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Manyam, Volume 2 Issue 1, April 2017

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Manyam, Volume 2 Issue 1, April 2017 MANYAM A NEWSLETTER ON THE EASTERN GHATS VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 A P R I L 2 0 1 7 FROM PRICKLY PREDATO RS TO PALMYRA FRONDS INSIDE THIS ISSUE: In this issue, we present to you three arti- and capacity building tribal communities for cles illustrating the lesser known faunal harvesting bamboo and Palmyra fronds used SOUTH INDIAN 2 diversity of the Eastern Ghats, some of the to make fiber products, for income generation HEDGEHOG IN DANGER | B R A W I N livelihood options utilized by the local in- activities, in and around the forests of Papik- KUMAR digenous communities, and the organiza- onda National Park in the Eastern Ghats of tions involved in documenting the natural Andhra Pradesh. INCOME FROM BA M- 3 BOO AND PALMYRA: wealth of the landscape. A SUCCESS STORY | Lastly, Jyothi Reddy, Program Officer at the SYED SUBHANI Brawin Kumar, an ecologist specializing on Environment Protection Training and Re- small mammals in the southern Eastern search Institute, which hosts the Environ- EPTRI: THE ENVIS 4 Ghats of Tamil Nadu, talks about his experi- mental Information Center on the Eastern CENTER ON THE ences carrying out surveys on the Madras Ghats, talks about the activities undertaken EASTERN GHATS | DR. M. SUNEELA AND or South Indian Hedgehog, an insectivorous by the Center on documenting the diversity of DR. K. JYOTHI mammal endemic to southern India, which the Eastern Ghats, disseminating information is known to occur only isolated pockets in on the region and the various environmental the southern Eastern and Western Ghats awareness activities undertaken carried out across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala throughout the Eastern Ghats. and Karnataka. We hope these articles will help you under- Syed Subhani, Secretary of ASHA, an NGO stand this landscape better and introduce you working on communities, livelihoods and to some of its interesting aspects. forest management in Chintur, Andhra Pradesh talks about initiatives for training -Vikram Aditya Tribal communities harvesting bamboo sheaths and Palmyra fronds for village based income generation activities around Papikonda National Park (Photos: Syed Subhani) MANYAM Page 2 SOUTH INDIAN HEDGEHO G IN DANGER | BRAWIN KUMAR Hedgehogs are small, nocturnal mammals with spoke to village elders. According to them, spines that look like a smaller version of a porcu- the Madras hedgehogs had a wider distribu- pine with smaller spines and an extended nose. tion in the past, but are very rare now. Local But in reality, they are distant cousins of the com- communities in these districts also men- mon shrew. Their spines extend from their head tioned that while walking on fine sand they to their back and sides. Hedgehogs live in bur- saw a line made by the tiny tail and the dainty rows, and have a brown to black colored coat pug marks/tracks made by the Hedgehogs that helps them camouflage with their surround- clearly visible in the sand. There were also ings. There are three species of hedgehogs in some records of hedgehogs having fought India (Indian long-eared hedgehog, Indian hedge- with snakes and mongoose. My surveys also hog and the Madras hedgehog). The spines of the informed me that the hedgehog hunters are Madras hedgehog are hard, sharp and have a opportunistic and do not always actively seek white tip. White fur outlines the spines all around out and persecute the animals. and the fur on its chest is also white. However, its I found that the Mulleli was a victim of super- belly on the ventral side has no fur and is covered stitions. Among the many superstitions sur- with bare skin, thus giving its zoological name rounding it, communities also believe that ‘nudi’ (naked) and ‘ventris’ (ventral side) or having the skin of hedgehogs in their houses Paraechinus nudiventris of the hedgehog family is a good omen, and is considered a status Erinaceidae. Hedgehogs don’t have a long tail symbol. In Nagercoil, I found hedgehog like rats and mice. Their tail is tiny and impercep- spines dried and used as medicine for “I found that the tible. Their incisors are not like the incisors of whooping cough. I even found a bottle of rats and mice. Whenever the animal feels threat- mulleli thailam (hedgehog oil) that was being Mulleli was a victim of ened or startled, it pulls its head and legs to- wards the belly and curls into a ball exposing only sold at an ayurvedic medical shop. superstitions… the spines to protect itself. There are different ways used by communi- communities also ties to catch hedgehogs in Tamil Nadu. One The Madras Hedgehog or Bare Bellied Hedgehog, of them is using hunting dogs to smell out believe that having known in Tamil as Mulleli (Mull = spines; Eli = their burrows. In the Maruthuvalmalai hills in Mouse), is found only in India and is endemic to the southernmost tip of Western Ghats, peo- the skin of hedgehogs the