MANYAM A NEWSLETTER ON THE

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3

DECEMBER 2017 WILDMEAT TO KITCHENW ARE : THE USE OF LOCAL INSIDE THIS ISSUE: FLORA AND FAUNA IN THE EASTERN GHATS

IN LOOKOUT FOR 2 The traditional forest dwelling tribes of the ing bamboo seeds could be beneficial for T H E ADAVI CHAAPA Eastern Ghats live alongside nature’s boun- both the livelihood requirements of local | ARISTO MENDIS ty not just in the form of faunal and floral communities and the environment. diversity, but also in the wild varieties of SEEDING IN BA M- 3 crops. In this issue, we once again bring to Continuing on this theme, Syed Subhani BOO: A BOON FOR you articles from organizations and individu- talks about the potential of harvesting the THE POOR | R A N J I T K . SAHU AND BIDYUT MO- als working across the Eastern Ghats on rich untapped natural resources for income HANTY conservation issues and opportunities for generation for supplementing livelihoods

PALMYRA AND BA M- 4 local communities. among forest dwelling communities in the BOO AS MFP | S Y E D Eastern Ghats, in particular, the widely avail- SUBHANI Aristo Mendis, a researcher working on able Palmyra fiber and bamboo sheaths. ecology and conservation, talks about the status of the Indian pangolin in the northern Chitrangada Choudhury describes how some REDISCOVERING 5 LOST VARIETIES OF Eastern Ghats of , where tribal communities in ’s Koraput dis- RICE IN ODISHA | CHITRANGADA this endangered insectivorous mammal is trict are rediscovering traditional wild varie- CHOUDHURY fighting for survival, battling intense hunting ties of rice, in this hotspot of millet diversity pressure driven by the demand for its in the Eastern Ghats. scales and meat. MAMMALS OF 6 PAPIKONDA NP | We hope that these articles reveal some in- VIKRAM ADITYA Ranjit K. Sahu and Bidyut Mohanty talk teresting insights into the relationships be- about the importance of the various species tween people and the landscape. of bamboo for ensuring food security and

nutrition of tribal communities across the - Vikram Aditya Eastern Ghats. They emphasize how utiliz-

MANYAM Page 2

IN LOOKOUT FOR THE ADAVI CHAAPA | ARISTO MENDIS

Tribal communities, while describing the studying and conserving the pangolin, would sometimes refer to it as Ada- animal in the wild a daunt- vi Chaapa, which means ‘Fish of the Forest’, ing task. Like for most cryp- as a reference to its scaly skin. They would tic, rare and nocturnal ani- also mention that it has become increasingly mals, researchers have re- difficult to spot a pangolin in the wild. lied on secondary data to study the species and their The Eastern Ghats, an understudied land- ecology. I worked on a pro- scape is continuously being subjected to ject headed by Vikram Ad- multiple anthropogenic threats, while also itya (PhD Student, Ashoka being home to a good population of tribal Trust for Research in Ecolo- communities, residing in remote (and at gy and the Environment), to times inaccessible) villages. Many of these assess the status and distri- tribals actively carry out shifting cultivation, bution of the Indian Pango- creating ‘podus’ of cultivable land in hilltops lin in the northern Eastern and elevated grounds (Podu – Local term in Ghats, during which we in- Northern Andhra Pradesh referring to a teracted with tribal commu- patch of shifting cultivated land). Barren nity members, to gather lo- - An image of the scale of a hunted patches of podus now remain spread out in cal ecological knowledge on the Eastern Ghats landscape, slowly recover- the pangolin, while also doc- Pangolin in the northern Eastern ing and regrowing to their natural state. umenting the hunting prac- Ghats tices carried out in the land- The tribal communities here are mostly de- scape and their impacts on the pangolin. void of basic amenities like electricity, clean The immediate future plans of the project water, and access to motorable roads. But it involve making use of sign surveys of feels as though they are willingly living in iso- pangolin scrape marks, and camera trap lated and relatively ‘wilder’ landscapes, by based studies to assess the pangolin’s choice. It is a common sight to spot tribals presence, status and distribution . “Inquiring elder carrying a set of home-made bow and arrows generations of the with them. As a form of recreation, cultural The interesting aspect of the interactions habit or just seeking for some bushmeat, with tribal communities was getting a tribal communities tribals are often spotted in ‘hunting parties’, glimpse at their lives, and how they influ- about the pangolin comprising of five or more members, roam- ence the surroundings. Inquiring elders ing the forests of the Eastern Ghats, looking of the tribal communities, about the pan- helped reveal that for an adventure, and connecting with their golin, helped reveal that there is a de- there is a demand instincts. Not surprisingly, hunting for bush- mand and local market for Pangolins in meat is, and has been, an integral part of parts of the Eastern Ghats of northern and local market for their lives. The cost that certain wild species Andhra Pradesh. Tribals would describe Pangolins in parts of face due to this activity is something I am their few encounters with the pangolins, unable to side towards or comment about. and some admitted to having hunted northern Andhra pangolins for its meat in the past. Tribals Pradesh” Currently, all eight species of pangolins are claimed that the meat of the Pangolin is being poached for their scale and body parts. a delicacy of sorts. Nothing conclusive India is home to the Endangered Indian Pan- although has been identified as to the golin (Manis crassicaudata); and the Critical- source of demand for the scales of the ly Endangered Chinese Pangolin Manis pen- Pangolin in the market. Some tribals tadactyla (IUCN Redlist of Threatened Taxa). were aware of the demand for the pango- The pangolin’s cryptic nature, coupled with lin and the price it fetched but appeared its heavy demand in wildlife trade, has made too hesitant to reveal too much about the VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 Page 3 reasons for its disappearance and how they contribute immediate future for the Adavi Chaapa, seems to be to such impacts. They also mentioned that this de- grim at the moment, but hope still lives on for the scaly mand is probably only a decade old, increasing suspi- anteater if we reach out to such tribal communities and cion whether this demand is from Asian countries like collaborate to save them. China, who have been documented to use pangolin scales for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). -Aristo Mendis has completed his Masters in Ecology from Pondicherry University, Pondicherry. He is an independent During our pursuit to know more about the Adavi researcher with interest in avian and mammal ecology espe- Chaapa, our discussions with the locals made us real- cially the conservation of the Pangolins ize that understanding of the lifestyles of tribal commu- nities residing here was equally as important as under- Images by author. standing the landscape and its ecological entities. The

