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VISION
A secure natural heritage of India
Mission
To conserve wildlife and its habitat and to work
for the welfare of individual wild animals in
partnership with communities and government
Our Work
• Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation
• Habitat Recovery & Securement
• Human - Wildlife Conflict
• Policy, Enforcement & Legal action
• Conservation surveys & species recovery
• Social & Community Development
• Awareness Campaigns for Conservation
• Sandeep et al (Ecol Evol. 2013 January; 3(1): 48–60) in their study on tiger
DNA found the highest rates of contemporary gene flow in populations that are
connected by forest corridors thus underlining the importance of tiger
connectivity
The 45,000 km2 Satpuda Maikal landscape contains 17%
of India's tiger population and 12% of tiger habitat
WTI initiatives for conservation of tiger
landscape in Central India
• Biological studies - Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund (JTEF)
International Fund for Animal Welfare
(IFAW).
• Working with communities - Ecosystem Alliance & JTEF
• Policy advocacy - IFAW
• Legal assistance - JTEF & IFAW
• Training and Equipping (Forest department staff ) – IFAW & EA
Central India Tiger Landscape Conservation Programme
Working with communities to conserve wildlife
In Nagzira Nawegaon Corridor, Gondia
Nagzira Nawegaon Corridor Project
Objectives
• Prioritization of 89 villages for
corridor securement.
• Reduce fragmentation &
degradation in critical areas of
Nagzira Nawegaon connectivity
corridor.
• Improve quality of life of the
communities.
• Capacity building of local
villagers.
Objective-1
Prioritization of 89 villages
Villages classified into three categories - Priority I, II and III to reduce their
dependence on the forest.
• Priority I – 15
• Priority II - 13
• Priority III – 26
Total – 54 villages
Objective-1
Participatory Situational Analysis (PSA) and Natural
Resource Mapping (NRM)
The priority I villages of corridor are distributed in three tehsils of dist Gondia.
JTEF
•Sadak Arjuni – 7
• Deori – 5
• Goregaon - 3
EA
• The dominant community in the Priority I villages are the Gond’s, Halbi,
Mahar (ST) followed by Puwar, Teli (OBC) and Demar’s (NT).
Land holdings are not large, usually between
0.5 -3 acres (2.5 acres = 1 hectare).
No. of H.Holds
Land holdings
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
• Average land holding in Maharashtra is 1.46 acre (2005-06)
• Small & Marginal farmers – 80%
www.stirringthepyramid.wordpress.com
No land
0.5 -3 acre
4-5 acre
6 & above
• Livestock grazing and fuel wood - mostly from the forests.
• Existing Forest Management bodies –
• seven Joint Forest Management (JFM) Committees (under FD)
• four Van Sanrakshan Samiti (Forest Conservation Committee under
village Panchayat)
• three Van Haq Samiti ( Forest Rights Committee under village Panchayat)
• three villages don’t have a body.
Peoples Forest Management Bodies
JFM
3
7
3
Van Sanrakshan
samiti
Van Haak samiti
4
without body
NTFP’s
• Most Common- Mahua Madhuca Indica and Tendu
Diospyrus melanoxylon
• Collection of Mahua is controlled by the state excise
department.
• Making of leaf plates.
• The Burad communities - livelihood by making bamboo
mats
NTFP market survey
• Demand and supply gap.
• MNREGA and its affect
• Tribal Development Corporation (TDC) - Managing natural resources, not
in their agenda.
Objective-1
Management needs of PA
• Interaction with the PA managers and management plans of
the PA’s.
• Capacity building
• Sustainable collection methods
• Livelihood
• Awareness and education
• Community support in conservation
• Actions initiated aligned with the management requirements
of the PA’s.
PSA + NRM (15
villages)
PA Management Plans
Interview- PA Managers
NTFP Mkt survey
Demand & Supply
gap
Lac- highest economical
value
Followed by Chironji &
Mahua
Dependency on Single crop- Paddy
Mahua – most common resource
Small Landholdings
Livelihood- agriculture and casual
labor
Unsustainable Harvesting methods
Sustainable
Harvesting Practices
Reducing extraction
Pressure
Conservation Action
Plan
Fuelwood & Grazing
Poaching & Smuggling
of Resources
Conservation Action
Plan
Corridor fragmentation
& Degradation
Unsustainable
practices
Infrastructure
Planning
Objectives- 2 & 3
Reduce fragmentation & degradation of corridor
and increase quality of living of the communities
Activity
• Providing Improved Cook Stoves
• Biogas – Deenbandhu model
• Capacity building of 16 villagers of Jhambalapani for
making cook stoves (5 -12th Oct.12).
Comparison of fuel wood consumption in traditional and improved
cook stoves.
Monthly Consumption of fuel wood in
Jhambalapani (Pre & Post)
Kilogram
2500.0
2000.0
2254.4
1787.5
1500.0
1803.9
1266.2
1000.0
Pre
Post
500.0
0.0
Small
Large
• 30% decrease in fuel wood consumption.