southern states of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh ple described hunting practices such throw- and Tamil Nadu. Its occurs mainly in the southern in their houses is a ing soil or stones on the hedgehog to make Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil the animal curl up, and they can pick it up for good omen” Nadu and in two isolated pockets in the Western consumption. My search took me to Papana- Ghats of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are mostly sam where the local people are a treasure reported from dry lands, semi-arid zones, small trove of traditional knowledge. And here the hillocks, deserts, scrub jungles, gardens, farm- hedgehog has another name - lands and villages adjacent to forests. The Ma- ‘Irumaleli’ (Irumal – cough, eli – mouse) re- dras hedgehog is very poorly studied, among the ferring to it being regarded as a traditional three hedgehog species in India. Old literature medicine for whooping cough. As I concluded (1832-1972) revealed that its range in Tamil my hedgehog surveys around the Eastern Nadu is known from the Varasanaadu valley, Ti- and Western Ghats of southern Tamil Nadu, I runelveli, Kanyakumari, Salem, Erode, Avinashy, was faced with mixed emotions. The Madras Srivilliputhur, Nilgiris, Madras, Gulf of Mannar, hedgehog faced a tenuous future in its his- Trichy, Coimbatore, Pondicherry, Tiruppur and toric homelands. Perunthurai. Very little is known about the behav- ior of the Madras hedgehog. They are known to have the ability to survive snakebites and to self- - Brawin Kumar is an anoint. ecologist working on I formulated a questionnaire survey to systemati- small mammals of cally document the perceptions of people who South India, based at interact with the hedgehog on a regular basis the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of across its range in Tamil Nadu. Telephonic inter- Sciences, Beijing, China. views and surveys revealed that there were large His work currently fo- populations of hedgehogs in the past in Ti- cuses on the ecology runelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts of and conservation of southern Tamil Nadu, but they are a rare sight rock rats and hedge- today. I travelled to some of these sites and hogs. HEDGEHOD PHOTO:KUMAR HEDGEHOD BRAWIN VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 Page 3 INCOME FROM BAMBOO A ND PALMYRA: A SUCCESS STORY | SYED SUBHANI The tribal ‘Agency’ area spread across the Eastern Ghats in technologies for sus- Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district has rich untapped tainable management natural resources. Every village here has at least 3000-4000 of NTFP and utilizing Palmyra trees. However, people here do not know how to natural resources for separate the fiber from Palmyra fronds, and this rich re- livelihood generation, source is therefore going untapped. Likewise, Bamboo particularly the land- sheaths and leaves are available in this region could be less tribals. Earlier used for income generation by tribal communities. However, preliminary surveys tribal communities in the Eastern Ghats, particularly women and participatory re- are unable to utilize these resources for generating income search carried out by as they are unaware of the appropriate technologies for ASHA in these villages processing and tapping of Palmyra and Bamboo resources has revealed that peo- Selection and cutting of bamboo sheaths PHOTOS SUBHANI SYED ON THIS PAGE: from the forests. ple are not sensitized about sustainable management and processing of forest pro- Palmyra Palm duce. ASHA has undertaken participatory planning with (Borassus flabellifer), women in some selected tribal villages towards using appro- the Asian Palmyra priate technologies and creation of infrastructure facilities for palm, Todddy palm, income generation activities. Thereafter, ASHA initiated a pro- Sugar palm, or Comb- ject in partnership with Department of Science and Technol- dian palm, is native to ogy, Government of India for generating awareness and pro- Southeast Asia. The viding training of the appropriate technologies, assisting in Palmyra palm in India market linkage, etc. to the Scheduled Tribes forest dwellers in is estimated about the northern Eastern 120 million, mostly Ghats region for utiliza- spread across south tion of forest resources Carrying Palmyra fronds for processing and central India. Pal- like bamboo and Palmyra myra palm has been a part of life of tribal people since an- fronds. cient times. It is reported by Dakshin Gujarat Neera Tadgud Gramodhyog Sangh that there is variation of 500 to 1500 Bamboo is a product suit- Kernels per tree and 7 liters to 20 liters of Neera per tree able for income genera- per day in different trees which shows that with proper scien- tion activities. The bam- tific management higher yield can be obtained. It was ob- boo dominated forest served that economic value from each palm per year is areas are demarcated in around Rs.5,000/- to Rs.10,000/- without any inputs.
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