Media & Environment

Eco Club, PSG CAS conducted its last trek for the academic year 2012 -13 at Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, Palghat, Kerala on February 28 and March 1, 2013.

Here is the species count from one of the students

Nature trail at Parambikulam Tiger reserve  

List of animals sighted :

1.Asian Elephant

2.Common langur

3.Otter

4.Nilgiri Langur

5.Monitor lizard

6.Wild boar

7.Crocodile

8.Gaur

9.Spotted deer

10.Sambar deer

11.Bonnet macaque

12.Malabar giant squirrel

 

List of birds sighted:

1. 1. Asian fairy blue bird
2. 2. Great hornbill
3. 3. Common Flameback Woodpecker
4. 4. Malabar parakeet
5. 5. Rose ringed parakeet
6. 6. Jungle myna
7. 7. Hill myna
8. 8. Black drongo
9. 9. Racket tailed drongo
10. 10. Purple rumped sunbird
11. 11. White cheeked barbet
12. 12. Jungle babbler
13. 13. Brown capped owl
14. 14. Brown capped pygmy wood pecker
15. 15. Crested tree swift
16. 16. Chestnut tailed starling
17. 17. Jungle fowl
18. 18. White rumped munia
19. 19. Scarlet minivet
20. 20. Copper smith babbler
21. 21. Grey wagtail
22. 22. White bellied tree pie
23. 23. Paradise flycatcher
24. 24. Serpent eagle
25. 25. Brahminy kite
26. 26. Malabar whistling thrush
27. 27. Stork bellied king fisher
28. 28. Ed Wattled Lapwing
29. 29. Sand piper
30. 30. Black hooded oriole
31. 31. Snake bird
32. 32. Cormorant
33. 33. Black stork
34. 34. Pond heron
35. 35. White bellied kingfisher
36. 36. Velvette fronted nuthatch
37. 37. Great tit
38. 38. Blue faced malkoha
39. 39. Oriental mag pie robin
40. 40. Peacock
41. 41. Spotted dove

Lists of  trees and plants:

1. 1.   Selaginela species -spike moss
2. 2.   Ensete superbum -wild plantain
3. 3.   Ceasalpinia sappan -sappan wood
4. 4.   Curculigo orchids -golden eye grass
5. 5.   Ocimum sanctum -holy basil
6. 6.   Alpinia calcarate -maddar plant
7. 7.   Zinziber zerumbet -shampoo ginger
8. 8.   Gymnema sylvestre -gurmar/sugar destroyer
9. 9.   Plumbago zeylanica -chitrak
10. 10. Messua ferrea -iron wood
11. 11. Desmodium gangaticum -tick tree
12. 12. Calatropis gigantean -milk weed
13. 13. Centalla asiatica -penny wood
14. 14. Solanum virginianum -polypodium
15. 15. Nilgirianthus ciliates -karvi
16. 16. Dillenia pentagyna -nepal elephant apple
17. 17. Cardiospermum helicalabum -heart seed vine
18. 18. Clitora ternatea -blue pea
19. 19. Phylianthus niruri -chanca piedra
20. 20. Piper longnum -long papper
21. 21. Terminalia arjuna -arjuna tree
22. 22. Ficus microcarpa -indian laurel
23. 23. Datura stramonium -jimson weed
24. 24. Terminalia crenulata -laurel
25. 25. Bombax ceiba -red cotton silk tree
26. 26. Colleus aromaticus
27. 27. Dipterocarpus datus
28. 28. Ficus dicarpa

 

Habitat  diversity of parambikulam:

In Evergreen forest:

1. 1. long horned
2. 2. Ceylon frog mouth
3. 3. Tamil cats eye
4. 4. Monkey jack
5. 5. Wild turmeric

In Semi  evergreen forest:

 

1. 1. Green tortoise beetle
2. 2. Malabar trogan
3. 3. Green keelback
4. 4. Green tree lizard
5. 5. Glad eye bush brown
6. 6. Cymbidium orchid

In Deciduous forest: 

1. 1. Plant hopper
2. 2. Ashy drongo
3. 3. Green tree frog
4. 4. Common jay
5. 5. Wild guava
6. 6. Yellow umbrella orchid

 

Bamboo braks:

1. 1. Jump spider
2. 2. Spotted babbler
3. 3. Large scaled pit viper
4. 4. King cobra
5. 5. Bamboo tree

 

In valyals:

1. 1. Leech
2. 2. Jungle fowl
3. 3. Albatross butterfly
4. 4. Centella herb
5. 5. Indian sereal

 

In teak plantation:

1. 1. Rhinocerous beetle
2. 2. Jungle babbler
3. 3. Grey pancy
4. 4. Bonnet macaque
5. 5. Rose tailed orchid

 

Report by 

A.KALAIARASI ( II Bcom), Eco Club, PSG CAS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                          

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Travelogue: Perumbarai Environment Centre, Dindigul

Jaanu.S ( I MJMC) 

Day 1:  9/1/2013

The first expedition from the Eco Club in the year 2013 started in the wee hours of morning amidst hot canteen kichdi and steaming cups of tea. Then 22 people – 20 students and two teachers- were off to Perumbarai in a mini bus at around 7:45 am. The team comprised of boys and girls from diverse fields like Journalism, Electronic Media, Zoology, Literature, Commerce and Business administration, all united under the common banner of the Eco Club, PSG CAS.

After a three hour drive punctuated by the unpleasant glimpse of a gory road accident, the team stopped at Ottanchathiram for a short break during which Mr Arun Shankar, renowned environmentalist and bird-watcher, joined us. For lunch, we were taken to Hotel Annalakshmi, a quaint old motel on the Palani Road. Before entering, all of us were required to leave our footwear outside, in recognition of traditional Tamil etiquette. There we were served rice, gravy, two varieties of vegetables and pappads- a wholesome meal sans the routine omelet, which we weren’t served for fear of offending the religious sentiments of Ayyapasamy devotees, who were part of the hotel’s clientele. We feasted well, stopped nearby for diesel, and then braced ourselves for the drive to Perumbarai – the haven for birds, and our final destination.

Several bird books were passed around, and there was a perceptible change in the conversation- topics were now centered around the birds we were hoping eagerly to see. On the way, we crossed tiny hamlets with interesting names like Vellamarathupatti, Kannivadi, Dharmathupatti, etc. At the foothills of the Western Ghats there was a small marsh, where we got our first insight into bird-watching, and spotted some native birds which most of us couldn’t identify, despite them being familiar. That rather spurred us on to learn the names of such common birds from the bird books, which were now being perused with more enthusiasm than before.

As we ascended the hills, a quiet peacefulness engulfed us as we watched the beautiful scenery unfold. After a rather bumpy ride, we reached the Perumparai Environmental Centre, which was to host us for the next 2 days. It was a picturesque place, with a few cottages set amidst sprawling acres of greenery and forest. The boys and girls were allotted separate cottages with adequate facilities. A few girls were squeamish about the room after spotting some huge-sized slugs on the wall, but got over it after being assured that they were harmless.

Then we prepared ourselves for a short walk into the nearby forest, led by Professor Jayaprakash, which was supposed to give us a small preview of what we were to expect the next day. Armed with cameras, tele-lenses and binoculars, the team set off. All of us had our eyes and ears peeled, and our mouths shut. JP sir was the first to spot a Grizzled Giant Squirrel, which was languidly gnawing on a nut from a tree, high above our heads. Necks strained, cameras started clicking, and binoculars swung into action. The endangered animal continued feeding, blissfully unaware of the attention it was receiving from below.

We sighted a few birds, and also a huge tree spider which had spun an intricately designed web inside an abandoned well. After walking a few kilometers, we made our way back. Arun sir thwarted an attempt by a black eagle to hunt a grizzled giant squirrel, on purpose by clapping his hands sharply. He explained that there were only around 200 such squirrels in that forest, and he didn’t like their number dwindled further by predators.

Now thoroughly excited at the prospect of two whole days of bird-watching and trekking ahead, we refreshed ourselves and gathered in the small library for an informal discussion. Each of us introduced ourselves, and talked on what motivated us to be a part of the Eco club. Harish.V, a first year student and avid birdwatcher, interestingly said that his favourite bird was the common crow, on account of its ability to adapt itself to any adverse conditions. It was a fun session, with much laughter and teasing involved. We then enjoyed a sumptuous dinner of chapathi, idlis and chicken gravy, and were sent packing to bed.

Images of the trip in

http://www.crjayaprakash.com/photography/index.php/Eco-Club/Pomp-a-tour

 

Day 2 – 10/1/2013

At the crack of dawn, we all woke up shivering with cold, but anticipation of what lay ahead fueled us on. No one dared to take a bath in that cold darkness, and just got bundled up in sweaters and jackets. After welcome cups of tea and biscuits, we were ready for our first tryst with pure bird-watching in the wild.

We walked through the nearby village, holding our noses and careful not to step in any of the tiny roadside piles of human feces, which is sadly a common sight in the Indian countryside. The forest adjoining the village took away our breaths too, but in a different sense. Quiet greenery and a magnificent landscape, punctuated by tall trees and the occasional bird-call were entirely new to most of the city-bred team members. Eyes trained on the branches and sky above, we mainly communicated through hand signals, looks and hushed whispers, respecting the privacy of the birds we were hoping to see. After walking in this way for a while and excitedly glimpsing rare birds, we reached an incredibly splendid viewpoint decorated by huge, colourful butterflies. The place was full of opportunities for the many shutterbugs in the team.

On the way back, stomachs rumbling with hunger, a passing old villager mistook a jean-and-jacket-clad Jaanu for a boy and asked in a quavering voice, “Thambi, neenga entha ooru?” (Son, where are you from?) Completely nonplussed, she replied that we were from Coimbatore, amid laughter and teasing. Another incident of note was the spotting of the Asian Brown Flycatcher in the exact same spot as it was seen in the trek a year ago.