• To popularize the impact of improved cook stoves twenty schools
and aanganbadi are also being provided these cook stoves.
• Of these four are community cook stove models, for students above
40 and upto 300.
Objective- 4
Capacity building of local villagers
for biodiversity conservation and strengthening of local
bodies (SHG, FRA, BMC, JFM).
Activities
• Manual in local language on sustainable harvesting of forest
resources
Objective- 4.
Sensitization of forest management bodies
• BMC formed in Murdholi Gram Panchayat (5 villages)
• Forest Rights Act (FRA) & Joint Forest Management
(JFM) Committee.
Objective- 4.
Training on sustainable use and value addition of forest resources
• Training on Sustainable collection of forest produce – 20 trainees (7 – 9 Feb.13)
• Training on value addition of forest produce - 17 trainees (14 – 16 March.13)
Centre of Science for Villages (CSV), Wardha.
Objective- 4.
• Formation and support to SHG.
Objective- 4
Training and equipping Frontline forest Staff
• 160 frontline forest staff were trained and provided basic equipments
for protection of the PA’s. ( 22 – 30 Sept.13)
Objective- 5
Fragmentation in critical areas of NN corridor retarded
Activity
• Declaration of Tiger Reserve
The Nagzira Nawegaon tiger reserve proposal was cleared in
October 2013 by the state cabinet.
Objective- 5.
Plantation of fruit and shelter trees
• We have included the childrens of all the fifteen Priority I
villages and schools for planting local tree species.
• 524 tree saplings were planted this year, which are adopted by the
children.
• Reward on plant survival to childrens and schools after one year.
Objective- 5.
Awareness Programmes
• Film shows were held during the Durga Pooja festival in
villages.
Other activities
Training on Improved Agriculture
• Training on Improved Agriculture was done with Krishi Vigyan
Kendra (KVK), Gondia.
• 12th July 2012 and 2nd May.13
• 2012- Two villagers did trial plots
• 2013- One new farmer joins with one previous farmer
• Demonstration area increases from 4 acres (2012) to 6
acre (2013)
Other activities
Fodder plantation
• Plantation of 50 shoots of “Jaywant phule” a variety of
Pennisetum purpureum (Napier) was done in one plot in
Jhambalapani.
• After three months gives 10 kg of
fodder.
• Ready for harvesting in 20 days.
• Per cattle daily feed required= 10
kg.
Other activities
Solar fencing Proposed
• 5 km solar fencing of Jhamblapani
• Cost escalation
• Unwillingness of villagers for management
Solution ?
Achievements
• Proposal for declaration of Tiger Reserve – Oct.13
• Acceptance of cook stoves and word of mouth publicity on
the benefits
• Formation of the first village BMC and initiation of PBR in the
district
• Confidence that NTFP can be value added for livelihood option
Above all
• It’s not government scheme
• No translocation
• Trust building
Comments from the visit by Keystone Foundation
• More advocacy work with the local and state government for this project can be done, to
dovetail some of the activities into welfare schemes.
Some of the programmes are welfare schemes but not seriously implemented and
monitored.
• Building a good rapport and relationship is more important than the activities of the
project.
Acceptance of the new cook stoves by the villagers through its increasing use.
• Need to increase the sensitivity of implementation.
People coming forward with their queries and guidance.
• Careful follow up is being done of the chulha in every family.
To know the use patterns , effectiveness of new cook stoves
• Cost and maintenance of solar fence is a big question. Incidences of crop raiding and
their frequency need to be studied.
We are dropping the activity (with due permission from EA). Alternate model is
suggested Grain for Grain.
• Fodder and agricultural related activities may not be successful in this kind of area.
Fodder activity to be stopped as not practical. Agriculture
participation.
is seeing increasing
• Possibilities to work through the FRA.
Interaction meeting held with forest department, more possibilities are being explored.
• Softer approaches like knowledge, education, information/resource centres,
interpretation centres for the PA, promotional material, etc.
Awareness programmes held in Priority I villages and promotional materials under
development on Sustainable harvesting and general awareness.
Future Plan
• Expanding the initiatives to other priority villages
• Cook stove
• Sustainable harvesting practices
• Value addition and market linkage of natural resources
• Exploring bee keeping and honey as viable livelihood option
• Exploring the possibility of improving skills of bamboo workers and
economic viability to curb illegal bamboo extraction from forests.
• Supporting the livestock improvement programme with govt & other
ngo’s.
• Increasing the Awareness Programmes to all the 89 corridor villages
• Developing documentaries in local language on sustainable harvesting
practices and conservation.
• Exposure visits to nearby areas where communities are managing and
protecting the natural resources.
Our sincere thanks to
The Ecosystem Alliance
especially Both Ends and Keystone Foundation
And also
Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund (JTEF)
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)