Project- BUXA LIVELIHOOD
Buxa tiger reserve ( BTR) is surrounded with lot of villages and every day a part of 1.5million cattle graze inside the park which may cause tremendous pressure on herbivore food resources.It can also bring diseases,so as a part of NEWS commitment to uphold the the conservation activity,it has launched an alternative livelihood project for villages who are solely dependent on cattle grazing.
The project if completed sucessfully is likely to minimize pressure on herbivore foodresources as well as prevent spreading of diseases.
OBJECTIVES
1.To assess the incidences of man - animal conflict arising out of human activities within the forest during animal grazing
2.Imparting training for the improvement of economic status through scientific livestock farming of people of PA's of BTR.
3.Development of suggested measures in alternative livelihood development,who live below poverty line in the Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR)
(for reports-phase-1 pdf)
(for reports-phase-2 pdf)
Project –SUNDERBANS LIFELINE
Nature Environment & Wildlife Society (NEWS) is implementing a project ‘Sunderbans Lifeline' funded by ABN-AMRO Foundation. The inception workshop was held in Sunderban Tiger Safari , Sonagaon (in Sunderban Tiger Reserve ) on 16 th & 17 th February 2008 .The workshop was attended by forest officials ,scientists working on alternative livelihood options , innovative bio-technology transfer, mangrove experts, veterinaries , eminent personalities working on disaster management, environment issues , Representatives of ABN-AMRO Bank ,local NGO's, panchayats, ecodevelopment committee members & other relevant government deptts. A brief account of the project and pix of the workshop are as follows.
Goal :
· To provide alternative sustainable livelihood to 450 families who live below poverty line in three forest-fringe villages of the Sunderbans
· To protect the fragile embankment by way of mangrove restoration.
· To provide basic health care and supply safe drinking water.
· To generate awareness and provide capacity building among villagers and local stakeholders to understand the complex ecosystem of the area & combat against broken embankments, snake bites, epidemics, and wildlife crime .
Will achieve the following objectives :
• Reduce poverty level and reduce anthropogenic pressure on Sunderban Tiger Reserve & Sunderban Biosphere Reserve.
• Restore the fragile embankments.
• Increased governance and empowerment of the villagers esp women.
• Curb poaching and illegal trade on wildlife .
• Build action groups to react to mitigating disasters at local levels.
Actions :
• Afforestation of mangroves by way of plantation programme,nursery generation & proper selection, according to salinity and embankment requirement.Also plantation of non-mangrove species in the villages to meet local demands.
• Income generation by providing alternative livelihood to be judged according to its eco-friendliness, simple translation , easy marketability and best possible returns in low time.Partnerships built with Deptt of Marine Science-CU,WB Univ of Animal Husbandry,Fisheries & Sciences(WBUAFS) to impart vocational training,award certificates etc & monitor the progress and problems.
• Provide health care facilities , arrange medical camps every month in each of the villages with the help of doctors, nurses and free medicines will be supplied .
• Make provision for drinking water by digging tube wells.
• Meetings and Workshops sensitising villagers and local stakeholders . Capacity building at different levels to understand and find ways to mitigate the threats facing sunderbans.
• Mobilize resources forming disaster management groups that will be able to address disasters due to embankment inundation ,s torms , cyclones , tidal upsurges ,snake bites,outbreak of epidemic,tiger straying and other wildlife rescue,connection to disaster warning centres etc.
• Focus will be on Disaster management oriented IEC (Information, Education, Communication) which will mainly concentrate on gathering volunteers ,identifying rescue shelters , identifying danger prone rivers, khals and corresponding areas likely to be affected, monitor state of repair of embankments, check list of do's and don't s , first aid kits , important telephone numbers , assess scopes of insurance scheme for victims – person,property ,crop , livestock etc
• Awareness generation among the stakeholders who live below poverty line and solely depend on forest and forest products to understand the importance of mangroves and reduce dependence on forests .
• Develop sustainable conservation measures through community participation esp women
Duration of the project : Three years
