Category: forests


Restoring the Earth – One Sacred Grove at a Time

Filed Under: forests, helping the earth, restoration of forest groves, trees by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
March 1, 2023

By Sriya Narayanan

From 1993 to 2020, Selvapandian R helped transform fading green spaces attached to temples across rural South India into the thriving sacred groves they once were and now are again. Over 27 years, the Environmental Education Officer at C. P. R. Environmental Education Centre (CPREEC) planted thousands of saplings, walked miles in the darkness of dawn to check on them, powered through injuries and fatigue, and built relationships with hundreds of hardworking villagers – from temple priests to bright-eyed schoolchildren – all of whom played a part in restoring the emerald-green cover that is protected with a ferocity worthy of its holy status. “The people who water the young saplings often take off their footwear before entering the area. I’ve visited groves where you aren’t even allowed to break off a twig,” says Selvapandian who was part of CPREEC’s mission to restore sacred groves in India, right from the program’s inception in 1993. The program sprouted from a meeting between prominent agronomist Dr. M.S. Swaminathan and Dr. Nanditha Krishna, founder of CPREEC.

The groves, which are under the jurisdiction of the country’s Forest Department, have also found their way into the school syllabus following approval in Parliament. Selvapandian brightens at the memory of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister conducting a meeting at one of these groves instead of in an auditorium. It was a news item he read after retirement in 2021, a rare occasion for him to sit back and marvel at the progress the project has made. “I was so happy that people (in the audience) were resting in the shade of trees we planted,” he says. “As long as we were working, when we visited any of these groves, we’d only remember the blood, sweat and tears. I mean literal blood – I once had a head injury that required stitches but I refused to take a leave of absence”.

Selvapandian’s team started small, by giving saplings to residents for planting as part of their rural eco development program. They also trained locals in the art of sustaining kitchen gardens and devised clever ways to advocate for the cause. “At the time we began, every village had perhaps 10 television sets if at all,” he says. “We would use a mobile video van that would intersperse our informative segments with film and music shows. There were times when we’d have a thousand people coming to watch, as late as 10 p.m.” Additionally, traditional forms of entertainment such as Koothu (dance drama) and Villu Pattu (musical storytelling) were used to build awareness for the initiative.

While it was hard work that took decades to perform, it was fortunately not a hard sell. Selvapandian observes that reverence of Nature is already culturally ingrained in the value system of Indians. He refers to the concept of Pancha Bhootam that accords divine status to the five natural elements, noting that careful management of soil and manure are also part of this belief, and that the wholehearted cooperation of villagers was key to the success of these groves. He reveals that while caretakers often watch over their plants like parents would, ruing even the tiniest sapling that looked like it was struggling, he says that even a small area with as few as 200 healthy trees must be considered a success. In the meantime, the availability of modern tools has given the restoration project a boost. While many groves in the program still require manual watering, drip irrigation is currently used in places such as Madurai and Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.

A happy forest

Selvapandian who comes from a family of weavers and is the first in his household to work in the environment sector looks back on his strategy during his early years on the program – going to each place and learning from its people, drawing inspiration from them and working hand-in-hand with them. In contrast to the more commonly used strategy of metaphorically air-dropping saplings into barren spaces and hoping for the best, his team’s method requires significantly more time, energy and patience. Retired now after thirty years on the field, however, he has no hesitation when he declares softly, yet firmly, “I would rather do this kind of work than anything else”.

Photos:Sharon St Joan

© Copyright, Forest Voices of India, 2023

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A Bengal monitor lizard freed from poachers

Filed Under: animal protection in Asia, forests, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rescue by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
December 9, 2022

Tumkur is a city in south India about an hour north of Bangaluru. There, on September 19, 2022, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) forest cell rescued a large Bengal monitor lizard from poachers. (The photo above is of a different Bengal monitor lizard.)

Dr Roopa Satish, of the WRRC (Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre) writes that when poachers tie these beautiful lizards tightly with nylon ropes, the blood circulation is often cut off. Then they may become handicapped and unable to move their limbs. Of course, they can only be released if they can get their limb movement back.

Weighing 4.3 kilos or nearly 10 pounds, the large monitor was thoroughly examined. He had a few wounds and one missing claw. All the wounds were cleaned and dressed and his limbs were gently messaged to restore circulation. He was rehydrated with sub cutaneous fluids, given a shot for pain and also given antibiotics.

He was housed in a large enclosure and given food and water. The big enclosure offered a lot of hiding spaces and space for basking so that he could be comfortable. Because of his size and weight, he was believed to be a male.

