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Dugong Scholarship examination 2017-18 Pudukottai district Venue: Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Manalmelkudi Date: 15th July 2017

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India (MoEFCC), has developed recovery plans for certain endangered species including sea cows that occur in Tamil Nadu. To implement these plans, the MoEFCC has provided financial support to the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun (An Autonomous Institution of Government of India). In this context, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is signed between the Wildlife Institute of India, and Tamil Nadu Forest Department, Government of Tamil Nadu for making collective efforts for the implementation of the project ‘Recovery of Dugongs and their Habitats in India: An Integrated Participatory Approach’ in the State of Tamil Nadu.

One of the objectives of the project is to get the support of fishermen communities in conservation of dugongs. In this context, it is planned to reach out the fishermen parents through their school going children. In this connection, it is planned to provide ‘Dugong Scholarships’ to 50 school going children of fishermen communities for period of two years @Rs.500/month, on merit basis through a competitive exam. On 15th July 2017 dugong scholarship examination conducted at Manalmelkudi Boys Government Higher Secondary School, Pudukottai District. Total 274 students from six school appeared for the dugong scholarship examination. 

Following Government schools from Pudukottai District have been appeared for the dugong scholarship examination;

  1. Kattumavadai Government Higher Secondary School, Kattumavadai, Pudukottai District

  2. Manalmelkudi Boys Government Higher Secondary School, Manalmelkudi, Pudukottai District

  3. Manalmelkudi Girls Government Higher Secondary School, Manalmelkudi, Pudukottai District

  4. Jagathapattinam Government Higher Secondary School, Jagathapattinam, Pudukottai District

  5. Kottaipattinam Government Higher Secondary School, Kottaipattinam, Pudukottai District

  6. Mimisal Government Higher Secondary School, Mimisal, Pudukottai District.

Program inaugurated by :   Thiru. P. Rengaiah, Principal, Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Manalmelkudi

Chief Guest :  Thiru. Jawahar, Sub-Inspector, Coastal Marine Police, Mimisal

   
 

Dugong Scholarship examination 2017-18, Ramathapuram district
Venue: S.M. Boys Government Higher Secondary School, Thondi
Date: 14th July 2017

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India (MoEFCC), has developed recovery plans for certain endangered species including sea cows that occur in Tamil Nadu. To implement these plans, the MoEFCC has provided financial support to the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun (An Autonomous Institution of Government of India). In this context, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is signed between the Wildlife Institute of India, and Tamil Nadu Forest Department, Government of Tamil Nadu for making collective efforts for the implementation of the project ‘Recovery of Dugongs and their Habitats in India: An Integrated Participatory Approach’ in the State of Tamil Nadu.

One of the objectives of the project is to get the support of fishermen communities in conservation of dugongs. In this context, it is planned to reach out the fishermen parents through their school going children. In this connection, it is planned to provide ‘Dugong Scholarships’ to 50 school going children of fishermen communities for period of two years @Rs.500/month, on merit basis through a competitive exam. On 15th July 2017 dugong scholarship examination conducted at S.M. Boys Government Higher Secondary School, Thondi, Ramnathapuram District. Total 278 students from nine school appeared for the dugong scholarship examination. 

Following Government schools from Pudukottai District have been appeared for the dugong scholarship examination;

  1. S.M. Boys Government Higher Secondary School, Thondi, Ramnathapuram District

  2. Thondi Girls Government Higher Secondary School, Thondi, Ramnathapuram District

  3. Nabuthalai Government Secondary School, Nabuthalai, Ramnathapuram District

  4. Karangkadu Government Higher Secondary School, Karangkadu, Ramnathapuram District

  5. Vattanam Government Secondary School, Vattanam, Ramnathapuram District

  6. S.P.Pattinam Government Secondary School, S.P.Pattinam, Ramnathapuram District

  7. S.P.Pattinam Government Higher Secondary School, S.P.Pattinam, Ramnathapuram District

  8. Wilhelm High School, Thondi

  9. Islamic Model Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Thondi

Program inaugurated by:  Thiru. P.Jeyaraj, Principal, S.M. Boys Government Higher Secondary School, Thondi

Chief Guest : Thiru. Sathish Kumar, Range Forest Officer, Ramnathapuram

Wildlife Institute of India, Marine Biologist R. Prem Jothi speech about CAMPA-Dugong Scholarship Scheme Range Forest Officer, Mandapam range speech about endangered species in Gulf of Mannar
Head Master, S.M. Govt. HSC School, Thondi speech about scholarship exam Students gathered for dugong scholarship examination
   

Fiends of Dugong meeting held at Thondi range (Karangadu Village), Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu.

