Date of event - August 2nd, 2009
The event was organized by the members of the Kenneth Anderson Foundation and the Asian Nature Conservation Foundation. It is a part of an ongoing one year project which hopes to do the complete biodiversity survey in the forests of South west of Hosur with the intention of declaring it as a sanctuary. It was an opportunity for those inexperienced in the skills of wildlife survey.
Devarabetta is a hill surrounded by forests. These forests adjoins the Bannerghatta National Park. Due to various human activities, the forests in this region have become fragmented and this has led to various problems, especially for the elephants of the region. The corridors of movement of the pachyderms have been blocked on all sides and this has led to human animal conflict in the region. The result has been the death of several elephants and people.
The activity we participated in is called a ‘transect’ or rapid survey of mammals and reptiles, though technically it was not, because we walked along preformed paths. Since no records had been made earlier on the biodiversity in these forests, this was probably the first effort.
We participated in the survey activity on Sunday, the 2nd of august. It was started at 7 am and went on till almost 1:30 pm. Dr. Geetha Nayak of ANCF was the leader of the group and guided us on the walk. Three forest guards also accompanied us. The forests were mostly scrub forests with short trees, though riparian habitats were also seen near streams.
Evidence of species is recorded as –
Direct evidence: spotting the organism itself
Indirect evidence: the footprint, the shed skin, the feces, sounds etc.
Once identified, photographs are taken and also the location of evidence is recorded using GPS device. A survey map is also carried along to help us identify our location and elevation. Binoculars are helpful to observe the creatures from far.
We came across many species of birds, butterflies, lizards and snakes. It is a difficult job to identify the species and requires a lot of experience. All in all, the experience was a very good one and has given us many insights on conservation related work, survey methods and about trekking in forest areas. We surely look forward to more experiences in the future.
Participants:- Adithya, Harsha and Satvik, Prajesh nair and family, Ahmed.
Participants:- Adithya, Harsha and Satvik, Prajesh nair and family, Ahmed.
Further events will be published from KANS.
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