RIVER
Rivers, apart from being an important link in the hydrological cycle that is integral for life on earth, are the lifelines of human civilizations themselves. Besides their social and anthropological relevance, rivers are complex ecosystems that possess a vast array of fauna and flora. The increasing number of threats to rivers and riparian ecosystems through habitat degradation, pesticide and fertilizer overuse, climate change, invasive species invasion etc. are posing grave threats to our rivers. It is in this context that we have been working for the restoration of rivers, especially the Kabini river in Wayanad.
Riverbank Mapping
Mapping of the Kabini Riverbank in Wayanad, a major tributary of the Cauvery River was done. The riparian vegetation, erosion of the banks, and infrastructure along the banks were mapped and analyzed. The project was supported by the Kerala state Revenue Department through the River Management Fund.
Sand Auditing
We conducted sand auditing in the Kabini River to assess the quantity of available sand deposition. Based on the results of the study, Kerala state revenue department has taken decisions to regulate sand mining from the river Kabini and measures were taken to protect the river with the participation of local people.
Kabaniye Ariyan (Understanding the river Kabini)
The Kabini river is a major tributary of the River Cauvery in southern India. It originates in Wayanad district and flows eastward to join Cauvery. Apart from being the major water body in the district, this river forms the huge Kabini reservoir in Karnataka district, which in its backwaters houses a wide range of wildlife. Ferns conducts Kabaniye Ariyan, an awareness programme, mostly aimed at students, to make them realize the significance of the river and its conservation.
BIODIVERSITY
As E. O. Wilson very famously quoted, “Biological diversity is the key to the maintenance of the world as we know it... Eliminate one species, and another increases to take its place. Eliminate a great many species, and the local ecosystem starts to decay.” Biodiversity sustains life and conserving every single species the way it exists in its natural ecosystem is vital for the functioning of the ecosystem. Thus, at Ferns, we work for the conservation of the wilderness and agro-biodiversity of the Western Ghats.
Peoples Biodiversity Register
Peopless Biodiversity Register is a document which contains comprehensive information on locally available bio-resources including the biodiversity, landscape, and demography of a particular area or village. Ferns has updated the people’s biodiversity registers in 22 Grama Panchayats and three Municipalities in Wayanad district. The work was carried out by various Biodiversity Management Committees with the support of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board.
Tuber Conservation Project
A diverse variety of tubers are , but most of them are restricted regionally or to a few farmers. With this realization, we have initiated a project to promote tuber cultivation and to conserve the diversity of tuber crops. We prepared germplasm of 52 varieties of tubers including 45 cultivated varieties and seven wild varieties. The cultivars were disseminated to various parts of Kerala through Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC) in various panchayats. The project was supported by the Kerala State Biodiversity Board and it was done in collaboration with the BMC in Edavaka Grama Panchayath of Wayanad.
Farming school
This is an initiative to familiarise farming to school students. Kitchen gardens were prepared in 10 selected schools in Wayanad district. Students were trained in farming methods, pest control methods and organic farming through this project.
Bird/Butterfly Surveys
Ferns has conducted several bird and butterfly surveys in different parts of Kerala. Such surveys have helped the forest department in preparing effective management plans for Protected Areas. Hundreds of volunteers participated in these programmes and several students were trained in biodiversity documentation. Ferns has brought out a book titled ‘Butterflies of Parambikulam Tiger Reserve’.
ECOLOGY
Ecosystems are complex entities that have intricate interactions happening between abiotic and biotic components with every tick and tock of the clock. These interactions when analysed and decoded give answers to so many important questions that we have about our natural world and its conservation. In order to understand ecosystems in all their complexities and nuances, it is imperative that they are closely monitored and studied. This also aids in their conservation and restoration. Therefore, we conduct ecological monitoring of different ecosystems like forests, rivers and wetlands in the Western Ghats through citizen science initiatives.