We went back, to do justice to a hot breakfast of paniyaarams, dosa and chutney. Eager to see more of the wild, we again embarked on a trek to another location nearby. Now this was an area which was supposedly infested by leeches and ticks. Nonetheless, we bravely plodded on, checking our legs now and then for creepy crawlies. It was a thick forest, marked by plantations of coffee and spices. A few girls were disturbed by the sight of some leeches, but none were willing to halt the exploration. We spotted several beautiful species of birds, butterflies, dragonflies, spiders and other insects. Egged on by the announcement of awards for the best photos by JP sir, all the shutterbugs were on their toes, hunting down every possible photo opportunity.

After many sightings and identifications, we returned to the Perumparai Environmental Centre for lunch. It was a healthy affair of rice, gravy and fresh vegetables. A few of us were lucky enough to meet and converse with the founder of the Center, Mr Joe Homan, an aging and inspiring icon, who had bonded deeply with the surroundings of that place.

That afternoon, we were dropped off at a nearby place for a light walk, peppered with snatches of conversation and laughs.

In the evening, all of us who had cameras submitted our best photographs to JP sir, who selected a few to be viewed at a presentation at night. While we were oohing and aahing over the clarity and timing of those photos, a worker at the Center ran in and informed us that there was a herd of Indian Gaur outside in the garden. Quietly we walked out, careful not to make any sudden movements and agitate the quick-tempered animals. But they left as soon as we came, disturbed by our flashlights.

At the end of that session, we were all in for a surprise from Manoj YD. He had been quietly capturing candid shots of us when we were least expecting it, as a result of which gales of hilarious laughter greeted the funny expressions frozen on screen. On that enjoyable note, the day ended.

Day 3 – 11/1/2013

The day of departure dawned. We woke up early, eager to cram in one more intense session of bird-watching before we left Perumparai.

We were dropped off at a path and started on a rocky trek, hoping for a glimpse of the Malabar Giant Squirrel. A while later, we reached a magnificent spot, the top of a waterfall on a high cliff. JP sir bravely clambered over a jutting rock right on the edge of the waterfalls, to click some daring shots. A rickety bridge and a lovely stream dotted our final trek, making it more and more difficult for us to leave that place.

We then returned and breakfasted on noodles. Not in a mood to pack and leave, we wandered around, taking random photos, looking for birds and admiring the flowers. A few of us tasted wild honey right from Brother Joe’s home-kept hive. The two pet dogs took to us greatly, and followed us all around the place, yapping and begging for crumbs.

Around 2 in the noon, we bid heavy goodbyes to the Perumparai Environmental Centre, and boarded the bus to Coimbatore. All of us were by then well-versed in many names of birds and insects, and were randomly thinking of them over and over again, unconsciously looking at trees and the sky, drawn to every single twitter and swish of wings.

The journey back was high on fun, music, and rambunctious dancing. We stopped at a plant nursery near Dindugal, to look at the various saplings on display and purchased a few. After a few hours of driving, we reached Dharapuram, where we had tea and snacks at a bakery owned by Nivetha’s family. An hour and a half later, we reached college, where we were welcomed back by Balakrishnan and Manickam, fellow Eco club members. All of us were presented with 2kgs of fresh oranges from the near by coffee estates, and parted on good terms, with great memories to cherish and share.

A sample image from the trek

 Image shot by Rahul of I BSc Visual Communication

Flora and Fauna of Perumbarai

by Kalai Arasi 

 List of Birds:

1. Great tit

2. Paradise fly catcher

3. Lessor yellow nape

4. Rosy starling

5. Blue eared kingfisher

6. Brown cheeked fulvetto

7. Asian fairy bluebird

8. Scarlet minivet

9. Small minivet

10. Hill myna

11. Jungle myna

12. Black hooded oriole

13. Eurasian golden oriole

14. Oriental white eye

15. Red whiskered bulbul

16. Red vented bulbul

17. Spotted dove

18. Ruby cheeked sunbird

19. Pompodour green pigeon

20. Copper smith barbet

21. Crested serpent eagle

22. White breasted kingfisher

23. Common flameback

24. Black rumped flameback

25. Racket tailed drongo

26. Indian pond heron

27. Common moorhen

28. Purple moorhen

29. Common sandpiper

30. Asian palm swift

31. Little egret

32. Intermediate egret

33. Cattle egret

34. Common crane

35. Black stork

36. Shikra

37. Malabar Trogan

38. Rufous bar tree pie

39. Vernal Hanging Parrot

40. Plum headed parakeet

41. Rose ringed parakeet

42. Malabar parakeet

43. Common woodshrike

44. Oriental magpie robin

45. Velvet fronted nuthatch

46. Pale billed flowerpecker

47. Golden fronted leafbird

48. Asian brown flycatcher

49. Purple rumped sunbird

50. Loten’s sunbird

51. Tickell’s blue flycatcher

52. Black naped monarch

53. Common tailor bird

54. Asian brown flycatcher

55. Oriental honey buzzard

56. Ashy drongo

57. Bronzed drongo

58. Grey brested laughing thrush

59. Grey headed canary flycatcher

60. Grey wagtail

61. Eurasian tree sparrow

62. Common hawk cuckoo

63. Indian roller

64. Peasant tailed jacana

65. Black creasted bulbul

66. Greenish warbler

67. White breasted waterhen

68. Yellow browed bulbul

69. Bay backed shrike

70. yellow billed shrike

71. Greater coucal

72. Pied cuckoo

73. Red wattled lapwing

74. Spotted owlet

75. Painted stork

76. House crow

77. Large billed crow

78. Crimson sunbird

79. Little spider hunter

80. Common rose finch.

 

List of butterflies

by Rahul

Southern bird wing - Was the highlight of the butter fly watch. It is the largest of Indian swallow tail butterflies. They are difficult to become unnoticed during their flight period.

It has a bright black and golden yellow colours. They are found in forested areas. They lay eggs on lower surfaces of creeper and climber.

 

1) Common crow

2) Crimson Rose

3) Common Five-Ring

4) Common Bluebottle

5) Angled Castor

6) Common Mormon

7) Southern Birdwing

Common Emigrant

9) Common Jezebel

10) Common Pierrot

11) Small Orange Tip

12) Common Albatross

13) Common Sailer

14) Chocolate Pansy

15) Zebra Blue

16) Common gull

17) Common rose

18) Blue Tiger

19) Plain Tiger

20) Striped Tiger

 21. Common grass yellow

22. Common forewing

23. Chartered pansy

24. common mormon

25. Plain tiger

 

List of  trees and plants:

by Kalai Arasi 

1. Silver oak- Grevillea robusta

2. Willow Charcoal- Salix alba

3. Sandal wood- Santalum album

4. Cashew nut-Anacardium occidentale

5. Soap nut-  Sapindus mukkorossi

6. Coffee plant- Coffea arabica

7. White silk cotton tree- Bombax ceiba

8. Jack fruit tree- Artocarpus heterophyllus

9. Wood mango tree- Magnifera indica

10. Fig tree- Ficus carica

 

List of flowers:

by Kalai Arasi 

1. Common mallow- Azanza Lampas

2. Common balsam- Impatliens balsamina

3. Butterfly bean- Clitoria ternatea

4. Sensitive smithia- Smithia sensitiva

5. Candle cassia- Cassia alata

6. Touch me not- Mimosa pudica

7. Jungle flame- Ixora coccinea

8. Goat weed- Ageratum conyzoides

9. Common floss flower- Chromolaena odorat

10. Coat buttons- Tridax procumbens

11. Malabar jasmine- Jasminum malabaricum

12. Blood flower- Asclepias curassavica

13. Blue dawn glory- Ipomea nil

14. Common Pedalium- Pedalium murex

15. Common lantana- Lantana camera

16. Annual poinsettia- Euphorbia cyathophora

17. Indian shot- Canna indica

18. Dragon Stalk yam- Amorphophallus commutatus.

 Pre event announcements

Dear Eco Club members,

We are happy to announce our second trek to Perumbarai Environment Centre, Dindigul.

Like last year, we are travelling there for a two night - three day’s stay ( inclusive of travel from Coimbatore and back). The dates are January 9 - 11, 2013. Team strength - 21 ( Inclusive of Professors).

As in our previous residential trips, travel cost of around Rs.10,000 will be borne by the Club. Hence the tentative fees for the trip is fixed as Rs.1,300 per individual. This will cover the stay, food and any entry fees during the visit. Last date for registration - January 7 ( Monday 5 pm).

PEC is known for its biodiversity in Birds. January being a better month for birding, like last year we can spot more than 60 species of birds.

