Landscaping the Native way
Shalini, a resident in Anna Nagar-a settlement in Kookalthorai- identified a plot in front of her village for restoration. She has been working with Keystone Foundation as a steward for over a year. When she is not involved in restoration efforts, she works with other stewards from the area to identify and support farmers to […]
Sanctuary Asia Feature
While in field, Chandrasekar- a staff from Keystone- had a rare encounter with an unusual cat family. Here is his story about Leopards in Kotagiri which also got featured in the Sanctuary Asia June 2020 Edition. As part of my work with Keystone Foundation’sBiodiversity Management and Restoration programme,I routinely monitor two gaur herds in the […]
Cleaning the natural way in Kotagiri
While it is important to improve access for humans and wildlife by creating separate access points and providing necessary infrastructure to mitigate negative interactions, it is also our responsibility as humans to ensure that we do not pollute water sources for wildlife as well as our future generations. To bring about such awareness and behavior […]
The grasslands of Bikkapathymund
Nestled in the higher elevation of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve is the the Toda hamlet-Bikkapathymund. Surrounded by grasslands, shola forests and plantations, Bikkapathymund is home to the Toda community who are traditionally patoralists also practicing agriculture, currently. Photo taken by Nayantara Photo taken by Nayantara At the center of their identity, is the Toda buffaloes, […]
The Changing Climate And Monsoons Of Fear In Nilambur
In 2018 and 2019, Kerala experienced extreme rainfall which resulted in floods and landslides. Apart from loss of lives, there was significant amount of infrastructural damage caused in Nilambur. Overflowing rivers washed away some Adivasi villages displacing many families. With these memories fresh in their mind, the people await another dreaded monsoon. Satellite image showing […]
The Adivasi hamlets of Aracode
Situated at the eastern flank, Aracode enjoys a much warmer climate as compared to other areas. Scattered around this region are mainly Irula villages, with one or two Kurumba villages as well. Owing to climatic conditions, coffee is mostly grown as the major cash crop, leaving very little space for tea cultivation. The main occupation […]
The Valley of Kookalthorai
Kookalthorai region enjoys a unique landscape which shapes the predominant occupation of the people- agriculture. The valley between the hills of Kookalthorai serves as a large water catchment area, allowing for a wide range of vegetables to be grown here. Earlier more local crops which required little or no chemical inputs were grown; however, in […]
On a spree to kill the forests
The main role of the Environment Ministry is to conserve, improve and safeguard the forest and wildlife of the country. Absurdly, the intention has been the opposite in our country. The pandemic is evidently showing us – how human-wellbeing is linked to the health of our environment. Despite this, our nodal agency is failing to […]
Newly constituted Western Ghats Plant Specialist Group
The IUCN SSC Western Ghats Plant Specialist Group (WGPSG) has been constituted to bring plant taxonomists, ecologists, habitat restoration experts, and other such important role players on board to start working together to increase conservation planning for Important Plant Areas in this mega diverse region. We also intend to bring together experts to share methods […]
A Community led Nursery at Wayanad
Setting up a Community led nursery is one way to address land degradation, livelihood issues, and contribute to climate change adaption & mitigation. Close to 20,000 saplings will be grown at this nursery setup in Wayanad, Kerala. It is being managed by a farmers group along with a women’s self-help group in the region. Members […]