Danaine Watch
Ferns, in collaboration with the Kerala Forests and Wildlife department and other NGOs, has launched a citizen science project to study the migration of milkweed butterflies in southern India- the first such initiative in the country. Migration of the milkweed butterflies in southern India is a spectacular phenomenon, where hundreds of millions of butterflies undergo an annual migration. Usually, the migration happens during September-November with the onset of the northeast monsoon, from the plains to the Western Ghats, and they migrate reversely during March-June, just before the advent of the southwest monsoon. The migration was reported more than a century back by the British Naturalists, but we still do not know where exactly they come from or where their journey ends. The first publication on the migration by Aitken (1987) says that the unsolved questions on the migration can be easily settled if a number of people in different parts of the country watch the butterflies and take note of the results of their observations. After 120 years of his first observation, Ferns initiated a citizen science project to study the migration of the milkweed butterflies in southern India. The project was launched in 2018 and numerous volunteers are updating their observations on the butterfly migration from various parts of southern India.
Currently, weare collecting data from the public using a web form. We invite all of you to contribute your observations on milkweed butterfly migration in southern India. Follow the link below for submitting your observations. https://ee.humanitarianresponse.info/x/jknemyuO
Monitoring Plant phenology
Plants are important indicators of climate change. As plant phenology is closely associated with climatic conditions, monitoring plant phenology will provide a better understanding of the integrity of ecosystems. We have initiated a programme to collect plant phenology details from different parts of the Western Ghats with the participation of volunteers. The project is in the inceptive stage of finalizing the data collection methods. Currently, volunteers of Ferns Nature Conservation Society are involved in the data collection after which the project would be scaled up. We plan to test out the method for a period of one year before encouraging citizen scientists to pool in their data.. The project was started in 2020 and Ferns is planning to include more botany students from various parts of the Western Ghats in the study and establish partnerships with other NGOs and research institutes.
FORESTS AND WILDLIFE
Invasive Alien Species are identified as a very serious threat to ecosystems as they may lead to changes in the structure and composition of ecosystems, detrimentally affecting ecosystem services, human economy and well-being. It is a man-made problem that either arises opportunistically through the movement of people and goods around the world or through deliberate introduction by humans at some period of time. These species have the potential to spread vigorously across natural habitats, posing serious threats to native flora and fauna. In the Western Ghats, the most threatening invasive plant species are lantana, eupatorium and senna. Ferns has been working on research and management initiatives for the eradication of these species with the participation of local communities and the forest department.
Invasive species management
Senna spectabilis is a vigorously proliferating tree species that is posing a grave threat to the natural habitat of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and adjoining areas. A detailed study on the impact of the invasion of this species in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary was conducted by Ferns. Based on the findings of the study, the forest department and Ferns have initiated management of the species in Wayanad.
Human-Wildlife Conflict
Ferns conducts studies on various aspects of human wildlife conflict in the Western Ghats. Our focus here is on the mitigation of human wildlife conflict and studies to reveal the reasons for these conflicts. Ferns has conducted intensive studies on Human-Elephant Conflict in Wayanad district. Wayanad is a rural district with a forest cover of about 40% of its area. It has an abundance of flora and hosts a plethora of diverse wildlife species in its forests. However, it is also the epicentre of Human animal conflict in Kerala, with cases of fatality and conflict increasing every year. In this backdrop, Ferns has been working in this field in Wayanad, for more than 10 years. We have mapped the conflict areas and identified critical conflict zones in the district. The results of this study are expected to be a reference material for action plans and projects for governmental and non-governmental organisations.<
Vulture conservation program
Among the 23 vulture species of the world, 9 are reported from India, out of which 2 are endangered and 3 are critically endangered. From having a population of a few million until the 1980s, their population underwent a rapid decline with the population of three Gyps vultures in South Asia plummeting by about 95% in the 1990s. The most significant contributing factor to this decline was diclofenac, once commonly used as a livestock anti-inflammatory drug. Vultures have a very important ecological role to play as a scavenger of carcasses and in their absence, the remains of animal carcasses would be left to be fed upon by problematic scavengers like feral dogs, resulting in an increase of their numbers or cost the government untold sums to clean up. This demands that vulture conservation be given utmost importance here as their largest wild population in India occurs in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and adjoining forests. Ferns conducts Vulture surveys in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and adjacent forests in Kerala and conducts awareness programmes on vulture conservation.