The second meeting with the communities comprising fisherfolks and their children regarding the introduction of Friends of Dugong was held on the 28 December 2016 at St. Sengole Matha Temple, Karangadu Village, in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu State Forest Department (TNSFD). Fishermen community heads and village heads have also participated in this meeting. A total of 100 people participated in this meeting. Shri. Deepak Bilgi, IFS. Warden, Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park has initiated the program, introduced the members of Friends of Dugong and presented about the vitality of conservation of dugong and seagrass habitat to the community members. Mr. Prem Jothi from WII explained and answers to the community members in their local language pertaining to their questions regarding awareness about the need for dugong conservation in the Palk Bay Area.

 

Awareness program for School going children held at Okhamandal range (Okha, Dwarka, and Arambhada), Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat

About Two hundred and fifty kids have participated in these awareness programs from five different schools at the Okhamandal range [Okha Public School, Okha Government Panchayat School, VA School (Okha), Shree Swaminarayan High School (Bet Dwarka) and Saraswati Vidhya Mandir (Arambhada)] in the month of February 2017. Ms. Devanshi Kukkadia, Research Fellow, WII led these activities and taught about the importance of Seagrass habitats in and around their marine environment. She had conducted the Drawing session, “Think and Draw about Ocean Life” for these kids by distributing Notebooks with Dugong awareness stickers and Crayons. She also made a presentation in their local language about the vitality of Seagrass habitat in connection with Dugong population and fishery resources. These kids understood well about the ecosystem link between Seagrass, Coral Reefs, and Mangroves from a Small model created by Ms. Kukkadia. Kids have also taken an oath on not to use plastics and also for its proper disposal from their coastal region.

 

First Consultation meeting with the Indian Navy (Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India) for assessing the population status of Dugongs in the Indian coastal waters

The First Consultation meeting with the Indian Navy officials to discuss about the modalities in the implementation of CAMPA-Dugong Recovery project especially for aerial survey to assess and monitor Dugongs in India was held on 7 October, 2016 at the Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy), New Delhi. The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Commodore Deepak Bajpai with the presence of the Director, Wildlife Institute of India, Dr. S.K. Khanduri, IGF (WL), MoEFCC, Government of India and other Project Team members of CAMPA-Dugong.

 

Capacity Building of CAMPA-Dugong Project Team

Ms. Devanshi Kukadia, Project Fellow of CAMPA-Dugong Project has undertook a training on SCUBA and got certified PADI-Openwater Diver as well as underwater monitoring training at IISDA Tarkarli, Malvan, during December 2016. Similarly, Ms. Swapnali Gole, Project Fellow would be trained PADI-Advance Openwater Diver. Both Devanshi and Swapnali would be implementing the project in Gujarat and Andaman and Nicobar Islands respectively.

 

Community Participatory cum Awareness meeting held at Thondi range (Karangadu and Thondi Village), Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu.

The first meeting with the communities comprising fisherfolks regarding the awareness about the need for dugong conservation in the Palk Bay Area was held on the 14 December, 2016 at Karangadu Village, and at Thondi village on 17 December 2016in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu State Forest Department (TNSFD). Fishermen community heads and village heads were also participated in these meetings. A total of 70 people participated in these meetings. Important points regarding the dugong and seagrass habitat conservation were discussed and questions from the community members were answered in their local language by the CAMPA Dugong Team, Dr. Marimuthu and Mr. Prem Jothi, and Mr. Ganeshalingam, RFO, TNSFD.