As it is for any wild creature, being in captivity was stressful. He was kept in a calm, quiet place away from any human disturbance, so that he would have a chance to rest, to promote his healing and recovery.

Soon, he was feeling much livelier — able to spring into action and to make aggressive sounds when approached. He loved his food and was definitely feeling better.

After a week or so of being under observation in order to rule out any infection, he was taken to a safe protected forest area and released in the presence of forest officials.

Now once again back where he belongs, he is enjoying his freedom in his forest domain.

Photo credit: A.Savin, FAL, via Wikimedia Commons. The photo is of a different Bengal monitor lizard, not the one in the story.

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A misunderstood cobra

Filed Under: animal protection in Asia, forests, learning about nature, sacred ecology, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rescue by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
December 9, 2022

A couple of years back, the Jigni area on the outskirts of the large south Indian city, Bangaluru, was a field where a kind of millet was grown. Now, it has been developed and is filled with homes. On November 29, of this year, a spectacled cobra was spotted who had accidentally entered a family’s house.

The people who lived there were startled by the cobra, and they called a snake catcher to come and catch him.

Sadly, the snake catcher had no experience catching snakes, and he was way out of his depth. He had bought some snake tongs on the internet. Catching snakes is an activity that requires a great deal of knowledge and years of experience. Without meaning to, he injured the snake by clamping down too hard. Hurt and in pain, the snake became aggressive. Afraid and not knowing what to do, the inexperienced snake catcher let go of the snake, leaving the tongs still attached to the snake.

This time the family called an experienced snake catcher, who arrived within an hour, safely removed the tongs, and rescued the cobra. He also took the time to educate everyone present not to use the wrong tools, like the tongs, which are very painful to snakes. He then, in the middle of the night, brought the injured cobra to be cared for at the WRRC center in Bangaluru (the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre), where all kinds of wildlife in distress are treated with great kindness and expertise.

Dr. Roopa Satish, the Chief Wildlife Rehabilitator, examined the cobra that weighed 740 grams, about one and a half pounds.

Luckily, there were no spinal injuries. The cobra was given pain killers and fluids, and the wound was thoroughly cleaned and dressed.

He was moved into a clean vivarium with a bowl of fresh water and a heating pad and left in peace and quiet to recover.

Happily, within two days, the cobra had much improved and began looking for a way to escape from his vivarium.

All animals, whether wild or domestic, are, by nature, innocent. They defend themselves if attacked and, of course, they seek food to eat. But they do not act out of malice or viciousness.

Once the relevant Forest Department permissions are obtained, the cobra will be released in the second week of December in a good habitat away from both people and housing developments.

Thanks to human beings who cared, he’ll be free to enjoy the rest of his life in a suitable wild area, as nature intended.

Photo credit: Kamalnv, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons The photo is of a different cobra.

© Copyright Forest Voices of India, 2022

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In Nenmeli, life begins all over again

Filed Under: forests, helping the earth, restoration of forest groves, restoration of small forests, trees by sharonstjoan — 1 Comment
October 26, 2022

By Sriya Narayanan

Once a sparkling village bustling with biodiversity and economic activity, Nenmeli in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, had watched its green cover fade over the years.

The village lands deteriorated over time

A grueling water scarcity issue followed. Young residents were forced to migrate to cities to look for work and the elderly stayed behind. Over time, the hill and the land near the village became barren. “What was a hundred acres came down to two or three acres,” says Dr Sudhakar, Director, CPR Environmental Education Centre.

Dr Sudhakar with folk art

Dr Sudhakar, who has been coordinating efforts to restore groves such as these since 1993, explains that many villages in South India have a tradition of demarcating specific forests as divine, particularly those attached to temple land, in order to safeguard the wildlife and trees, while also ensuring the ecological balance of the area. “In fear and favor of God,” he says, adding that the religious attachment is far more than mere symbolism, but a way to protect a precious ecosystem by tying it into practices that eventually become a way of life.

Over many years, Mr. R. Selvapandian of CPREEC (now retired) directly managed the work on the sacred groves, spending many months or years on each site, overseeing all aspects of the restoration from start to finish.

Mr. Selvapandian and Dr. Nanditha Krishna

Restoring the forests

In general, when CPREEC restores sacred forests, (they have so far restored 53 sacred groves), they rely on accounts from the village elders to be able to replant exactly the same trees that were there previously. However, in the case of Nenmeli, there was no living memory of the very ancient forest and the tradition of worship from the past. The degradation of the forest that had taken place over time had left a barren, lifeless hillside, surrounded by acres of land that had also deteriorated. The village leaders asked CPREEC to restore the ancient land, as closely they could, to what must have been there in the past, so that it could once again be a place of great beauty, peace, and spiritual connection.