Interested in participation/knowing more about the place, then click this blog link…

http://blog.crjayaprakash.com/?p=907

Images of the previous trek is in the website link

http://www.crjayaprakash.com/photography/index.php/Eco-Club/Perumbarai-Environment-Centre

CONFIRMED Participants ( As on Tuesday  3  pm )

1. Suganya ( I BA English)

2. Mahesh Kumar ( I MJMC)

3. Manoj Kumar ( I MJMC)

4. Harish Venkatraman ( I BSc Vis Comm)

5. Mohd. Ashik ( I MJMC)

6. Mohd. Shajdeen ( I MJMC)

7.Anju Krishna ( I BA English)

8.Jaanu.S ( I MJMC)

9.Nivetha (I BA English)

10.Kalai Arasi ( III BCom)

11.Rahul ( I BSc Vis Comm)

12.Saranya ( I BSc Vis Comm)

13.Manoj.Y.D ( II MSc Electronic Media)

14.Priyanka ( I MJMC)

15.Kanaga Prabha ( I BBM)

16.Sri Priya ( I MJMC)

17.Humaira  Yusuf( I BBM IS)

18.Peter Anand ( I MSc Electronic Media)

19.Prasad ( I BSc Vis Comm)

20.Sudharsan ( I MJMC)

Staff

C.R.Jayaprakash ( MJMC)

Anitha (BBM)

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WALK ALONG THE RIVERSIDE
A travelogue Based on the trek in Athikadavu (Ansur forest) on 27.07.2012

By
M.Sibi Arasu
1stB.Sc.Plant biology

Two days before that day the eco club members planned a trek to Parambikulam. After a long struggle I was chosen for the trek. My friend Deva gave his chance to me after I requested him.  I   didn’t have money to pay for the trek at that point and I borrowed it from my class representative Ramesh and paid the money .We were asked to assemble in our college at 6.30am two days later. I heard all the rules for the trek and I was very excited. I went home and told everyone in my family about the trek which we were about to go two days after.
On that day I got up early at 4.00am and got ready by 5.15am and asked my father to drop me in the college. He dropped me in the college at 6.00pm. There were some students near the gate including my friend Balaji. He said to me that we were not going to Parambikulam. I also knew that because the Supreme Court has banned the trekking in tiger reserve the day before. We both were waiting for Prof.Jaya Prakash sir’s arrival to exactly know where we were going. He arrived at 6.15am. He was in a bad mood because he was irritated by a boy who made a phone call and asked a irritating question. After seeing him shout at the boy I became little afraid and thought that he was strict master. We got into the bus by 6.30. I was very eager to know exactly where we were travelling to and when we approached Annur my friend Vivek told me that we were travelling to Athikadavu. I became delighted, because that was my first travel to that place. And when we approached Karamadai another Professor joined us. Then we travelled and reached the Ansur forest check post where three forest officers joined us. The bus went uphill and finally reached the place where we were about o start the trek. There was temple named “Bhavani Mariyamman temple”. Near to that was the Bhavani River which was clean and clear. We ate our breakfast in the riverside.

We started our trek and first animal we saw was a monkey and then a Malabar Giant Squirrel. We were divided into six batches. Our batch was headed by our senior Pradeep. We went into the forest by the riverside. We were accompanied by 3 forest officers. We took our lunch with us. We were very eager to watch the birds and animals. But what we saw was some first sights of wastes, plastic bags and the passion of our state the alcohol bottles. We were very angry about the scenes that we saw. We picked all the bottles and plastics. That we could see in our way. We also saw some trees which were cut and attempted to be cut. We walked around one and a half kilometers and then we took a group photo at a beautiful place. Photos were taken by our seniors. Then we kept our lunch in that place and segregated wastes which we have collected in the forest. First batch collected more wastes as they were moving ahead of everyone. We took photos and collected the information about the animals that were present in the forest from the forest ranger.He also expressed his helplessness of controlling the forest because people taking up the job in forestry are very low. So he had to control about 3000 hectares of forest by himself.
Garbage collected
Alcohol bottles
Bags containing garbage
Bag full of alcohol bottles
A tree that was cut down and burnt.

Pure reflecting water flowing in the river
Then we continued our trek, we went further inside the forest we collected more bottles. A thought came in my mind and I quote “in future we can see only bottles in our trek not animals. We went a further 2.5 kilometers and we saw some elephant dung and some small plants being damaged by elephants. So the forest guard told us that the elephants were somewhere around that place and it was better to go back because the elephants were in destructing mood. Actually we planned to trek till Pillur dam which was another 2 km from there but we went back due to elephants. We went back to the place where we kept our lunch. We had our lunch and our Professor gave us a lecture and he said that at around next few years our water need will increase so we have to build another dam called pillur-2 and the river Bhavani will become dry. I was shocked to hear that. And then after the lecture I and Balaji went to a rock in the middle of the river and sat there. I made a lot friends at that time like Manickam brother, Shibi brother, John brother, Subatra sister, Deepika sister, Kiruthika, Praveen brother and many. Me Vivek and Balaji also went to the middle of the river and collected some stones and plants. I had a great time.
We returned back to the bus through a tribal village. We interviewed the the people. They were very happy and healthy, their only problem is the tourists who damage and make forest unclean. Many animals eat plastics and die. We interviewed about their tradition and their culture and they answered to all our questions patiently.
On the way to the bus I had a long chat with Praveen brother about his previous trekking experience and I also shared my experiences. We returned to the college by bus and on the way in the bus I had afun time. We shared our snacks chatted many things among ourselves. During this trek I learnt a lot and I also learnt that forests are indeed need help from nature lovers. This was the best day of my life so far. Because I had everything in it.
I even had a sad moment when someone stole my purse in the town bus while returning home from college.

PRESERVE NATURE FOR FUTURE
Thank you

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A REPORT ON THE TREK IN THE  RIVERINE FOREST OF ATHIKADAVU
                                                                                                                                                                                             G.Afshan Faaiza, I BCom - E Commerce.

Trek to Athikadavu was a sudden change in our prior  plan. Eco-club had planned on a trek to Parambikulam Tiger Reserve which is is an excellent wildlife area for casual amateurs and serious researchers. But Supreme Court’s ban on tourism in Tiger Reserves became a blessing in disguise because the alternative Athikadavu was so good.

Why an alternative Athikadavu ?
Tiger Reserves are zonated into core and buffer areas. Karnataka and Kerala have ear marked their core and buffer zones. Tamil Nadu has not done so. Hence traveling through the core area of Anamalai Tiger Reserve and reaching the buffer of Parambikulam was practically impossible. This is how the Eco Club team of PSG CAS landed at Athikadavu forest in  Velliankadu East beat of Karamadai Range in Coimbatore Forest Division on July 27, 2012.
There are 4 tribal settlements in this forest which includes Sirukinaru, Thondi and Poochamarathur.

Important forest types:
Apart from the all important Tiger Reserves, Indian Forests are classified into
Reserve Forests
Wildlife sanctuaries (Protected Area)
National parks (Protected Area)

Except the Reserve forest, all the above forests come under the  concurrent list, hence the central government too has a strong say in maintaining these forests. But the vast vacancy in staff strength makes managing these forests a tough job to the forest department.

The trip
We boarded the bus from our college exactly at 6.30 am. The bus was filled with people who love nature and who were filled with a thirst to learn more about it through the trek. On the way to Athikadavu we found many peacocks and peahens, bulbuls and few other birds.
We were provided with breakfast on the banks of Bhavani river. Our Professor C.R.Jayaprakash gave some food for our thoughts too by explaining about the forest environment and the need to conserve water and rivers.
He said, “65 million liters of water is taken from Siruvani for the use of Coimbatore city in a day. But, that is inadequate to a growing city. Hence 85 million liters is tapped from Bhavani at Pilloor dam. This too isn’t enough for the thirsty city. Now Pilloor II scheme is on to draw 125 million litres”.
While we were fed with such knowledge the environment surrounding us was a sip of soup for our soul, we saw a ‘Malabar giant Squirrel’ which was on the top of the Arjuna terminalia tree.
C.R. Jayaprakash also said that Athikadavu is a riverine forest and if we are quiet we can spot the Malabar pied hornbill and Great pied hornbill. We were amazed to hear about the size and sound of the bird.We were so curious to see it. Though we felt disappointed by not watching it, we are happy that atleast we had learnt about it. Hornbills partner with only one pair throughout their life. The female hornbill stays inside the hollow of the tree and the male hornbill brings food like insects, worms etc for the female bird and its chicks.
After the briefing session, we aligned in six batches and moved with so much silence so that we can see more of the forest beings. As a cheerful start I was able to identify a well known species of tree which I learnt from my last trek to Aanaikatty, the Ficus bengalensis, the Banyan tree.
As nature’s kids, we were coverd by the nature’s green canopy and in the bed of the soft soil which is actually called the river bed. Our path way was eye catching. We were surrounded by nature’s beauty. On our left was the virgin flow of river and on our right was a green painted forest and our path way was decorated with the fallen dry leaves and tiny red colored bugs.
On the way we found nests of paper wasps on the top of the trees.