 
Karangadu Village (14.12.2016)
Thondi Village (17.12.2016)

State-level Stakeholders Consultation Workshop at Tamil Nadu

The First state level Stakeholders consultation workshop to discuss about the implementation of CAMPA-Dugong Recovery Project in Tamil Nadu was held on 12 July, 2016 in the Cleghorn Conference Hall, Office of the PCCF & HoD, Panagal Maligai, Saidapet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, under the Chairmanship of the Principle Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden. There were 16 members from various organisations such as Tamil Nadu Forest Department, Fisheries Department, Wildlife Institute of India and other NGOs participated in this consultation meeting. During the discussions, it was agreed to work with fishing communities to conserve the dugongs and their habitats in Palk Bay region and convince them of the importance of dugong and its habitats for sustainable fisheries related livelihoods in a long term. It was also agreed that the critical habitat of dugong need to be conserved and managed with larger participation of local communities in the Palk Bay region. The Chief Wildlife Warden of the Tamil Nadu has reiterated the importance of joint efforts of Forest Department through TBGP and other initiatives of State Forest Department, Fisheries Department, and WII in implementing the ‘Dugong Recovery Project’ in the State of Tamil Nadu. It was agreed that through this project, a positive and good network among the communities could be established that would be the milestone in conservation of dugongs in the region. Partnering with Civil Societies is also important to successfully implement this programme. All members who have attended the meeting unanimously consented to jointly work for the implementation of ‘Dugong Conservation Programme’ in the State of Tamil Nadu.

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State-level Stakeholders Consultation Workshop at Gujarat

The First State level Stakeholders consultation workshop to discuss about the implementation of CAMPA-Dugong Recovery Project in Gujarat was held on 20 July, 2016 in the Gujarat State Forest Department, Aranya Bhavan, Gandhinagar, Gujarat under the Chairmanship of the Principle Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and the Chief Wildlife Warden. There were 11 participants includes Gujarat State Forest Department, GEER Foundation and Wildlife Institute of India have participated in this meeting. In the meeting, it was agreed to survey the Gulf of Kutch MNP areas intensively and Northern Gulf of Kutch areas would also be surveyed for the seagrass beds and dugongs. The areas in Gulf of Kutch will be surveyed intensively for direct and indirect dugong sightings and further actions will be decided as per those evidences. It was agreed to jointly implement this project by WII-GJFD-GEER Foundation in the State of Gujarat. More focus would be given to habitat recovery and conservation education. It was also decided that fishermen will be involved for incentive based dugong sighting reports as well as in certain scholarship programs.

State-level Stakeholders Consultation Workshop at Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The First State level Stakeholders Consultation Workshop to discuss about the implementation of CAMPA-Dugong Recovery Project in Andaman and Nicobar archipelago was held on 5thAugust, 2016 in the Andaman and Nicobar Forest Department, Van Sadan, Haddo, Port Balir, under the Chairmanship of the Principle Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and the Chief Wildlife Warden. There were 23 members from various organisations include A&N Forest Department, Fisheries Department, Wildlife Institute of India and other NGOs such as Andaman and Nicobar Ecological Trust, Nature Conservation Foundation and Society of Andaman and Nicobar Ecology participated in this consultation meeting. During the discussions, the objectives and execution method of the Project were agreed and coordination with Fisheries department for Incentives and Fellowship objective of this project. In order to minimize the negative impact of incentive plan, it was also decided that the initial 6 months of the project will be Pilot phase to design a concrete plan of the project.   It was also agreed by all the members that Community participation will be given the highest priority during the project period.

State-level Orientation Workshop for Forest Department

Frontline Staffs at Tamil Nadu

The orientation workshop on “Capacity Building of Stakeholders involved in implementing the conservation action plan of Dugongs in Palk Bay” was held on 12 August, 2016 in the SRM Hotels, Trichy, under the Chairmanship of the Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Nagapattinam Wildlife Range, Tamil Nadu. This workshop was organized by the Wildlife Warden, Nagapatinam under the TBGP projet. As a Resource person, Dr. K. Sivakumar trained frontline staff members of Tamil Nadu Forest Department about Dugongs’ population and protection status, its ecology, behaviour and its importance in the marine ecosystem and Rescue & Rehabilitation of Dugong. As Frontline staff members are local members of the State, he explained and clarified their queries in their regional language.