A protective deity

It is common for villages to have a ‘kaaval deivam’ (Tamil for protective deity) that safeguards the village, and conduct annual festivals to worship and celebrate the deity. The village people feel enormous respect for their sacred groves. In reality, taking care of these groves is also an act of self-preservation, for there is a ripple effect in the way it sustains human well-being.

Seeking recovery

When villagers from Nenmeli approached CPREEC’s Sacred Grove Restoration Project in 1995, they were looking to inject new life into the land that had become barren and give it a fighting chance at recovery. Dr Sudhakar and his team took on the responsibility and followed a standard process that involves carefully planned planting projects and a three-year maintenance program after which the management of the restored land is handed back to the villagers.

Trees of Nenmeli

He differentiates CPREEC’s planting efforts from similarly well-intentioned, but misguided attempts where corporate organizations might plant saplings without adequate thought to their future caretaking or the suitability of those species to the area. The Sacred Grove Restoration Project, in contrast, takes care to aim for and achieve a 90% survival rate for the newly planted vegetation, bringing it to a point where it is self-sufficient.

The whole village is involved

Another important feature of the Project is the wholehearted and spirited contribution of the village’s residents to the restoration. The locals were instrumental, for instance, in cultivating a flourishing herbal garden while the entire village community took avid interest in CPREEC’s extensive training program. “We raised awareness on soil conservation and the water table and took these educational materials to schools and colleges as well,” says Dr Sudhakar. He upholds Nenmeli as a model eco-village and reveals that the concerted effort included walling the hillock in the center of the grove in the form of check dams and trenches to prevent soil erosion and desilting the two water-tanks attached to it.

He’s delighted to describe how the well in the area soon saw more than eight feet of water during even the driest of summers and how an erstwhile four acres soon blossomed into 25 acres. His favorite observation, however, pertains to the wildlife that silently and eagerly crept back into the now-replenished grove. “Porcupines, snakes, hares, and rabbits… oh, and as many as 39 varieties of birds!” he says of the result.

Once considered eccentric

He recalls how he and his ilk were considered eccentric back in the late eighties when they started sounding the warning signs about environmental disasters and how it took several decades for the restoration movement to finally gain force. With the guidance of CPREEC co-founder Dr. Nanditha Krishna, his team soldiered on, determined to give back to Mother Earth in exchange for everything she had provided us. “It was a mission, so one does not give up. We’ve come full circle,” he says, referring to how students as young as 18 are taking an interest in environmental protection today and how there’s a significant demand for conservation efforts.

He also speaks of how the government allows the Project to develop the land and provides funding for its maintenance. “The amount spent is more than worthwhile, given its priceless benefits to society,” he says, elaborating that the carbon sequestering properties of these trees is of particular importance.

Despite having worked on these projects for over three decades, Dr Sudhakar is untiring in his efforts, drawing inspiration from Nature itself. He marvels at its ability to come back to life from apparent extinction and take care of itself – and all of us – simply by being given the space and time to exist undisturbed. Meanwhile, Nenmeli’s Sacred Grove Restoration Project is now a success story that inspires many others to dream of the same possibility for their own hometowns, and a living, breathing reminder, that when we put our minds to it, life as we once knew it, can begin all over again.

Photos:

Top photo: Dr. Sudhakar / The restored sacred grove of Nenmeli

Second photo: Sharon St Joan / Dr Sudhakar, holding a sculpted bird, the artwork of island young people

Third photo: Sharon St Joan / Mr. Selvapandian and Dr. Nanditha Krishna

Fourth photo: Dr. Sudhakar / The planted trees of Nenmeli, now around thirty years old

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© Forest Voices of India, 2022

How to help

CPREEC’s (CPR Environmental Education Centre) work helps restore the natural beauty and health of India’s ancient forests, while guiding young people toward careers that benefit both their own future and the world of nature.

You can help! Click on the donate button, above and to the right.

Thank you so much!