To compensate our Carbon footprint, we  picked up all toxic plastics in the jungle which remained inharmonious to  our mother nature. Once noting on our left, we found a little cormorant which was black in color. It was busy cleaning its feathers sitting on the rock which was peeking out of the surface of the water on the river.
Proceeding forward we found some rare but yet well known birds like BLACK DRONGO, BLUE TAILED BEE-EATER, KINGFISHER etc., travelling far and wide. The moisturized cool wind from our left which was from the river and chill breeze from the trees pumped up our energy level and tempted us to walk more  amidst the love of nature.
And we were amazed to see a pretty tall tree on the river bank. The uniqueness of it was its bark and one more amazing fact was that, another tree was growing from inside that dead tree. And moving forward we found some lady bugs, beetles, red ants etc which were the decorative things of the forest path. Our eyes had a good feast seeing the colorful butterflies relaxing on the flowers with vibrant colors and I came to know something about CAMOUFLAGE.
CAMOUFLAGE:
The colors of certain animals, insects and birds have evolved in such a way that they suit the surrounding and hence they cannot be spotted out by predators.
As we marched forward and forward sighting the nature’s virgin and divine beauty, the tree movements, the birds’ chirp, beautiful waves of the river and their sound treated our ears with their rhythmic symphony together.
We were a bit sad to know that the water level of the river has gone down due to scanty rainfall. And we found the other core places of the river to be the breeding area to few water dependant insects. And on the river bank we were blessed to see a white breasted kingfisher and a wonderful magenta colored dragonfly.
As we enthusiastically moved forward, the forest staff showed us the traces of wild dogs and wild bores. We even found elephant dungs which should be about two days old as predicted by our guide. Moving deep inside, the forest officer tried to identify the presence of a wild animal. Then we saw a slope near the river bank on which the elephant with its calves have left their traces. We saw their footprints and fresh dung and were thrilled and excited to know that they have come there a few hours before us on that particular day. The broken branches with wet leaves proved that they had come there recently. The forest staff and our Professor warned us saying that the elephants have 100 times more smelling sense than human beings and it is dangerous for us to stay there anymore, we returned.
Then we had a good time with the natural and divine running water. I can also term it as a ‘GET TOGETHER WITH NATURE’. We were in water surrounded with greenness and chill breeze and the most patient climate. After a good time with nature we had our lunch and started to walk through another way which was about to go through a tribal settlement.
When we reached the village we found a family inside. We had few questions to ask them and finally when we concluded we were amazed to find out that they were happy with the core comforts they have and did not want anything more for their comfort. They said they lived there since their great grandparents’ time. Agriculture is their occupation. They grew crops like banana. And then when my colleagues were interestingly asking questions, I moved back to see some birds flying on a huge tree which was behind their house. When I used the binoculars to find out what it was, there was a RED WISHKERED BULBUL.
And while leaving the place, we saw a pillar on whose top our National Emblem was sculptured. It was built for the MADRAS STATE ELECTRICITY BOARD,, THE KUNDAH HYDRO ELECTRICITY POWER STATION II and was inaugurated by honourable GORDON CHURCHILL minister of veteran affairs govt.of Canada, during Kamarajar’s ministry on Wednesday 18th January in the year 1961.
After sighting all these adventurous and the informative places we reached our bus.
As a fruit of our hardwork, I came to know about few species of animals present there. Elephant, Leopard, Tiger, Wild buffalo, Sambar deer Spotted deer, Mouse deer, Sloth bear, Barking deer, Blue naped hare, Jungle fowl, Wild squirrel, Wild dog, Jungle cat, Bonnet macaque, Pea fowl, Jackal, Monitor lizard, Ant eater, Porcupine, Flying squirrel, mongoose and snakes.
We wished to see all of these but it was our hard luck that we saw only few of them.
Eco-club and these treks are helping us to get more close to our mother earth and make us to take steps to prevent it from the demons trying to destroy it.
We feel great pride to be a part of this prestigious club and render our services to nature. I would wish to be a part of all the treks and gain more and more knowledge about nature. I whole heartedly thank Prof.C.R. Jayaprakash for providing me with such wonderful opportunities to visit the serene beauty of nature. I whole heartedly convey my gratitude to you sir. THANK YOU!!.

“ NATURE IS FASCINATING YET VULNERABLE”

Another report…

Attractive Athikadavu 

S.Shalini, III BA English, ECO CLUB, PSG CAS

“Ecotourism is defined as ‘responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people’ “.
This definition, apparently, is the International Eco tourism Society’s definition of Eco tourism, which has been used by the MoEF. Eco Club of PSG CAS was on one such tour on July 27, 2012.
Forest is one of the greatest natural resources in India. It is an area with the high density of trees. As in cities, what is considered as a forest may vary significantly in size and have different classifications according to how and of what the forest is composed.
Let us see some features of Athikadavu Forest on banks of Bhavani river near Pillur dam. It is the riverine forest composed of large varieties of trees. The forest plays a major role as the host for the birds like Malabar pied Hornbill and Great pied Hornbill and for some animals like Elephant, Gaur and Macaques. Water from the Pillur dam serves as a source for many water bodies  such as Mettur dam and Cauvery.
We the members of Eco-club has gathered in the college entrance and started our trip at 6.35 am with the guidance of our Eco-club in-charge Prof. C.R.Jayaprakash and Prof.Nagarajan and reached the forest at 8.30 am. There we were welcomed by fresh and moisturized air from the river; we grouped ourselves into six groups after our breakfast. Prof.Jayaprakash gave us many useful information about the forest and Pillur dam.

We saw Malabar giant squirrel, common monkey, king fisher and red lady bug which was beautifully camouflaged for its surrounding in the forest and some varieties of fish in the river. One of the forest guard, Mr.Muniswamy directed us into the forest where we happened to see Paper wasp and Blue tailed Bee eater. Unfortunately we couldn’t move further because our guide saw an Elephant dung which was fresh, so he informed us that the Elephant was with its calf and it may cause danger, so we moved back. Then we had a good time in the river, playing and enjoying with the nature. After lunch we had an introductory session by all the members of the Eco-club.
We moved on to a tribal’s settlement ,Sirukinaru  and we had a conversation with them. They shared their tribal way of living which gave us a new experience. On our way back we saw a pillar with National Emblem on it and a Government Primary School. We reached our gathering spot and refreshed ourselves and returned our way back safely to the college at 7.10 pm.
As per the kural
“Visumbin thulivzhi allaalmat trangae
Pusumpull thalaikanpadhu aridhu.”
                           We have to save our precious FORESTS to get RAINFALL.

Trees spotted in Athikadavu

by Nivetha

1.neer maruthi maram

2.vengai maram

3.vadumangai maram

4.mangak kadambai maram

5.muga arasu maram

6.aala maram

7.arasa maram

8.puvarasan maram

9.veembu maram

10.pulliya maram

11.malai vambu maram

12.katu palla maram

13.veer palla maram

14.palla maram

15.athi maram

16.mugill maram

17.thalla maram

18.teek maram

19.eeti maram

20.kodarimurungu maram

21.pucha maram

22.thumbikkai maram

23.ashoka maram

24.uncham maram

25.veppalai maram.

 ECOLOGY OF PILLUR DAM

K.Nandini Priya, I BCom (aided)

Ecotourism Society defines Eco tourism as “responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of the local people”.  A walk through the rainforest is not eco-tourism unless that particular walk somehow benefits that environment and the people who live there. .  If true eco-tourism is important, our trip  should  help “conserve and improve” the places we visit.
 Pillur dam:
An Augmentation Scheme with Pillar Reservoir situated at the foothills of Nilgiris in Western Ghats as source was implemented in the year 1995 and 65.97 Million Liters of water is being supplied to Coimbatore Corporation . The total requirement (125 ml) of Coimbatore Corporation , 22 Town panchayats and 523Rural habitations in Coimbatore District is drawn through Intake well cum pump house located in Pillur Reservoir and conveyed through 1500mm MS pipes and Tunnel of length 3.850 km at Periakombai hills to the treatment plant at Velliangadu. The Clear water is pumped to the Tunnel at Kattan hills through 1500mm PSC and MS pipes. Then the water is gravitated to the Master Service Reservoir at Rama krishnapuram from where it is fed to the Service Reservoirs in Eastern Zone of town and distributed through the network of Distribution System. The requirements of other beneficiaries are tapped at suitable locations. The total supply to Coimbatore Corporation from these schemes is150.97mlt.

Trees found in riverine forest:
•    Neermaruthi
•    Vengai
•    Vadu mangai
•    Manjakadambai
•    Muga arasu
•    Aalam
•    Arasam
•    Poovarasam
•    Vembu
•    Malaivembu
•    Maamaram
•    Atthi
•    Moongil
•    Thayilai
•    Thekku
•    Eeti
•    Kodari murungu
•    Poocham
•    Thumbikkai
•    Asoka maram
•    Veppalai
•    Aayamaram
•    Karuppalai
•    Pala
•    Verpala
•    Kattupala  and many more.

Animals found in riverine forest:

•    Elephant
•    Tiger
•    Gaur
•    Sambar deer
•    Spotted deer
•    Bear
•    Hare
•    Kelaiaadu
•    Gaint squirrel
•    Fox
•    Wild cat
•    Common monkey
•    Peacock
•    Monitor lizard
•    Anteater
•    Malabar giant squirrel
•    Malabar pied hornbill
•    Great pied hornbill

ENDANGERED SPECIES:

Name: Indian giant squirrel or Malabar giant squirrel
Zoological name: rataufa indica
It is a large tree squirrel species genus Ratufa native to India. It is a large-bodied diurnal,arboreal, and herbivorous squirrel found in South Asia.

Malabar pied hornbill:

Name: Malabar pied hornbill
Zoological name: Anthracoceros coronatus
It is also known as lesser Pied Hornbill, is a hornbill. Hornbills are a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World.
The Malabar Pied Hornbill is a common resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India  and Sri Lank east to Borneo. Its habitat is evergreen and moist deciduous forests, often near human settlements.
The Malabar Pied Hornbill is a large hornbill, at 65 cm in length. It has mainly black plumage apart from its white belly, throat patch, tail sides and trailing edge to the wings. The bill is yellow with a large, mainly black casque. Females have white orbital skin which is not there in case of Males. Juveniles don’t have the casque.
Great Indian Hornbill (Buceros bicornis) – also known as Great Pied Hornbill – is one of the largest and beautiful member of the hornbill family. It is endemic to the forests of Indian subcontinent, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Indonesia. This bird has a considerably longer lifespan among birds, studies confirm in India it lives around 35 years and may go upto 50 years in captivity.

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                                      ANAIKATTY TREK - A DAY WITH NATURE

A Report on the trekking to Nilgiri Biosphere Nature Park (NBNP) Anaikatty on July 21, 2012

G. Afshan Faaiza,
I-B.com-E.com.

A mind blowing meeting with nature and its wildness which can never occur in zoo’s except in a natural environment. Trekking inside forest areas gives such a pleasurable experiences. A face to face encounter with the wild. i’ve been to many treks with my friends but my last trek with my club colleagues was a bit more interesting. And this trek has increased my passion towards trekking more.
The eco club of our college (PSG CAS) conducted a one day trekking program at Nilgiri Biosphere nature park at Anaikatty, Coimbatore . This particular trekking was exclusively for the first year students who are new to the club. I am one of them. I was happy to be selected along with my friends and 15 senior members.
Prof. C. R. Jayaprakash, staff in charge of eco club, PSG CAS said that this particular trip is not a tour but a learning experience, a trek. And after reaching there we realized the meaning of it.

We assembled under a huge banyan tree and Prof. Jayaprakash  started introducing the surroundings to us. He talked about the condition of that park. He added that the park receives 500 ml of rainfall which is very low compared to Nilgiris. As a result, the trees around the region are short. They were short. Then Sir said about the banyan tree under which we were seated. He described it as the keystone species and also said its meant to be the most dominant species. He also said that the park is not completely a forest but a visiting area to certain animals like the Asian elephants, spotted deer, Wild boar, Pythons etc..

