or chital living inside?

Now I know! It's dense and paper-dry and pale yellow at this season, and visibility isn't very high so as a human you really wouldn't know what might come out from behind the next bamboo thicket. (Other mammals wouldn't always be so handicapped, since they have far better senses of smell and hearing than we do!) Bandu pointed to a gaur that he glimpsed through the vegetation and we saw three chital bounding away, startled by our arrival. Inquiries about what animals had deposited some of the scats lying around brought forth the answers "bear" and "tiger" (pronounced by Bandu in a cheerful matter-of-fact tone, with varying reactions from our group).

So we know that all these animals use these forests and benefit from the waterhole. The site is regularly visited by the Forest Department so it does get monitored. You can see their machan (platform, for want of a better word) up in the tree behind the waterhole. It's a good feeling that we are providing a much-needed drinking spot for the fauna here. Anyone who has visited the Vidarbha region in May would understand the relief the water must be bringing to the animals of this parched place. The water level in the hole has sunk but is still accessible.

There isn't any real danger to people walking in a group in the middle of the day, but all the same none of us really wanted to encounter a bear or tiger or gaur on foot. And neither did we want to disturb the animals by intruding in their space. So after a few minutes we walked back to the road.

I think for all of us that walk will remain one of the most memorable experiences of this wonderful trip.

Photo: Rajashree Khalap
Tadoba-Andhari area

Driving course for youth near Tadoba-Andhari TR

These young men live in the villages Moharli and Dewada, in the Tadoba-Andhari tiger habitat. They are part of a group of 20 that recently participated in a driving course we had organized for youth of the area. The course was conducted in collaboration with NABARD and was one of the ongoing activities of Satpuda Foundation's Employment Cell. By teaching forest villagers different skills we empower them to earn better incomes and phase out their traditional forest-destructive occupations.

The driving course was completed in May and on the 31st Bipasha and I happened to be in Tadoba, so we requested SF's Conservation Officer Bandu Kumare to arrange for us to meet some of the participants. I took this picture in the SF office near the Moharli gate of the tiger reserve. These young men are: Vikas Gedam, Dashrath Choukhe, Sainath Garmare, Baburao Moharle, Diwakar Kulmethe, Sachin Sirani, Sachin Marwati, Bandu Kulmethe and Mahindra Kannake. Their ages range between 20 and 28 years.

Most of the men are currently working as field labourers, which would earn them a pittance. Some are in the business of supplying bamboo for a paper mill in the area. Cutting bamboo in the peripheral forests of the reserve has proved to be an extremely damaging and dangerous activity. These forests are used by all the same wild species that live inside the protected area (see the next post about our waterhole visit). Bamboo cutting and general dependence on forest resources not only severely degrades the wildlife habitat, it also sends a large number of humans right into a forest that is occupied by tigers, with predictable results. Small wonder that the Tadoba/Chandrapur region has become the worst tiger-human conflict area in India in the last few years, with a large number of people losing their lives and tigers then being poached in retaliation.

Driving is a useful skill to learn and one that could earn these men good livelihoods. It would be ideal if the park management would ban tourists from bringing their own vehicles into the reserve. Local villagers like these could then earn a good income by driving tourist jeeps and gypsies and that would also serve to regulate tourist movements and behaviour. Most important of all, jobs like these would ensure that locals benefit directly from tiger conservation.

Volunteering opportunity: NCSA Mobile Health Unit schedule, June - October 2010

I've posted this schedule in its original table format, as that is the neatest. Please click on the image to enlarge and read. If you'd like to volunteer please email me on rajashree DOT khalap AT gmail DOT com

Tiger meets gaur: face-off in Tadoba

An encounter between Tadoba's two mightiest beasts turns out to be a lesson in sensible and civilized behaviour!

June 1, 2010: temperatures had nearly reached scorching point at 48 degrees C. A large male tiger had taken to regularly soaking in this waterhole. On one visit he found a huge male Gaur had got there first. The tiger's dilemma was fun to watch. Even the king of the jungle does not lightly take on the world's largest bovine. We could see the debate raging in his brain: should he go to the water or not? At first the gaur's lowered head and loud snort were a deterrent (the snort made me jump too). But not for long. The cat made two attempts to go to the waterhole but changed his mind halfway. The third time he decided to take the plunge.

Gawking from a respectful distance were SF volunteer Bipasha, Aarti Phatarphekar and me and a few other privileged people. Needless to say we were all amazed by our wonderful luck!