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Conservationists hail scientists’ western rewilding blueprint as “a major call to action” to the Biden administration —

Filed Under: forests, helping the earth, trees, waters, wild birds, wildlife by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
August 17, 2022

EarthJustice News Release Conservationists today hailed a new scientific study that identifies an ambitious network of protected areas, with wolf and beaver restoration as a centerpiece, as a sound strategy for restoring native ecosystems and wildlife diversity on western public lands. The benefits of this proposal would contribute significantly to stream restoration and help mitigate […]

Conservationists hail scientists’ western rewilding blueprint as “a major call to action” to the Biden administration —
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How Do We Love Thee, Forests, Let Us Count The Ways — Organikos

Filed Under: forests, trees by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
March 28, 2022

Forests, such as this one in Indonesia, do lmore than just store carbon. Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock It may sound obvious, but until now it was not quantified: The world’s forests do more than just store carbon, new research finds New data suggests forests help keep the Earth at least half of a degree cooler, protecting us […]

How Do We Love Thee, Forests, Let Us Count The Ways — Organikos
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War and Peace

Filed Under: forests, trees by sharonstjoan — 1 Comment
March 6, 2022

Buchenwald Forest
Photo – Nasenbar (Diskusson)

It is not actually possible, on this morning in March, when our television screens are filled with the suffering and death of people, including children, old people, ill and disabled people, as well as their dogs and cats – when we watch apartment buildings going up in flames, shattered by bombs and artillery fire – to ignore all this and write about the charming days of spring. War is not charming.

So, we will write instead about courage and kindness.

No one doubts the immense courage of the Ukrainian people – their self-sacrifice and their heroism. We can all see the women and children who endure days and nights of hardship – and we see the kindness of the people in neighboring countries who lend a hand, providing a bowl of hot soup and then opening their houses to strangers.

What is not always so visible is the courage of Ukrainian men – young and old – who return to devastated towns and cities to fight, to resist – not knowing if they will survive or if they will ever see their wives and their children again. They enter an abyss of danger.

We are all aware of the heartbreak of this situation. Some wars are worse and unkinder than others. However, human history, including recent history, is filled with wars – also with disasters – incomprehensible suffering for which no one can be blamed.

Heroes too

History is also filled with heroes – with those who sacrifice their own comfort, well-being, and their own lives – for others or for their country. We don’t know the names of most of those heroes – and all too often when wars happen in far-away places – or many centuries ago – or among people who may look different from us, or whose culture is not similar to ours – people with whom we feel no immediate connection – then we may not be open to feeling quite the same level of compassion.

We have trouble sometimes relating to other human beings who are different from ourselves – but how much more trouble do we have seeing, noticing, and being aware of those who are not human?

Animals can be heroes too. Not everyone accepts this concept, but a surprising number of people do.

Animals, plants, and the entire world of nature display both courage and kindness. These are not just human traits. What about the dog who, instead of running out of the burning house, runs further into the house to wake up his person and save the whole family?

What about the mother duck who, at risk to her own life, makes sure that each of her baby ducklings has gotten safely across the road?

What about the tall bristlecone pine tree who stands on the mountain side, in a swirling snowstorm, in bitter cold – until the spring. Is he or she not brave? Yet, one can hear the reactions of some who are thinking….. “that thought about a tree is just a step too far – and maybe a little silly.”

Countless nations and cultures

On the other hand, whole nations and cultures of people – many countless generations over eons past have seen the entire world of nature as living and alive. Most, if not all, of the earlier cultures of the earth have attributed personhood to mountains and rivers, to the oceans, to the animals — in countless stories, songs, and dances. Even modern legislative bodies – in India and New Zealand, for example, have recognized the sacred, living essence of rivers and mountains? Are they all wrong?

Perhaps not. Perhaps the earth herself and all her children are alive and conscious, as well as beautiful, graceful, and majestic. Perhaps we ourselves, as children of the modern world, need to regain at least some of this ancient perspective, this ancient wisdom, and perhaps when we do, we will be aware of a closer bond and kinship with all that lives – the animals, the plants, the rivers – all creatures and all human beings. Perhaps then we may be more aware of the kinship of all life – and more in touch with the great peace within – within our own souls, within the living worlds and beings of nature — within our fellow human beings. And perhaps then we can move on – in greater strength and kindness, and with greater awareness of the life and beauty of the universe – the universe who teaches us so much.

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At the core of Forest Voices of India is the vision of the earth and all her beings as an ancient web of life – including people, animals, and plants – who are all part of nature. May we get back in touch with these ancient concepts – to re-discover, to protect, and strengthen the earth, which is our world. May there be peace on earth.

To stay in touch and read more about these concepts, please sign up for our newsletter. Look in the upper right corner of this page. Thank you!

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Happy New Year!

Filed Under: animals, forests, oceans, trees, waters, wild birds by sharonstjoan — 1 Comment
December 30, 2021

May 2022 bring blessings for the earth! Happiness, peace, protection, and well-being for all the trees and plants, for the mountains, the oceans, the rivers, the forests, the deserts, and all wild lands. May all wild creatures be blessed and free in the wild – and all animals everywhere be safe, protected, and happy. May all the peoples of the earth be blessed and touched with a spirit of kindness. May ancient traditions be once again revered and respected, honoring the Earth and all Her children!