He had already said that we cannot see many animals as we are too crowded for such incidents to occur which is negative.
And then Sir spoke about the wind mills which were nearby the park. We were sad to find out that because of the noise produced by those wind mills many animals have left that place which is really not good. But at the same time those wind mills help us by producing power supply.
Then we were split into two groups and started from the left side mountain with the help of a guide. We climbed up, up, and  up but unfortunately couldn’t see any animal. We heard the chirps and tweets of a few birds but couldn’t see them. The only bird we figured out was a black kite and we also saw some Babblers. But we learnt some bird names with like sparrows, white crested bulbul, Common Indian myna, black kites etc with the help of our seniors too.  But no walking animals except some endangered cattle..
We met the other team in the valley, between the two mountains. They started from the right side mountain. Had some snacks and we split again. They seemed smaller than an ant when we saw them from the other mountain. And the natural wind which we enjoyed while climbing the mountain freshened us up and kept us so much energetic  and helped us climb more.
We climbed the other hill but were slightly disappointed not to find even a single wild animal. Not even snakes. We remembered what Sir had said. We walked down very disappointed. But the way was so much adventurous and even our staffs and our seniors took  excellent care of we juniors. We had walked a total of 5 kms.
We then had our lunch and relaxed for sometime.
There was small but an informative aquarium behind the banyan tree. We saw some fishes and some reptile models. We saw the models of the four major venomous snakes in India. The Cobras, Russell’s viper, Saw scaled viper and the Common Krait.
Talking about the park on the whole it consists of two hills and a man made forest(NBNP) in the valley between them. It is a deciduous forest whose trees were selected from the western ghats. We were again split into two groups and did a pebble walk inside the man made forest with the help of guide who taught us about the trees. We saw many herbs which are rarely found in other places and even came to about their uses. And we even saw the medicinal herbs and some good smelling plants like lemon grass, mint etc. The park was shadowed by the green canopy above our heads and it was a feast to our eyes.
We saw some captive geese, large Indian scorpions, fishes, tiger centipede and a Gecko.
Coming out was the most hardest part in the trek but we had to and boarded around 5 pm and reached college by 6.30 pm.
This trek has lightened the desire and necessity to save our mother nature and make an eco friendly environment. I’m very much thankful to the Eco-club for the experience
Nature is fascinating yet vulnerable. Eco club helps me fascinate the nature more and more and to take some steps to prevent my mother nature and also make others to do it.

-

Another interesting report from

Kalaiarasi, II BCom, PSG CAS.

The awe-inspiring and informative trip to Anaikatty which is 45kms from airport started at 7 am on 22nd July 2012. It’s a thorny shrub tropical forest. NBNP is a  private botanical garden inside it. A group of 55 members headed by Prof. Jayaprakash, guided by other staffs started from college and reached Anaikatty by 8.15 am.

After breakfast information about windmills and their consequences and rainfall in Coimbatore was discussed. The team was divided into two and started hiking at 9.15 am. Along the way the guide described various types of plants, trees, animals and their uses uniqueness and worth. All reached the peak which gave us a great view of the wide sprawl of coconut groves, brick kilns, sand quarries, teak trees and the fabulous blue sky. Then we got down along the way, we saw water tank for animals to drink and electrical fences to restrict unauthorized entry of individuals.

After the lunch around 2 pm the introduction was given about the place. Self introduction and feed backs about the trek and information about ecosystem was given. Discussion on creating awareness about plastics was held.
One of the staff member Mr.Rathinasabapathy gave the details about the Vechur cow which is at the verge of extinction and about only 200  are present.
Then we visited the Nilgiris Biosphere Nature Park’s core area, which is a treasure house of more than 24,000 plants all planted by the renowned institutions like PSG,GRD etc. It also housed aquarium, statue and skins of snakes. Various types of seeds and pug mark of tiger, hoof mark of deer etc.

The Park had more species of trees like
1. virali-codono angusti-breed of apple
2. unnipazham-camera lantana-eatable fruit
3. cassia aurriculata-controls blood sugar
4. pongamiya piñata-wisteria flowers-raw material for bio diesel
5. tripsia islandes-used for allergy-raw material for match sticks
6 .Zetropa carcus- used as biogas fuel
7. velvel-bele-helps for treatment of broken bone
8. casia siamia-manjal konnai-used as variety of cinnamon
9. sand paper –funtions as remover of dust in fingers
10. thakarai-cassia tora-pesticide
11. nepali ritiya tin toria-used for preparing bd
12. tiliaceae- used in charcoal making
13. sapindaceae- used making insulation board
14. rahmnaceae-used for sore throat
15. Arjuna tree-protect from heart problems
16. matipal-controls dysentery problem
17. kattu amanaku- produce castor oil
18. kiluvai- acts as natural fencing
19. euphorbiaceae-controls dermatological problems
20. myrtaceae- used as ailments
21. annona muricata- cure for cancer
22. ylang ylang tree-substance for perfumes
23. marugu-alpinia calcarafa-aid for stomach ache
24. hop tree-arpeuillea arborescens-used as antioxidant
25. egg fruit-pouteria camechia-added in milk shake
26. Golden shower tree-yellow cassia-funtions as mild cinnamon
27. artocarpus heterphyllum-urea drugs-cures fever,wounds
28. karunduvarai-diospyros paniculata-functions as medicine for burns
29. listea coriaceae-raw material for splints
30. costeus igneus-siral flag-insulin plant-cure for diabetes
31. butea monospermo-good appetizer,astringent
32. leea indica-vitaceae-cure for diarrhea,aches
33. thanuku tree-cynocarpus-acts as a barometer
34. polyalthia rufescens-used as ornamentals
35. symlacos microphylla-acts as clinometers
36. homalium zeylanicum-insecticide
37. zeylanicum-used as a spice
38. artobotrys odoratissimus-used as fragrance
39. horpullia arbored-used as traditional medicine
40. punnai maram-alexandrian laurel-used as varnish,cosmetics
41. maravetti-jangli almond –cures arthritis, leprosy
42. bombax ceiba-root acts as stimulantlame
43. manjal porasu- flame of the forest
44. kondrai-cassia fistula
45. albizya lebbeck
46. malatos phillipines
47. cissus quadragularis
48. glycomyasis pinutaila
49. ficus giomerata
50. bauchinia purpurea
51. fiens hisspine
52. pnoteria gensia
53. mimosa pudica
54. bixa orelana
55. kei apple-dovylis caffra
56. kino
57. rose wood
58. soap nut
59. ficus recimosa
60. albizya andra
61. crateva religiosa
62. casuarina
63. syzygium cumini
64. oregano
65. white bane berry-dolls eyes
66. ben teak-logestroemia microcarpa
67. crytocarya stocksii
68. ottipila-artocarpus gomezionus
69. netti lingam-polyalthia longifolia
70. maramalli-millingtonia hortenisis
71. spondias pinnata
72. aaya aacha-holotelea intergrifolia planch
73. kumil-small cashmiri tree
74. vellai athi-ficus racemosa
75. thiruvodukai-begger bowl tree
76. trumpet tree
77. kodukkapuli-pithecellobium dulce
78. yanaikundu mani-manchadi
79. kal aal-ficus drupacea pubescens
80. harpullia arborea.
All the trees were shown and most of them photographed by our 60 member team. The trek was an awesome experience for all. We returned to college by 6.30pm.
Quotes to remember:
“Because we don’t think about future generations, they will never forget us”
-Henrick Tikkaman.
“Look deep into the nature and then you will understand everything better”  
-Albert Einstein.
NATURE PROTECTS US TILL WE PROTECT AND DESTROYS US WHEN WE DESTROY IT.
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Nature camp at Perumbarai Environment Centre (PEC)

A must see spot for Bird watchers

You can dine with a couple of Grizzled giant squirrels, have tea in front of a dozen Vernal hanging parrots, go for a stroll to sight 60 Pompadour green pigeons.

All these are not happening in a bird sanctuary, but in a small habitat loved by the birds. The place is Perumbarai Environment Centre which is 65 kms from Ottanchathiram in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu.

20 Eco Club students of PSG College of Arts and Science made a three day trip to Perumbarai Environment Centre (PEC) which is credited for organizing the first South Indian bird watcher’s fair in the year 2004. In a survey conducted in 2006, 160 species of birds were recorded and the number has increased to 176 in 2010. PEC is located at an average elevation of 1000 MSL.
. “PEC is an area thickly populous with birds and the population here has never declined. This is because there are large number of trees which bears fruits and these fruits are sold only after the birds consume enough of them,” says N.Arun Sankar, Secretary of PEC.
The bird watching trip involved a trek to Vellarikarai, Thariyankudisai and Pullaveli. “Bird sighting is a matter of chance,” says Arun.  Around 50 species of birds were spotted during the three days of stay by  Eco Club students at  PEC.

Some of the interesting birds are Asian fairy blue bird, Coppersmith barbet, Pompadour green pigeon, Plum headed parakeet, Lorikeet or Vernal hanging parrot, Crested serpent eagle, etc.

