2006-7 annual report - Nature Conservation Foundation

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P from left: An Elaeocarpus munronii sapling planted in 2003, three years later; the ‘step-ear’ herd near Valparai; Psechrus torvus a spider of relatively undisturbed rainforest; Srinivasan of Koomati village illustrating the use of pegs on a tree trunk to collect honey.
i WESTERN GHATS RAINFORESTS j Through research and action, NCF’s rainforest programme attempts to understand and ameliorate the consequences of historical fragmentation and conversion of tropical rainforest in the southern Western Ghats. Ecological research on plant and animal communities, restoration of degraded areas, and documentation and mitigation of human-wildlife conflict, are major themes in this programme led by Divya Mudappa, T. R. Shankar Raman, and M. Ananda Kumar. Activities over the last year included formation of a new partnership for rainforest restoration and native shade tree use in plantations, restoration of new areas, research on invasive plants, spiders, arboreal mammals, and Asian elephants, and a study on livelihood and resource use patterns of tribal communities in rainforests of the Anamalai hills. Fixing fragmented forests: ecological restoration of degraded rainforests The goal of this project is to evolve strategies for the conservation of the degraded tropical rainforests of the Western Ghats by ecological restoration in fragmented landscapes and by contributing to the development of sustainable plantation agricultural practices that aid in conservation of native biological diversity. The project is led by Divya Mudappa & Shankar Raman based at the NCF Rainforest Restoration Research Station in Valparai. Launched in a small way in 2000, this project aims to bring more degraded rainforest areas with high biological diversity potential into restoration and conservation efforts as refuges and corridors in the fragmented landscape of the Anamalai hills, an important conservation region in India. Over the years, it has emphasised research and monitoring, training of conservation professionals, building local capacity for restoration, conservation education, dissemination of results in scientific forums and popular media, and identifying livelihood and resource-use patterns of local people and involving them in conservation efforts. The 220 km² Valparai plateau in the Anamalai hills is a region of tea and coffee plantations with around 40 rainforest fragments. Here, we built partnerships with local land-owning plantation companies for identification and protection of remnant rainforest patches, restoration of degraded areas, and use of native rainforest tree species as shade trees in plantations. This went hand-in-hand with research on select plants and animal groups, human-elephant conflict and mitigation studies, and conservation awareness-building. We continued our partnerships for restoration and conservation with Parry Agro Industries Ltd into 2007. Our partnership with Hindustan Lever Ltd ended with the sale of the company in early 2006; however, we successfully continued the programme by initiating contact and a fresh partnership with the new company, Tea Estates India Ltd. Our MoU with the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Ltd ended late last year, although activities with them continue (we are currently exploring the renewal of the partnership, aimed mainly at the use of indigenous rainforest trees as shade trees in plantations). In addition, our programme also expanded through a new partnership with Tata Coffee Ltd a major plantation company in the area, with a relatively strong corporate social and environmental record. Tata Coffee owns large areas of cardamom and coffee plantation, besides tea plantations. Within their estates, we have identified through field surveys 15 rainforest fragments ranging in size from 1 ha to 67 ha, which are annual report 25
Page 1: 2006-7 annual report nature conserv
Page 5: i CONTENTS j Foreword 1 Doctoral Pr
Page 8 and 9: 2 annual report
Page 10 and 11: P from top: A herd of bharal; child
Page 12 and 13: Conservation education in the India
Page 14 and 15: Livestock insurance programme Under
Page 16 and 17: • Resource Ecology Group, Wagenin
Page 18 and 19: P from left: Wreathed Hornbills in
Page 20 and 21: Table 1. Long-term monitoring (1998
Page 22 and 23: and January 2007 in 40 of the initi
Page 24 and 25: ter survey in Namdapha. In contrast
Page 26 and 27: ments and suggested improvements. A
Page 28 and 29: in determining levels of hunting, w
Page 32 and 33: now in the process of being protect
Page 34 and 35: Survival of mammal populations in r
Page 36 and 37: nant plantation crop on the Valpara
Page 38 and 39: Team • Principal personnel: Divya
Page 40 and 41: P from top: Gaur in Bandipur Nation
Page 42 and 43: through the year. As predicted ther
Page 44 and 45: A forest in weed: Impact of Lantana
Page 46 and 47: P from top: Green turtle in Agatti
Page 48 and 49: ecological processes and the impact
Page 50 and 51: • Principal scientists: Rohan Art
Page 52 and 53: Ecology and conservation of the lio
Page 54 and 55: 48 annual report
Page 56 and 57: i FEMDIG j Friday morning discussio
Page 58 and 59: 13. Namgail, T., Bhatnagar, Y. V. &
Page 60 and 61: Peer-reviewed publications 1. Arthu
Page 62: i FINANCIAL STATEMENT j Sources of
Page 65 and 66: i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS j Individual Sup

2006-7 annual report - Nature Conservation Foundation

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