Forest Voices of India

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An Indian chameleon gets a second chance

Filed Under: forests, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rescue by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
October 27, 2021

Recently, in Bangalore, in south India, the police rescued an Indian chameleon who was being kept as a pet. Like other wild animals, Indian chameleons are protected by the Wildlife Protection Act of India, and it’s illegal to keep them as pets. They are meant to lead their natural lives free in the wild.

The chameleon was brought to the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (WRRC), where Dr. Roopa Satish, the licensed wildlife rehabilitator there, examined her. She weighed 60 grams. She was rehydrated, placed under observation, and given insects to eat, which are her natural diet. Often, in captivity, chameleons are fed inappropriate food which can cause digestive upsets.

Very shy creatures, chameleons belong in the wild where they can live among wild plants and rocks and find plenty of places to hide so that they feel comfortable and secure.
Being around people and having little cover causes them great stress and, sadly, they often don’t survive being in captivity. People who don’t really intend to harm them, often don’t understand their natural shyness and their need for a quiet life in the wild.

Fascinating reptiles, chameleons have many distinct features like a flattened body shape, and a prehensile tail, which means that they can grasp and hold objects with their tail. Like other lizards, they have a long tongue that can dart out to catch insects from a distance. They walk with a swaying movement. Some of their toes point forwards and some backwards so they can hold on to tree branches. Each of their eyes can move independently, giving them depth of vision, which comes in handy when catching insects. And, of course, the color of their skin changes, sometimes to match their background, sometimes to reflect other circumstances or to send a signal.

Thanks to the expert care and dedication of Dr. Roopa and the caregivers at WRRC, the chameleon did very well.

Dr. Roopa writes, “After 48 hours of observation, the chameleon was active and ate the insects so she was released inside a protected forest on a tree branch where she slowly but surely held the branch and moved into the foliage and disappeared from our vision due to excellent camouflage.”

Our best wishes to the chameleon for a long and happy life, roaming freely in the forest.

The more we can all respect nature and appreciate and value the lives of wild animals, the happier and healthier life on our planet will be.

Photo: the WRRC

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Kangaroo’s amazing recovery

Filed Under: animal protection in Asia, animals, forests, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rescue by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
August 14, 2021

Kangaroo wouldn’t pose for a photo, so this is another bonnet macaque.
Shantanu Kuveskar, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

First, Kangaroo isn’t really a kangaroo (because this is India, not Australia). Actually, he is a bonnet macaque, a monkey, who weighs seven and a half pounds (3.39 kilos). On November 3 of last year, he had an accident. Some very kind people rescued him and he was transported from a southern suburb of Bangalore to the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre. Monkeys, of course, climb to get from place to place, and he had been swinging along on the electric wires over the main road in order to get across it when he was electrocuted.

For any birds or animals, electrocutions tend to be really serious, and his prognosis for survival was indeed grave. For three months, he received lots of treatments and then had to have three of his limbs amputated. (The photo is of a different bonnet macaque, not Kangaroo.)

Amazingly, he was a cheerful monkey through everything. He recovered and nothing seemed to dampen his spirits.

When he was moved into the large monkey enclosure which had special platforms for easy movement, he was with other young, orphaned monkeys. Dr. Roopa writes that “Kangaroo immediately took charge of them all, in spite of his handicaps, and he could be seen, grooming them, playing, and enjoying their company.”

With just one leg, he used his tail to help him balance, and he hopped with great ease just like a kangaroo, hence his name. With his handicaps, he wouldn’t be able to be released and the plan was for him to live permanently at the center. Being a clever monkey, Kangaroo made his own plans. He watched and observed the routine at the center, and one day, while the keeper was in the enclosure doing cleaning, he managed to slip right past him and out the door.

Of course, he wasn’t going far. Now he still lives at the center, but he’s free to move anywhere and can be found hopping from tree to tree, having the time of his life, just as if he had all four limbs.

He gets a delicious dinner – a plate of his favorite food like shelled ground nuts, banana, cucumber, corn, sweet potato, pomegranate, carrots, and beans is placed up on the roof for him, which he polishes off. He has a good friend and companion now – another resident monkey, Taatha, which means grandfather, who is there for lifetime care and is also free to move about the center.

Thanks to Dr. Roopa’s expertise and the good efforts of his caregivers, Kangaroo is strong and feels well.

Despite all he has gone through, he is an amazing monkey, with an indomitable spirit. He’s made new friends and has done very well for himself – now living out his life in a great place – with no electric wires, no cars, or pollution – just an idyllic, beautiful green forest, with people to feed him.

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