 “Bird watching is one of the best habits we have acquired from foreigners. It is essential to learn about birds or any species for that matter to feel the need to preserve them,” says M.Rameshwaran, Program coordinator and bird watching guide.
In addition to bird watching, the students also got to watch bird videos and learnt a lot about the bird sounds. Bird watching turned out to an exciting affair when two high resolution spotting scopes were carried to the field. There are about 65 species of resident birds and twice the number of migrant birds in the area. The guides Rameshwaran and Pandy were experts in identifying the birds with their sounds. Malabar Parakeet has one of the strongest voices amongst all birds and the Drongo mimics 26 varieties of birds. Myna is another bird that mimics various other birds. Rameshwaran says that these birds are diverse in terms of vocalization. Male birds sing well to attract the females and this occurs mainly in the breeding season. It advertises itself mainly through its voice.
“Apart from their sound, prey birds are identified by the shape of their wings, the elevation in which it flies, shape and size of the body, the colour of it’s under wings,” adds Rameshwaran. For instance, the semi circles under the wings of male Crested serpent eagle are distinctively seen. They hunt on snakes and are well known for their sharp vision.
There are very limited bird watchers in the South and it is merely for leisure and one can’t expect monetary benefits out of it. But conservation is quintessential for all. “Western Ghats is one of the key centers of Bio diversity and there is tremendous need for conservation. The concerned authorities should take responsibility and guide the conservationists for better results,” says Joe Homan, founder of PEC. He feels that everyone is doing their own thing but without meeting up. The idea of beginning the process of environment clubs suddenly hit upon him 45 years back when he came to India.
Joe Homan says that the main idea is to use PEC as a conservation area and also to use it to create awareness. “Indians are quite open to the aspect of conservation but implementing it seems to be very difficult. Training students and making them environmentalists would reap rich results,” added Homan.
PEC though controlled by Boys town society, also founded by Joe Homan, is an independent body. It has tie ups with renowned nature conservation research institutes like The Bombay Natural History Society. Field trips are arranged every two months and students get to enjoy this at very subsidized rates. Coffee, pepper, orange are the major cultivating crops with bananas being grown in some areas. Poaching is minimal here. PEC’s future plan is to create a butterfly park by planting lots of butterfly host plants and opening it commercially to the public.
The six hour long journey from Coimbatore had interesting aspects like the silent stream which remains soundless even when it rains. Annalakshmi mess, opposite to BSNL office in Ottanchatiram where day one lunch was arranged is worth a mention. And needless to say, the food at PEC is almost homely. Economical room rent is another advantage. A strict no to alcohol, smoking and loud music inside the premise is one of the reason that the enviro centre remains bird friendly.

The three day trip was a breathtaking experience for the youngsters. Any bird seen by the Eco club members after the trip would certainly remind them of PEC.

Here is the list of birds spotted in and around PEC from December 18 - 20, 2011

Images can be seen in the following link

http://www.crjayaprakash.com/photography/index.php/Eco-Club/Perumbarai-Environment-Centre

1.Asian Brown Fly Catcher
2.Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher
3. Jungle Babbler
4. White Breasted Kingfisher
5. White Breasted Water Hen
6.Small Blue Kingfisher
7.Oriental Magpie Robin
8.Red Vented Bulbul
9.Red Whiskered Bulbul
10.Great Tit
11.Jungle Myna
12.Hill Myna
13.Malabar Whistling Thrush
15.Crested Serpent Eagle
16.Jungle Owlet
17.Little Spider Hunter
18.Velvet Fronted Nuthatch
19.Spotted Dove
20.Rufous Tree Pie
21.Oriental White Eye
22.Pompadour Green Pigeon
23.Shikra
24.Drongo Cuckoo
25.Greater Flame Backed Woodpecker
26.Jungle Crow
27.Racket Tailed Drango
28.Bronzed Drongo
29.Eurasian Sparrow Hawk
30. Greater Coucal
31.Ashy Wood Swallow
32.Malabar Parakeet
33.Pond Heron
34.Common Flame Backed Woodpecker
35.Yellow Browed Bulbul
36.Long Tailed Shrike
37.White Cheeked Barbet
38.Asian Fairy Blue Bird
39.Common Tailor Bird
40.Plum Headed Parakeet
41.Large Cuckoo Shrike
42.Common Rose Finch

43.Black Hooded Oriole
44.Coppersmith Barbet
45.Purple Rumped Sun Bird
46.Golden Front Leaf Bird
47.Scarlet Minivet
48.Ruby Throated Bulbuk or Ruby Throated Bulbul

49. Vernal Hanging Parrot

 

Interested in spending couple of day’s birding at PEC, then contact Mr. Arun Sankar in +91 73582 05310.

Field trip write up by Tanzeela Wajid ( II MA Communication).

Bird’s list by Subathra.M ( II BCom)

Initial version of the write -up ( Before the camp)

Eco Club of PSG CAS is organising a nature camp at PEC from December 16 -18, 2011. 21 members of Eco Club including its staff coordinators Jayaprakash and Ramaraj are participating in this camp.

The journey to PEC starts at 10 am, PSG CAS on Friday, December 16, 2011. A 21 seater minibus will take the team to PEC via Singanallur, Palladam, Dharapuram, Ottanchathiram and Perumbarai. The total distance is around 180 kms from PSG CAS.
PEC is located in Kongappatty Village, Attur Taluk of Dindigul district. It is 65 kms from Ottanchathiram. PEC is run by Boys Town Society under the supervision of Joe Hoeman ( 83) a UK nationalite. Joe Hoemen has the credit of organising South India’s first Bird Fair in 2004.

Places of Interest around PEC: Located in the Middle of Palani Hills ( Kodaikanal hills), Thariankudisai, TNAU’s Horticultural field station, Thandikudi and Pannaikadu are worth a visit. These are interesting places for Ornithologists.

Contacts: Joe Hoeman; [email protected]
Phone: 04542 224308.
The camp will be guided by Palni Hills Conservation Council (PHCC), Kodaikanal Executive Committee Member Arun Sankar. Mob: 73582 05310.

Participating team:

1 -2.
Staff: Jayaprakash & Ramaraj.

Students:
3 - 21.
P.Suresh Kumar III BCA (P)

Sowmiya Rani III BCS (P)

Kanthazhi III BCS (P)
T. Sathish Kumar III BCA (P)
R.Sathish III BCA (P)
M.Subathra II BCom
Tanzeela Wajid II MA Communication (P)

Surendran, II MA Communication (P)

Jaffer Ali III BCA (P)
K.Prasanth III BCA (P)
Sujinesh I MSc Electronic Media (P)
Balakrishnan II BCom (P)

Mahesh III BSc Biochemistry (P)
Prem Kumar III BSc Biochemistry (P)
Priya Ram I BSc Fashion Design (P)
Prasanth III BA Sociology (P)

Karthik III BA Sociology (P)
Radhakrishnan III BSc Biochemistry (P)

Wait list:
Saravanan ( Video Editor) II BSc Vis Comm.

Shivaram II BCom

Must bring items for participants:

1. Foldable umbrella
2. Blanket
3. Water bottle (One litre)
4. Small torch light with adequate batteries
5. Small shoulder bag (to be used for trekking)
6. Medicines, Fruits and Nuts (according to ones needs)
7. Sneaker shoes with two pairs of socks
8 Salt packed inside a cotton cloth ( for Leech treatment)

9. Jacket or Shawl for warmth.

10 Clothing - Green/brown/grey - Eco friendly colours only.

The second trek for other members of Eco Club will be organised in a month’s time. (Preference will be given for members who have attended 6 or more events of the Eco Club).

Mini bus will start from the College exactly by 10 am. Those who miss the timing will have to fore go the amount paid.

Comments/suggestions welcome

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After months of administrative works, I cooled of my heels by participating in two consecutive Wildlife Estimates at Parambikulam Tiger Reserve and Mukurthi National Park in the middle weeks of May 2011.

Welcome to Nature’s Abode, Parambikulam Tiger Reserve

Trexperience/ Parambikulam

Kerala forest department through their Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi conducted this all mammals estimate. Unlike Tamil Nadu, they made this estimate in a transparent and elaborate manner, covering almost all their forests at a time.

Information about the estimate was announced in the Media, at least a fortnight before the count. Out of 1,264 volunteer applicants (through email directed to technical supporters WWF), 625 were selected based on their prior experience in forests and estimates.

Since my home town in near to Parambikulam, I opted for the place and got it right there. A week before the event, all the selected volunteers were called and given a training on the field work. This further filtered the amateurs again (This also prevents volunteers from sending third level substitutes in the last minute - making the system a mockery).

The volunteers were allotted beats, much before the final training sessions started. This again helped the forest department to weed out the last minute recommendations from VIP’ s recommending for a good beat.

A 34 page, all colour field guide on Wild Mammals of Kerala was handed over to all the volunteers along with Global Positioning System (GPS), a compass, and Tiger scat collection kit from CCMB, Hyderabad ( This is a kit with two tubes containing Formalin and alcohol to identify the DNA of the Tigers through the mucus in the fresh scat . Again - this was a first attempt in Wildlife estimate.

Parambikulam Tiger Reserve has 4 Ranges namely Karimala, Parambikulam, Sungam and Orukomban kutty. I was lucky to get a beat in the extreme end of the Reserve - at Muduvarachal in Orukomban kutty. My transect line was linked to the Padukutty camp shed.

Padukutty Camp Shed - A model

Padukutty is around 40 kms from Parambikulam head quarters. The route cruises along the scenic Karappara river. Orukomban kutty is also free from the teak plantations promoted by our erstwhile rulers. Hence  the floral and fauna diversity we amazing. More over it was an ever green/moist deciduous forest.

Padukutty will be ever in my memory because of various reasons:

1. The camp shed is really eco friendly without concrete. It has zinc sheets as its outer walls and roof. The room segregation is by wood pulp laminate boards. The size of the shed is 6 x 7 metres.

2. It has Solar panels empowering at least 3 lights for the whole night. And it is not brand new - it has been there over two - and - a - half years.

3. The wireless system works 24 x 7.

4. Enough of grocery stock for at least a fortnight is maintained there all the time.

5. A forest guard has to stay there all the time ( normally such remote camps are used only by the poor anti poaching watchers).

6. On one side it has scenic Karappara river and on the other sides moist deciduous forests. (Click the link below for picture)

http://www.crjayaprakash.com/photography/main.php/Waterbody/Karappara.html

7. The nearest road is 10 kms. Hence amateurs, VIP’s wont walk this leech filled route to come and stay in this place. The route is a good habitat for Asian elephants too and the narrow space to trek keeps one on tenterhooks always.

