"It’s
not what forests have given us but what we are giving back to them that will
decide our future"…
No big
environmentalist personality or a wildlife researcher or any forest officer has
said the above words but it’s what I feel like replying when someone asks me,
how I am connected with the forests or wildlife! And when it's giving back then
sky is the limit especially when the receiver is none other than nature in its
best form i.e., the forests! Actually NGOs & many wild lifers will say, no
need to give back to the forests or wild life, just leave them on their own but
then I will say (with due respect) they haven’t yet understood the forests, in
the first place! Because when you have asked to look after a healthy person
then you can just let him be on his own & you can just observe from a
distance but when you are supposed to look after a disabled person or a
patient, will you allow him to be on his own? Answer will be no, right? Rather
you will try to take all the possible care of such disabled person & make
sure that his life is being comfortable by providing every necessary thing
including good food, shelter & medication! Same is the scene on the front of forest or wildlife conservation as had
it been a century back (100 years) then I would have done nothing & left
the wild life alone but in last say 100 years we have crippled the once healthy
forests & now if we don’t try every possible way to make it comfortable
then it will die surely, this is my logic for giving back to the forests!
And when it's
giving back to the forests the most important aspect is awareness, as if you
don’t know whom or what you are going to save, how you will save that person or
the entity, right? And on the forest awareness
front right from making films, to using photographs, to arranging wildlife
exhibitions, to webinars to making presentations in schools about wildlife to
running Nature Clubs in schools & colleges, hundreds of initiatives can be
taken! In one such initiative (read as effort) in our recent completed project
we have got paintings made of different habitats (forests) found in India &
with a small note about each painting (habitat in the painting) these paintings
are displayed in the Common Lift lobby of each floor, so the residents as well
the visitors can have a look at them & know what they have to conserve!
Here is some more detailed sharing about these forests which has given us so
much & with no expectation & let me clarify at the start, all the
information is in the language which a common man can understand & not much
figures or numbers as nature can’t be measured on the scale of numbers but has
to be felt, is what my logic is…
1.Tadoba
Forests… Land of Tigers!
These bamboo
clad forests seem to be most preferred by the yellow black stripes!
If the maximum density of the tigers makes Tadoba "capital of the
tigers" then on the other side it's a big concern for the man-animal
conflicts too where both species are fighting for their space!
Located near Chandrapur, Maharashtra i.e., Central India, Tadoba forest
majorly consists of Bamboo plantation & Teak & mix vegetation! In
summer the Mercury rises above 45 degrees making Tigers come out at water holes
to cool down, posing for tourist's cameras!
Need of
the present times is, making people around these forests aware to
accommodate the tigers along with wild life & live in harmony with
it!
2.Western Ghats…
Treasure of Nature!
Probably the
best biodiversity treasure in the form of the mountain range & plains
around it which runs parallelly for nearly 1500 kilometres along
the western sea shore of our country. This habitat covers six States
including Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nādu & some parts of
Gujrat. Shekru (Giant Squirrel), Malabar Hornbill, Butterflies, Frogs, Snakes
to Tiger, the forest is full of every known & many unknown species of
animals, insects, vegetation & birds too! "Devrai" i.e.,
Sacred Forests is one of the best features of Western Ghats.
Needless
to say, industrialization in these parts as well as
infrastructure Developments are the major threat to the
entire Western ghat region & we only need to strike
a balance between development & nature!
3.Wonders
of the Wetlands...
Many of
the wildlife lovers also don't know that wetlands in the forms of natural
lakes, backwaters of dams, low lying areas where there is fresh
water year long, all such water bodies & the vegetation around them,
are a type of forest too! Rather at many places it's a haven for migratory
birds from raptors to water birds like flamingos which travel thousands of
kilometres to visit these habitats which are rich with biodiversity! Ujani Back
Waters around Pune, Maharashtra is one such live example.
Unfortunately, all
these wetlands are in grave danger because of urbanization & pollution of
fresh water sources, causing threat of extinction of many species
including insects as well birds here!
4.Corbett...
Magic of Himalayan Forests.
The grass spread seems to be endless at first but then on one side it
meets up with a thick green wall of forest which is a mix of all sorts of
trees, creepers, shrubs then other end gets merged with hills which ahead gets
merged with the mountains & on other side there is Ramganga river. And on
all this canvas tiny figures move, which actually are elephants & in the
distance you can even hear the roar of a tiger also making the hair of your
neck stand, such is that sound!! And along with this Corbett represents the
perfect Himalayan Forest habitat with hundreds of colourful birds making the
rhododendrons their home!!
No wonder lots of tourism activity in the form of resorts &
urbanization combinedly are a big threat to these forests! As well, tree
cutting for various purposes adds fuel to the destruction of the habitat!
