K.H. Amitha Bachan Western Ghats Hornbill Foundation & CED
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K.H. Amitha Bachan Western Ghats Hornbill Foundation & CED Thiruvananthapuram (i) project context . We have been working in the Kerala part of Anamalais, with community, officials, students since 1998 . There is a need of different categories of local language materials , suitable for understanding at various levels based on real scientific and ecological experiments . There has to be more “popular” articles in local languages along with scientific “papers” and reports to induce “ecological consciousness” . The lack of local language, locally specific (contextualized), ecological, historical and biological materials is a big reason for not having “ecological sensitive minds” . Starting from the mainstream education, planning, conservation, lifestyle… every where we can see the “lacuna” . Result is the ‘marginalization’ of people directly linked to conservation, or those who really practice conservation as well as their wisdom and knowledge . Many of the locally specific, true ecological knowledge is getting ‘extinct’ as we speak . There have been lot studies on biodiversity from the Anamalai landscape also supported with CEPF Objective Produce soft copy – Produce local-language materials Ready print Material on biodiversity conservation using results of ongoing and completed Incorporating local CEPF projects and other research language and knowledge outputs to disseminate among of ethnic community local ethnic communities, Forest supporting conservation Departments and other key stakeholders in the Anamalai part Try to Publish through of Western Ghats proper partnerships Try to Distribute Among link researchers, and Various Stake holders disseminate their outputs Publications / categories We identified 23 different publications under seven different 1. Education books for categories tribal /school children Decided to Finalise 17 publications Based on feasibility, 2. Highly illustrated story collaboration and support from books for very young kids other CEPF grantees 3. Nature education story Hardcopy publication & series for children distribution 4. Handbook , Field guide 3 books, calender -1, poster-1, on law, conservation floor puzzle-1 and 3 sets of flash cards (total 7 ) 5. Field guides on special Under hard copy production - 2 groups Soft copy ready - 3 6. Posters/pamphlets/cards Soft copy on final stage -3 7. Natural history of the On soft copy production - 2 landscape Category 1: Education books for tribal /school children (3 nos) Two thematic books and one Used illustrations developed from Activity book for tribal/school photographs from the landscape children Illustrations drawn by three Using Malayalam, Ethnic community children/youth (15, 18 & 19) age (Kadar-Muthuvan) language and with proper support and training English Category 2 - Highly illustrated story books for very young kids (1 no.) Highly illustrated , bilingual (Malayalam & English) multi color Hornbill introduces ecosystem s and animals of the landscape to a Kadar girl and leading back her home Category 3. Nature education story series for children (2 nos) Elephant calf and wild jack fruit . Add cover page tree Narrates story of elephants , impact of forest loss fragmentation and corridor connectivity on elephants through emotions of an orphaned elephant calf, a wild jack fruit tree in the botanical garden and a little girl of the garden curator 1. Hornbill & Canarium seed Narrates intricate relationship and importance of rainforest trees, seeds with seed dispersal agents like hornbill Category 4. Handbook , Field guide on law, conservation (2 nos) 1, Handbook on Forest Right Act emphasizing on CFR management Completed soft copy / hardcopy under publication 2. booklet/pamphlet on Community reserve Under preparation Contribution from Arun Kanagavel WILD/CRG (CEPF Grantee) Category 5. Field guides on special groups (3 nos) 1. On Mammals of Anmalais Contribution from Divya Mudappa (NCF), valparai (CEPF Grantee) Bi/trilingual (Malayalam / English/tamil) Total 71 mammals including 11 bat species Photographic field guide Photographic contribution from various researchers, forest officials and photographers Category 5. Field guides on special groups continued…. 2. Forest Trees of Anamalsis Input from Dr. A.K. Pradeep, University of Calicut, Advise from Dr. B.R. Ramesh from IFP Photographic contribution from Western Ghats Portal (CEPF- Grantee) 340 species from rainforest / evergreen forest Suggestion to add most common from other type of forests in the vicinity 450 ? Bilingual (Malayalam / English) Photographic field guide Category 5. Field guides on special groups continued…. 3. Fresh water fishes of Kerala Contribution from Rajeev Raghavan CRG, Kerala (CEPF Grantee) & Dr. C.P. Shaji Bilingual (Malayalam / English) Photographic field guide Category 6. Posters/pamphlets (5 nos) 1. Brochure on road kill / Chalakkudy-Athirapilly-Valparai road Contribution from P. Jeganathan (NCF), Valparai 2. Calendar using paintings drawn by tribal children. Published and released with support from CDS, Athirapilly Grama Panchayath 3. Poster on Hornbill : bilingual 4. Floor puzzle on hornbill 5. Flash cards on English, Malayalam alphabets, number colors and shapes with illustration of biodiversity around Category 7. Natural history (1 no.) Natural history of Anamalsi 5 chapters on different regions (Nelliyampathy, Pparambikulam, Vazhachal, Sholayar-Malakkapparai and Edamalayar) and different tribes Kadar, Malasar and Muthuvan completed Pablished as a series in Soochimukhi Magazine Can finalise if we get story/experience from different regions especially Tamil Nadu part (Indiragandhi Wildlife sanctuary, Valparai etc) (iii) contributions towards CEPF investment strategy . Investment Priority 2.4 Support interdisciplinary efforts to analyze and disseminate biodiversity data . Linkages with govt departments, leveraging of funds, freely available to stakeholders . Linkage with private/NGO partners . Definitely its results will be contributing to other strategic directions . Species conservation . Consciousness about corridors, critical links . Replicable models linkages to other CEPF projects; 5 CEPF grantees from Anamalais are contributing directly Contributing to common cause like FRA , WWF is addressing with support from CEPF Act India Foundation is translating the education package to Tamil/Paliya Western Ghats portal team Conducted a meeting of CEPF grantees at Coimbatore 24th October 2012 Conducted workshop on “Documentation of Western Ghats Biodiversity – Role of Civil Society and use of Western Ghats Portal” Other achievements st . Exhibition on 21 New Delhi World Book Fair is being organised by the National Book Trust on the theme of 'Indigenous Voice: Mapping India's Folk and Tribal Literature'. 4th to 10th February 2013 . Evoked some discussion in media especially regarding education The educationn packages is being considered and used as a pedology MS students are using, evaluating (Azim Premji University, Banglore, Amritha University, Kollam) workshop CEPF Grantees workshop, . Western Ghats Portal Coimbatore, 24th Octoer 2012 workshop 14 -15 Sept 2012 Calendar Release Release of book - 21st July 2012, by P.K. Jayalakshmi, hon. Minist. Tribal affairs, Kerala An education package for primary Thanks…. Jack Torodoff, Bhaskar Acharya & other team members of CEPF, CEPF-ATREE SG . Jagadish Krishnaswami, Priyadarshan and others in ATREE . All CEPF grantees . Dr. Babu Ambat, P.V. Karunakaran, T.R. Vinod and staff form CED . Dr. R. Kannan, James Zacharias, Dr, Chand Basha, Dr. Ajith Kumar, Dr. B.R. Ramesh . My colleges, Dr Dr. Maya Mohan, Shajan M.P., Senthil Kumar, Aneesh, Ali Akbar, Tintu Kuriyan, Swetha, Aditi Lele, Fasila, Neha . Tribal people, forest officials and field staff, pre-primary teachers, Grama Panchayath members, Chairperson ICDS . Lot of other….. .