8. While we trekked from Muduvarachal camp, we saw thousands of leeches standing erect like two inch nails on the litter. When we walked on the ground - it was not in singles, but in dozens, leeches climbed our shoes and tasted our blood.

9. The 2 kms transect line had clear markings for every 100 metres which facilitated the dung/pellet count.

10. The transect too was adventurous - on a W shaped landscape.

11. When we entered the camp site we could get a clear view of Greater Racket Tailed Drongos, Blue Winged Parakeets, Lion tailed Macaques, Malabar Giant Squirrels, Malabar Whistling Thrush and even the endemic Lion Tailed Macaques.

Photo of LTM

http://www.crjayaprakash.com/photography/main.php/Animals/LTM.jpg.html

12. News updates can be had on FM radio. No mobile signals.

13. Lots of butterflies can be seen mud puddling in the adjoining Karappara river bed.

14. Abundance of Civet cats, Horn bills, Sloth bears, Elephants, Butterflies and Frogs.

The four species of Frogs and Toads I sighted along the Karappara river are in

http://www.crjayaprakash.com/photography/main.php/Frogs/

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Eight districts in Tamil Nadu have seen temperatures soaring above 100*F.  But here in Coimbatore, it is just a bit above 90*F. Nature is offering you a really cool welcome to its biological hot spot, the Western Ghats.

We at Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) - India, Eco Club, PSG College of Arts and Science and Arulagam are previleged to host you at South India’s Best Managed Tiger Reserve, Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, near Coimbatore.

We the humans have divided the lands into Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and so on. But nature and wildlife have no boundaries. The contiguous western ghats offers shelter for all. Let us have a happy outing in the Nature’s Abode, Parambikulam Tiger Reserve.

Coimbatore and this portion of Western Ghats have received over 35o mm rainfall even in this summer, which is 110 % above normal. This has helped our forests to remain open for visitors than to get cocooned for the fear of forest fire.  We are likely to meet Nilgiri Langurs, Gaurs, Cheetals, Wild boars and Racket tailed Drongos amidst lush green trees while we proceed from Sethumadai (Pollachi) to Parambikulam via Anamalai Tiger Reserve.

Depending on our luck, we may even sight Hornbills, Srilankan frog mouths, Crested Serpent Eagles, Wild dogs, the elegant Sambar deers and the majestic Elephants.

You might ask about the big cats - Leopards and Tigers. Yes there are here and they are definitely going to have a look at us, but I cannot assure you that we can see them.

Let us all hope the phrase “It’s raining cats and dogs“,  also shower us with sighting of Tigers and Wild dogs.

Another good news - The biggest trouble for trekkers in a deciduous forest - Ticks. Continuous rains would have deactivated them. But this triggers another issue. Leeches are active now. Hence those who have dreamed of treks should get ready to donate some blood to leaches.

Now coming back to our 3 day residential workshop, I wish to remind you about the instructions I have sent to you a week back. It is in the following link.

http://blog.crjayaprakash.com/?p=864

The final list of participants

http://blog.crjayaprakash.com/?p=866

The Schedule

http://blog.crjayaprakash.com/?p=865

Initial announcement about the event

http://blog.crjayaprakash.com/?p=863

Please send me your views regarding these arrangements so that some improvement can be made.

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Instructions to the selected participants of Wildlife Conservation Society – India sponsored three day residential workshop for Media persons

THEME:

SENSITISING MEDIA ON TIGERS AND ITS HABITAT IN TAMILNADU

Conservation often requires that its purpose be translated or communicated to non biologists/lay men. Media could serve as the communication medium through which conservation, and in the bigger picture, the whole world could be benefited.

The workshop aims to achieve afore mentioned goal by adopting various strategies to sensitize the practising professionals. Apart from sensitisation, local issues on Forests and Wildlife Conservation   would also be dealt with so that Media can have clear understanding of the ground truth.

WORKSHOP TIME LINE AND VENUE:

This three day residential workshop is conducted at Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, adjacent to Anamalai Tiger Reserve. The place is 100 kms south of Coimbatore ( via Pollachi). Dates: May 6 – 8, 2011.

Travel to  Parambikulam Tiger Reserve:
Participants will be taken to Parambikulam Tiger Reserve  (PTR), by road ( 2.5 hours travel time from Coimbatore).
Travel, stay, food and workshop expenses from Coimbatore – Parambikulam and back to Coimbatore only will be borne by WCS – India. Outstation participants have to arrange their own travel plans to reach and get back from Coimbatore.
WCS -India vehicle will leave from Coimbatore Collector office premises, nearer to Coimbatore Railway station at 8 AM on Friday, May 6. Participants will be dropped back at the same place on Sunday, May 8, 2011. No other vehicle will be arranged for late comers and entering Parambikulam Tiger Reserve without prior information is also difficult.

ACCOMODATION:
Participants will be accommodated in two dormitories at Parambikulam Tiger Reserve (separate for Men & Women). Since there aren’t enough rooms for all and dormitories are well equipped, this arrangement has been made.
If the number of women participants go below 4, a separate room for them will be arranged.

PROGRAM OUTLINE:

Participants will be taken for couple of short treks/vehicle safaris inside PTR in the mornings and evenings. Day time will be shared with experts on all three days with presentation – discussion and short film/documentary screenings.

Outstation participants who come early to Coimbatore can have an overnight stay/wash  in Annamalai Hotel nearer to railway station arranged by WCS. Local participants will join them at 8 AM to travel in two vans towards PTR.

Participation in this workshop gives:

Inputs on Media Coverage of Wildlife - responsible and unbiased reporting,
Success stories on environment,
Analysing Non Governmental Organisation’s (NGO) agenda,
Sociological impact of conservation related activities,
Maintaining an efficient relationship with forest officials and conservation related stories in Media.
Status of three Tiger reserves in Tamil Nadu and the newly proposed Sathy Tiger Reserve
Positioning of Tiger at the top of the value chain,
Man – animal conflict, sustainable development,
Ill effects of pilgrimage tourism, forests as climatic and resource guardians,
Threat from poachers, importance of endemic species
Threat from exotic species, conserving the corridors of migratory animals
Healthy forest management, reintroduction of extinct species
Improving the prey base, scientific methods in documenting the presence of tigers
Wildlife research documentation,
Organising wildlife campaigns,
Snowballing media coverage,
Conservation photography.

AT THE END OF THE WORKSHOP  YOU RECEIVE:

1.    A certificate signed by WCS authorities.

2. Research reports and books on wildlife.

3. DVD’s on Wildlife.

WORKSHOP IS FREE:

This workshop is sponsored by WCS – India  and organised by Eco Club of PSG College of Arts and Science  and Arulagam, an eNGO in Coimbatore. Hence the food, stay and travel expenses at Coimbatore and PTR will be taken care of by the organisers.
However, the sponsor does not cover your travel expense from your home town to Coimbatore and vice versa and other unexpected expenditures.

DO’S AND DON’TS:
1. Do not bring plastic bags.
2. No perfumes/body sprays.
4. The food and stay is in the forest. Hence a premium service cannot be expected. Still, Parambikulam is known for its good service.  No junk foods allowed. South Indian, Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian food will be served.
5. Smoking and alcohol consumption is strictly banned. Even the baggages are checked at the entry point. Anyone found using them is likely to be penalised by PTR authorities. Organisers do not have any say regarding this rule.

6. Sighting of Wildlife during short treks/Safari is just a matter of luck. Hence don’t expect Tigers and Elephants to come roaming.
9.    Photography should not be a disturbance to Wildlife and the participants have to adhere to the rules of PTR and Kerala Forest Department.
10.    Only BSNL mobile works in this forest. Hence bring BSNL sim cards. Broad band doesn’t exist. Hence day to day reporting from PTR is really difficult.

DRESS CODE:

1.Formals and Semi formals. Forest colour (brown, green, grey colour) dress code is better for  outings.
2.Sneaker shoes are highly recommended. Two pairs of extra socks are essential so that dormitories do not get soaked with the sweat smell.
3.Hats (again dull coloured) advised.
4. One bed spread shall be brought by the participant so that they do not feel uncomfortable with the common use blankets given in the dormitory.
5.A thin winter wear, preferably a thermal wear to keep you warm in the night. But day time will be definitely warmer. Luckily PTR received good rains this week.
6.Tick bites will be highly irritating in summer. Hence avoid half pants and three fourths. Since it is raining now ( rare occurrence), tick bites will be less, but Leach bites will become common if you opt for trekking.
7.A handy torch light will be of much use.
8.Bring your own Medical kit if you have a health issue for Hospitals and Medical shops are at least 25 kms away. However an emergency Medical kit with basic medicines will be available with the organisers.

Note:

Around 25 journalists are expected to participate in this three day residential workshop. Over 70 % of them are selected from the important forest and wildlife vicinity areas like Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Pollachi, Valparai, Madurai etc.
To cater to the needs/usage of these local correspondents, the course design is oriented much towards local issues than on national policies. Hence Senior Journalists from Metropolitan cities should not expect high level discussions on policy matters in forest management.
But the issues we see in Sathy, Nilgiris, Valparai are of great relevance even at an international level. Presence of Tigers and Elephants in large numbers in these areas and the increasing human - animal conflict  is of great concern to every nature enthusiast or an environmentalist.

Language barrier: At least 50 % of the presentations will be in Tamil. Journalists who have problem in understanding Tamil can have one to one discussions with field experts since most of them will be staying there.

For further details and clarifications
Call or mail:
1.Project Coordinator : C.R.Jayaprakash. 98942 59100

Additional coordinators
Bharathidasan (Arulagam)  +91 98432 11772.
Lakshminarayanan.N (WCS- India) + 91 9445779052.
Mohanraj.K (Save Coimbatore Wetlands) + 9363147760.

