Covid 19 Relief for Sundarbans, Buxa and Tadoba Tiger Reserves
We have been arranging relief for the affected communities of Sundarbans, Buxa Tiger Reserve and Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. As the tourism industry is severely disrupted due to COVID-19, Nature Mates, Svasara Jungle Lodge and Help Tourism have joined hands to raise funds to support the distressed families of the licensed freelance guides, in Sundarbans and Buxa; gypsy drivers, forest guides even the local villagers in Tadoba by providing them with long term support of essential food materials. Places which we have covered include Dayapur, Bali, Patharpratima and Pakhiralay in Sundarban Biosphere Reserve; Jayanti, Buxa Duar and Rajabhatkhawa, in Buxa and in Kolara, Alizhanzha, Sirkada, Rangdi and Madnapur villages of Chandrapur district in Maharashtra.
The Human Elephant Coexistence Project in Sanjay Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh is home to a number of protected areas and forest areas rich in biodiversity. Until 2017, there were no trace of Asian Elephants in the state, but since the last 5-6 years migrating Asian Elephants has entered the state of Madhya Pradesh from the neighbouring state of Chhattisgarh. The number is rising at an alarming rate, as per the MP Forest department, the number has gone upto 60 individuals, causing conflict scenario.
Due to lack of awareness and other mitigation interventions the conflict incidents are raising in a rapid rate including crop and property damage, injuries, retaliatory killings, etc. Wild elephants have killed 12 people in Madhya Pradesh in the last five years, including eight in the three districts surrounding the Sanjay Tiger Reserve.
Hence, Nature Mates Nature Club in collaboration with SNAP Foundation, took up the task of understanding the conflict, identifying of the elephant corridors in the state and their movement patterns and conducted fodder analysis. Post the study, solar fencing and early warning system was deployed in strategic and problematic areas.
The project was supported by the Madhya Pradesh Tiger Foundation Society and Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and funded by The Nature Conservancy.