SEEDING IN BAMBOO: A BOON FOR THE POOR

| RANJIT K. SAHU AND BIDYUT MOHANTY Bamboo is a perennial grass found across India, where would also promote the conservation of bamboos and it is not only grows in the wild but is also planted in thereby the dependent native fauna and flora in these large scale in many states. Among the many bamboo forests. It may be emphasized that forest bamboo seeds species found in India, Bambusa arundinacea, B. are naturally grown and organic as per commercial tech- tulda, B. vulgaris, Melocanna baccifera, nologies. Thus, the problem of pesticides and other con- Dendrocalamus s t r i c t u s , O c h l a n d r a taminants entering food are practically absent. Addition- travancorica, Oxytenanthera ally, since the operation is mainly limited to maintaining stocksii, and Thyrsostachys oliveri are commercially a clean area around the clumps for seed collection, it important. Bamboo plays an important role in food could employ women in tribal areas. The absence of oth- and nutritional security of tribal communities across er operating costs makes this a relatively low-cost ven- India, who use it for food, shelter, furniture, ture for surrounding tribal communities, employing wom- handicrafts, medicines, and various ethno-religious en as seed gatherers and contributing to their empower- purposes. Therefore, bamboo is among the most ment. important resources to be leveraged towards the alleviation of rural poverty, employment generation, empowerment of women and environmental rejuvenation. Bamboo is endemic to the Eastern Ghats of Odisha, which is also home to several tribes who have been living here for centuries. There is extensive bamboo flowering across Odisha’s Eastern Ghats. This article emphasizes the importance of bamboo seeds as a natural resource to the common people and forest dwellers of the Eastern Ghats as well other handicrafts of India including the north eastern states.

The large amount of seeds produced due to synchronized flowering in bamboos leads to rapid increase in rodent population, which also feed on domestic grains leading to famine. Thus, flowering and seed set in bamboo have long been considered as an Bamboo seeds are similar in nutritional composition to indicator of a natural calamity like drought or famine. those of many of the staple cereal crops. Only about 100 However, the utilization of bamboo seeds for livelihood tons of about 25000 tons of seeds produced during purposes could be beneficial for both the local 1985-1986 were collected. Thus, these seeds were lost communities and the environment. Seeing bamboo as to seed predators. A proactive role by the government in a potential source of food rather than as a calamity disseminating information to local communities through MANYAM Page 4 radio broadcast, newspapers and television nature so that they can be benefited. Unlike the would help to take advantage of this natural phe- consumption of shoots which would result in reduced nomenon that occurs at long intervals and en- number of bamboo culms, utilization of the seeds, sure that the seeds are used for both does not affect the commercial production adversely. commercial and scientific purposes.

Bamboo seeds have been used as a cereal in -Dr. Ranjit K. Sahu (Ph.D biotechnology, B,Sc (Ag)) is a Re- the Wayanad district of and further ahead search Associate (Nephrology) at the University of Virginia, in the Coorg district of . It is a rare and Virginia, USA and is a freelance writer with interest in healthy commodity and thus can be an health, environment, education and sustainability. invaluable resource of nutrition for people living Bidyut Mohanty is the Secretary of SPREAD, Koraput, Od- in the forest tracts. Local self help groups should isha. train communities to harvest this bounty of Images by author.