Email enquiries: [email protected]
Blog updates in www. blog.crjayaprakash.com

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The Tiger Census of 2010 has estimated the presence of 1,706 Tigers in India. This is 16 % compounded annual growth over the previous census conducted in 2006 ( 1,411 tigers).

This news might look great for nature enthusiasts at a topical level. But if we dig deeper there are lot more to  think and get clarified. It reminds me of India’s legendary Wildlife Photographer M.Krishnan’s comment, ‘Tigraine Increase‘ when statistics showed abnormal increase after Project Tiger was implemented.

First let us see some interesting points obtained from the 2010 Census results:

1. Information collected from 30,000 forest beats.
2. Forest personnel walked 6.25  lakh kilo metres to gather the data.
3. Wildlife Institute of India coordinated this exercise which cost Rs.9.1 Crores. ( Total cost involved in two census crosses Rs.22 crores _ Jay Mazoomdaar, ET, 4 - 4 - 2011).
4. Karnataka has the highest number of Tigers, 320.
5. Kaziranga (Assam) has the largest number (100) in a reserve.
6. There are just 3,500 tigers in the whole world and India has around 50 % of them.
7. Western Ghats has 534 tigers ( up from 412).
8. Nagarhole, Mudumalai and Wayanad belt (TN, Kerala and Karnataka, NBR) has an impressive surge in numbers, 36 % growth to 382 tigers.
9. “There are at least  163 Tigers in Tamil Nadu, an increase of 100 % ” Atleast 100 tigers are estimated to be prowling in the contigious forests of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Sigur Plateau, Nilgiris, Moyar Valley and Sathyamangalam Forests in Western Tamil Nadu” - R.Sundarraju, Chief Conservator of Forests, Tamil Nadu, The Times of India, March, 29, 2011.
10. “The World Wide Fund for Nature has spotted 51 Tigers in the Sathyamangalam - Moyar - Sigur belt in the camera traps”,  Radha Venkatesan, The Times of India, March, 29, 2011.
11. Kalakkad - Mundanthurai has around 18 and Mudumalai Tiger Reserve has around 20 Tigers.
12. WII - NTCA presentations ends up with the quote, ” Any monitoring program is a compromise between science and logistic constraints” - Richard Hutto & Jock Young.

Now points for discussions

1. Camera trap method was used only in 10,500 sq.kms which constitute only 5 % of the marked area.
2. 800 camera traps were set up for 50 days, one each in 4 sq.km area.
3. 615 individual tigers have been identified based on the stripes seen in the photographs.
4. “The full process of how these tiger numbers are generated for individual tiger populations and landscapes has not been made public in a scientifically acceptable manner” - Ullas Karanth ( Director, Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore) The Hindu, March, 29, 2011.
5. “Since various threats faced by Tigers do not appear to have diminished in the last four years, it is difficult to explain the claimed reversal of the decline of Tigers” -  Ullas Karanth in The Hindu, March, 29, 2011.
6. “New areas surveyed in this census such as Sunderbans and some Naxal areas accounted for much of the increase” - Valmik Thapar (Tiger Conservationist), The Hindu, March 29, 2011. Naxal area places are Nagarjuna Sagar Tiger Reserve (AP), Indravathi (Chattisgarh), Simlipal (Orissa), Valmiki (Bihar), Palaman (Jharkand).
7. Madhya Pradesh (213) and Andhra Pradesh (65) have shown a decrease in Tiger population.
8. Tiger occupancy areas have decreased from 93,600 sq.kms (2006) to 72,800 sq.kms now (2010). “This means tiger corridors are under severe threat” - Jairam Ramesh (Union Minister for Forests and Environment), The New Indian Express, March, 29, 2011.
9. 30 % of Tigers found outside 39 Tiger Reserves of the Country.
10. “We can deal with the threat of poachers, of the real estate and mining mafias, but it is much harder to deal with developmental dynamic” -  Jairam Ramesh , The New Indian Express, March, 29, 2011.
11. “A country of 1.4 billion cannot survive on solar, wind and bio gas. We need commercial sources, but we also need to conserve these forests. We must decide whether we can afford a 9 % growth agenda which would our forests and the cultures and livelihoods that depend on them. River linking, hydel and irrigation projects could destroy the Panna, Buxa and Valmiki Tiger Reserves” - Montek Singh Ahluvalia, (Planning Commission Deputy Chairman), The Hindu, March 29, 2011.
12. “There should be an end to government monopoly in Tiger monitoring. Outside expertise and resources to ensure greater reliability, transparency and credibility in monitoring the fate of national animal”. - Ullas Karanth, The Hindu, March, 29, 2011.
13. “If we do not shift to focused and intensive monitoring approaches, we are at serious risk of losing more and more key populations of tigers even while we celebrate supposed increases from these national counts” - Ullas Karanth, The Times of India, March, 29, 2011.
14. WII purchased around 500 Moultrie Camera traps for the second Census out of which 300 - odd malfunctioned. The official stand remains that the manufacturer replaced the faulty sets. Sources in the field, however report a different picture. In Corbett around 60 Camera traps were installed in two phases in 2010. Within days  of installation, most Cameras reported an activation lag. In Tadoba Andheri Reserv, around 60 Cameras malfunctioned.
15. International Snow Leopard Trust uses Reconyx Camera traps. In India, Camera trapping pioneer Dr.Ullash Karanth has used Deercam Cameras. Among the cheaper brands, Bushnell is believed to be the most versatile.
16. WII used about 100 Cameras to cover just 120 km sq. Kms of Nagarjuna Sagar - Srisailam Tiger Reserve in AP. Only 7 tigers were identified. Based on this estimate a figure of 60 tigers were extrapolated for 2,342Sq.km of this reserve.
17. The estimation process has not been made public in the last 9 years. Only one scientific paper - Can the abundance of tigers be assessed from their signs?  has been published in 2011 and that too explains only a part of the method. (Points 14 -17 from Jay Mazoomdaar, The Economic Times, April, 4, 2011).
18. The NTCA report modifies the population growth to 12 % or 170 tigers. Insiders, however claim that the 13 new areas that have been added this time account for a total of 288 tigers. If they are to be believed, this brings down to the actual population gain to just 7 tigers or less than 0.5 %.

19. Habitat loss or fragmentation however, is a long term, often irreversible, damage. Restoring tigers to 21,000 sq.km loss of habitat loss since 2006 07 will be next to impossible. That our conservation efforts, while rustling up with feel good numbers, have actually conceded one fourth of the tiger’s home in just four years is the real headline of the census - Jay Mazoomdaar, The Economic Times, April 2, 2011.

20. The contigious forests of Bandipur - Nagarhole - Mudumalai - Wayanad is the single biggest Tiger habitat in the world and has an estimated 382 cats. All these National Parks are close to their holding limits and yet they registered an increase in numbers. This might become a horror story. Tigers are territorial animals. Rising numbers usually go hand in hand with rising territory. But now Tigers are increasingly moving closer towards human population, which will result in harm to all concerned - the striped predator, livestock and humans. The shrinking of forests will lead to isolation of ’source population’ of tigers. These source population are found mostly in Tiger Reserves and National Parks - Amit Bhattacharya, The Times of India, April,4, 2011.
21. It is relatively easy to manage reserved forests. But how to manage forests with human   habitations? We cant just turn them into National Parks. We need a national strategy for these areas if serious man - animal conflicts are to be avoided. - Qamar Qureshi, Wildlife biologist, Wildlife Institute of India, The Times of India, April 4, 2011.
22.    The Hon’ble Minister for MoEF was talking about sustaining a 9% year on year growth rate for the economy. However, he is happy at the so called 12% increase in estimated tiger population spread over 4 years. Since simple arithmetic has become the norm, perhaps he should have asked someone to do quickly compute the yearly percentage growth rate of tiger population. That might have had a sobering effect Though the census suggests that central India and Eastern Ghats have 601 tigers and Western Ghats have 534 tigers, the corridors in most of the areas have either been broken or under threat. Since none of the tiger reserves and the contiguous areas around those have a combined single population of 500 tigers - the minimum accepted number to have a genetically viable population – it is imperative that we focus on restoring the contiguities between various wilderness areas. That would help in replenishing the gene pool and maintaining the genetic diversity. The fact is tigers are prolific breeders and due to their tremendous instincts, given a chance, can repopulate areas - Sabyasachi Patra, The India Wilds.com, Issue 4, Vol 5.
23. Madhya Pradesh feels that it had lost its Tiger land title to Karnataka, (state with more tigers). Hence they are on a second census now to justify that they have more tigers. This will create a chance to inflate the numbers.

Thoughts at the local level

1. Sathyamangalam, Sigur and Moyar have the largest number of Tigers in Tamil Nadu. But why are they not under any Tiger Reserve ? Why is the proposal for Sathy Tiger Reserve pending ?
2. Why do people agitate against Tiger Reserves? It is happening in Masinagudi (Mudumalai Tiger Reserve)  and Biligiri Rangasamy Hills Sanctuary (Karnataka). Why the forest department and NGO’s could not convince the locals on conservation issue?  Why are the politicians against extension and declaration of Tiger Reserves ?
3. What will happen to the Tigers if Sathyamangalam - Chamraj Nagar train track is constructed as proposed by politicians?
4. What will happen to the Tigers if an alternative road from Nilgiris to Sathy is constructed from Masinagudi to Thengumarahada through Sigur forests?
5. Given that NGO’s like Aranyak (Kaziranga) or WWF (Sathy and Ramnagar) did a good job estimate, the ministry could rope in more organisations for logistics and manpower.

Some images for your thoughts on what is happening in the Tiger land of Sathy

Wild(life) Tourism to Thengumarahada

 

 Pilgrimage Tourism in Moyar, lifeline of Sathyamangalam Sanctuary

 

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