The global Convention on Biodiversity happening from October 1-19 has set the ball rolling in many Indian states. The meet will be attended by 8,000 delegates from 193 countries. Andhra Pradesh Government plans to establish a museum on bio-diversity to commemorate the upcoming event. The event will be the largest international conference to be ever held in India.
A bio-diversity park is proposed to come up in Dulapally reserve forest area, outside Hyderabad. Students and children will be encouraged to visit the museum and park to enrich themselves about the rich biological heritage and importance of conservation.
Existing parks will be refurbished and new ones will come up soon in all the districts of Andhra. They will help to check levels of carbon dioxide and other pollutants, buffer ambient temperatures, recharge the groundwater table and preserve ecosystems.
The National Tribal Festival starting on April 30th, in Valliyoorkavu near Manathawadi town in Wayanad, will be participated by more than 500 tribal artists, artisans and delegates of India. It is jointly organised by the Department of Youth Affairs, ST Development and Wayaad district administration. It will be inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
Valliyoorkavu Bhagavathi temple will be the main venue – for many centuries, it has been witness to a big, annual festival of tribes in Wayanad. The principal deity of this temple is Goddess Durga, and the three principal forms of the deity are Bhadrakali, Vana Durga, and Jala Durga. To the south of the temple flows the Kabani River.
This five-day festival called Gothrayanam will exhibit important customs and lifestyles of various tribes of India. Exhibition and sale of tribal medicines and ethnic food will be a prim attraction. There will be seminars and workshops to address tribal issues, as part of the festival. Cultural programmes giving prominence to various tribal arts of Indian states, and a documentary festival on tribal issues will be organised as well.
To reach Valliyoorkavu, take the road to Mananthavady, and then three km to Arrattuthara by Pulpally Road. Kalpetta is 24km away.
Last week, Mumbai-based Nature Forever Society launched India’s first bird monitoring system for common birds. The NFS works for the protection of sparrows and other common fauna. The programme has been designed by a technical team from Jaypee group.
The new venture is an online programme which allows pan-Indian participants can interact in a citizen-science venture. The users can log in and give information about birds in their location. Eighteen common birds such as House Sparrow, Common Hoopoe, White-throated Kingfisher, Green Bee-eaters, Black Kite, House Crow and Rose-ringed Parakeet can be mapped using this programme.
This year’s census on one-horned Indian Rhinos confirmed that its numbers has increased by more than 300. About 200 people – trained forest officials, representatives of non-government officials and local villagers – and 34 elephants were involved in the census. This is conducted every three years since 1966.
Assam is home to this endangered species of animal, with the Kaziranga National Park recording the most of them. Other protected areas where you can find these animals are at Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary and Manas National Park.
Dedicated forest officials and staff are working towards making the dream target of 3,000 rhinos by the year 2020 a reality. The IRV-2020 programme is implemented by the Assam Forest Department with support from the WWF and the International Rhino Foundation.
Another two more years and we’ve reached the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. And India has already planned to promote the country as a major tourist destination during the event. Brand ‘Incredible India’ will be publicised in a promotional media campaign.
The FIFA World Cup is a venue for India to promote its Rural Tourism initiatives and eco-tourism market. Two out of the five BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — Brazil and South Africa will be jointly promoting tourism with India.
A six-member team of archaeologists led by Punjab University Archaeology Department chairman Farzand Masih have discovered a rare Indus Valley civilisation-era seal in steatite dating back to 2,500-2,000 BC. The carved figure of an ibex with two pictographs was found at Wattoowala, located near Derawar Fort and along the Hakra river. The work on this square seal shows skill and craftsmanship.
Also excavating at Sui-Vihar, famous for Sankhya doctrines in Pakistan, they found a circular platform at built with sun-dried bricks and a number of supporting walls to hold the platform and the cylindrical structure. Signs of a Buddhist establishment were also noted.
In a one-week survey by the Assam Forest Department and an environmental organisation, ‘Aarayank’, at the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam, found over 12,000 birds belonging to 26 species there. Out of this number, about 5,000 are migratory birds, with many Siberian cranes. The census was done by 40 people.
The sanctuary’s famous animal is the One-horned Rhino. Other animals found here are the leopard, wild boar, barking deer, wild buffalo and many reptiles. It is about 50km from Guwahati, and covers just under 40sq.km of area.
Come Republic Day and David Hall in Fort Kochi will light up with handmade goodies from all over the world. Lasting up to the 29th is an innovative venture by A Hundred Hands, an artisans’ collective based in Bangalore. They’ll also offer live demonstration of the process behind the products.
Mala Dhawan and her sister, Sonia set up the nonprofit trust in 2010. They only showcase products that are made by hand – right now there are about 40 members in the collective. Urban and rural artists, as well as those from the hilly regions will be represented at the crafts bazaar. You’ll find anything from beeswax lip balm and silk sarees to household linen and carpets here.
The four I’s that are pillars of the organisation are:
Innovate: Evolve and reinvent products, designs, mediums and experiences
Interact: Participate! Encourage young people to develop a love of working with their hands and older ones to develop or reignite a hobby.
Inform: Build sensitivity and appreciation not only for the end result of handmade work but also the process and effort involved.
Include: Transcend social and economic barriers to build a community of artists and like-minded individuals.
Besides Mala Dhawan and Sonia, A Hundred Hands has others, too, as founders and advisory board members. Bindia Thapar an architect by training and an illustrator by choice. Prem Subramaniam has worked in the fields of Engineering, Tourism and CSR. Melissa Arulappan is interested in and good at baking, cooking, and is a public relations consultant. Pankaj Wadhwa is a successful entrepreneur
The handmade products are sold via community bazaars, workshops, volunteer programmes and corporate tie-ups.
Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve in south Kerala has been chosen by Anthropological Survey of India as of the 17 biosphere reserves in India for research. It part of the 11th Five Year Plan. AnSI’s principal investigator Dr Samir Ghosal will lead a group of researchers to study certain villages and understand the nature and extent of sustainable utilization of natural resources by the communities living inside the area. The studies will contribute to the national project ‘Man and Environment: Biosphere Reserve Study’.
‘Man and Environment in respect of Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve’, a workshop will be held at TBGRI. Several prominent researchers and scientists will present papers at the event. The Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve, established in 2001, covers 3,500sq.km. Almost half of that is located in the Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts of neighbouring Tamil Nadu. The famed peak, 1,868-metre-high Agasthyamala is located in this biosphere area. Three wildlife sanctuaries of Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney are part of the biosphere.
The Social Forestry Department of Kerala has hit upon a grand idea to provide shelter to migratory birds. The department will distribute monthly remuneration to private property owners who preserve trees on their premises. This will help birds to roost in them.
In order to enroll for the program, those interested must submit his biodata along with an application to the forest department, stating the details of the tree, its genre, the bird varieties which make a home on the tree, the number of cavities and a recent colour photograph of the tree. You also have to get a recommendation letter from the local self- government representative and an affidavit that you will protect the tree at least for a year. The remuneration to be received has still to be decided.
This special program is planned in the regions of Alappuzha, Kuttanad, Kottayam and Pathiramanal Island. The latter has a large migratory bird sanctuary – one of the best in Asia. There are about 90 species of birds at Pathiramanal Island and areas close by. This venture will benefit trees and birds as well as the environment.