PALMYRA AND BAMBOO A S M F P | SYED SUBHANI The major developmental issues confronted by villagers in the northern Eastern Ghats are stemming out of a situation where farming ac- tivities are not economically viable for all the families in villages. The ground reality is that there are plenty of MFP [Minor Forest Produce] which local communities collect and dispose without any value addition because of lack of awareness which undermines their livelihood option. This region also has rich untapped natu- ral resources for generating income such as Palmyra fiber, Bamboo sheaths, leaves etc. It is noticed that separation of Palmyra Fiber is not in practice in villages of the surrounding area. Each and every village has nearly 3000 to These leaves are useful to make 4000 Palmyra trees, but these resources are leaf plate and cups etc. There is remaining untapped as most of the tribal com- good scope for self employment for rural and tribal people in the north- munities are unaware of the application of tech- “There is good scope nologies developed for sustainable utilization of ern Eastern Ghats with a reasona- forest resources. ble investment to manufacture im- for self employment proved bamboo leaf cup and plate for rural and tribal To address these issues, we have conducted using machines. participatory research with local communities to people in the northern Moreover, under the Scheduled identify the existing problems with regard to Eastern Ghats with a utilizing Palmyra fiber and Bamboo sheaths. If Tribes and other Traditional Forest these problems are addressed through provid- Dwellers (Recognition of Forest reasonable Rights) Act, 2006, Scheduled Tribes ing appropriate technology for management of investment to untapped natural resources, the poor and land- (STs) have the right to use forest less tribal communities in the Eastern Ghats land for livelihood generating activi- manufacture ties, in addition to cultivation and would be able to tap these natural resources as improved bamboo a source of livelihood for betterment of their habitation. However, the Forest living. One such innovation is making bio- Dwelling STs of the area were not leaf cup and plate aware of the technology for making degradable cups with bamboo sheaths. Bam- using machines.” boo leaves are abundantly available in the ar- of non-polluting and biodegradable ea, but nothing was done to make use of them. cups and plates from bamboo VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 Page 5

Left - Women making Palmyra crafts during a workshop

Right - Edible and craft products made from palmyra fruit and fibre sheaths. Under this project, with the support of KEY- vides good resources for tribal communities to utilize STONE FOUNDATION - PEOPLE AND NATURE FUND we them, while still allowing for sufficient regeneration have created awareness and provided training for se- after harvesting. lected beneficiaries amongst local tribal communities to use machines for making biodegradable cups. They -Syed Subhani come with a bamboo sheath coating, thus providing Founder and Director the scope for livelihood generation amongst forest ASHA, dwelling communities in the region. The ample availa- Chintur, , Andhra Pradesh bility of bamboo in the forest areas of the region pro- Images by author.

REDISCOVERING LOST V ARIETIES OF RICE IN ODISHA

| CHITRANGADA CHOUDHUR Y

Southern Odisha’s Koraput district is a well-known groups now trying to safeguard what remains of this center of rice diversity. It’s vast, undulating landscape genetic-cultural wealth. Farmers from Koraput have has historically been among the world’s leading areas kept close to 200 varieties of native seeds alive for rice diversification. Hundreds of varieties of rice through decades, a proof that they have still not aban- adapted to various agro-climatic conditions are found doned these varieties. Dr. Debal Deb, aided by staff here. Koraput’s loyalty to local varieties of rice en- from a local organisation, Living Farms, is working dures even as hybrid varieties have colonised much of with farmers to preserve these and over a thousand India’s paddy fields, as a consequence of decades of more heirloom rice varieties raised by farmers across agricultural practises during the Green Revolution, India. where ‘high-yield’ hybrids and varieties were aggres- sively promoted. In the 1950s, an official survey found Dr. Deb encouraged locals to grow native varieties that farmers in Koraput grew over 1,700 kinds of rice. and circulate the seeds to other farmers to save them from extinction. He trained farmers in simple tech- A grassroots movement in Koraput, with over 1,400 niques to ensure genetic purity. By reviving seeds, farmer-conservators at its heart, is one of other such they are also reviving taste, ritual, nutrition and sus- MANYAM Page 6 tainability, attributes waylaid by the obsession with MAMMALS OF PAPIKONDA NP yield. Several farmers also say traditional heirloom crops are better suited to unpredictable weather, hav- | VIKRAM ADITYA ing adapted over centuries to local ecologies. This also makes them hardier in the face of biotic and abi- Researchers from the Ashoka Trust for Research otic stresses such as pests and drought. Today, the in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) have number of farmer-conservator households has grown conducted a comprehensive assessment of the to 1,469 from only 13 in 2014. mammal diversity in , northern Eastern Ghats, using camera traps, sign - Chitrangada Choudhury is a freelance journalist surveys and community interviews between Octo- working on conservation issues and rural and indige- ber 2014 and March 2015. This data was com- nous communities. She has worked extensively bined with a comprehensive literature review of across the Eastern Ghats and is currently based in research articles, field guides and IUCN species Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. range reports from which a total of 55 species of mammals from 46 genera belonging to 24 fami- This article is adapted and has been first published in lies were enumerated. The Hindu on 23rd September, 2017

Image by author. The study found a high diversity of carnivores (15 species), followed by Chiropterans or bats (13 species) and rodents (11 species) in Papikonda NP. The study emphasized the importance of the low elevation dry-deciduous habitats in support- ing several species of primates and small carni- vores. Rapid forest conversion has been particu- larly affecting these dry deciduous forests spread across lower elevations below 200m, especially along the . These forests are also facing the threat of submergence from the con- struction of the Polavaram dam on the Godavari river adjacent to the Papikonda NP.

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