5.Magial Melghat… Satpura Range Forests
The Satpuras i.e., range of the mountains which lay all across Central
India dividing the peninsula down south. Along these
mountain ranges which run along the border of Madhya Pradesh & Maharashtra, Melghat forest is spread. It‛s the
biggest tree cover & probably the poorest region of
our country. Thousands of kilometers of forests if one side is boon for nature then its curse also for the local tribes &
residents, as many of the villages or towns here, are cut off from any basic facilities essential
for human life.
Yet these forests also are under threat as hunger and poverty of the
humans in & around them is
the biggest threat to the wildlife of Melghat. The ranges of mountains thickly covered by woods and rivers flowing through these mountains, makes
Melghat truly Magical!!
6.Kanha.... Sal Heaven in Central India
Kanha is probably the most known forest and the best by me personally.
The vast landscape covers thousands of square kilometers of land in Madhya
Pradesh and Chhattisgarh i.e.,
Central India. This forest mainly consists of Sal Trees which are evergreen for
most part of the year unlike other Central
Indian forests making Kanha uniquely wonderful on the landscape front. The hills, meadows, valleys are perfect for tigers,
leopards as well their prey base
& lots of birds and reptiles too! Apart from the Tigers, the Barsinga are
the main feature of Kanha Forest as once
nearing to extinction, with efforts from the forest dept. and all they now paint the Kanha Landscape with their graceful
walk!! Truly, places like
Kanha are our real treasure which we only must conserve giving all we got!!!
7.Grasslands…
Hidden Wonders of the Grass.
One of
the best forms of forests is the Grasslands, mostly found all across Central
India. These seemingly dry (for most of the period of the year) grass and
shrubs patches are the outcome of the rain shadow regions i.e., lesser rainfall
in general. These are habitants for many migratory species of birds as well
local birds along with mammals like Indian Grey Wolf, Jackal, Jungle Cat &
many reptiles.
The
Grasslands all around the country are under big threat from humans for many
reasons such as cattle grazing, plotting for homes, garbage dumping as well
industries around, causing many species to go near extinction due to loss of
their habitat i.e., a Home!...
8. Mangroves…Where Rivers meet the Ocean!
Our
country i.e., India is blessed with nearly 7500 km length of sea shore &
hundreds of rivers, streams carry fresh water right from the Himalayas as well
the Central Plains to the sea & it’s at this junction where sweet water
& salty water of see gets mixes one of the most interesting forests exists
called as Mangroves! These are dense water plants which can withstand salt
water too & they are homes to water species as well birds & mammals.
Sundarbans is one classic example where the tigers have adapted to hunt fish as
their food!
Needless
to say, our rampant pollution by dumping garbage in water bodies & chemicals,
is the biggest threat to the mangroves along with reclamation of the sea shore
for our commercial purposes!
9.Desert Forests… Sands are alive here!
India has
a unique landscape, if on the north we have snow-clad Himalayas, then on the
east we have ever green thick rain forests & on south-west/south-east we
have coastal forests then on the north-west we have something very special
& that’s Desert Forests. Thar Desert covers nearly 2,00,000 sq. km area
& don’t go by the infinite spread of lifeless yellow sand as even with very
less annual rainfall which is as low as 4” yet the trees like Khajri & some
shrubs which survives with the available rainfall & are enough to compete
the life cycle here. Here you can find Wild Ass & Blackbucks as well
migratory birds & reptiles, making the desert as their perfect home.
That way
these might be the only forests where human interference is less yet poaching
& cutting whatever little vegetation for firewood, are the two major
threats for the flora & fauna in the desert forests!
10.Forest of Seven Sisters… Magnificent North East!
Probably
the most inhabited & lesser studied forests of our country which are spread
over the seven States of eastern border & known as Land of Seven Sisters!
Heavy rainfall, hilly area, inaccessibility to the most parts all these factors
make the forests here very mysterious! Right from the animals to birds to
flowers are exotic in colors & at many places the sun rays never
ever have touched the grounds, such is the denseness of the forest here!
These
hills & forests makes a perfect safety wall for our country also all along
the China border yet the threat of encroachment for farming & wood cutting
along with poaching is looming on the biodiversity here, as monitoring these
dense & remotest forests is a herculean task because of the spread &
the terrain.
Apart
from above types of the habitats every village, city & town has their own
small forest around in different forms & within that species other than
humans resides & we owe them their space which when is our space we call it
a Home, is the simple thing we have to keep in mind as then only there only
lies some Hope for every specie in the forests!
We are
thankful to Rangsparsh, for making these wonderful paintings & Jairaj Arts,
for making beautiful frameworks for the same!
-
Sanjay
Deshpande
Sanjeevani
Dev.
Please view my sharing about real
estate in Pune at You Tube link below..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xX7eopH5o&t=5s
Please do
visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying!
https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2021/09/choosing-right-home.html
http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2021/09/blog-post_21.html
Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157627904681345
For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below
www.punecorporation.org
Take your issues to Hon PM at link
below..
https://secure.mygov.in/
Think
Green, Think Life
www.sanjeevanideve.com
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