The drive on clearing of encroachments at Keere stream which was started in full spirit has remained stagnant for the past two months.
After clearing the encroachment of the bypass road drain, the taluk administration had assured of clearing the encroachment in the Keere stream which is situated in the heart of the town. The sudden stoppage of the operation has given room for speculation.
Two months ago, the encroachment of the bypass road drain was cleared with police security. The structures were razed mercilessly.
The citizens of the town expected a similar operation with the clearing of encroachment in the Keere stream.
However, the expectations were not met as the operation was stalled all of a sudden.
Excavating machines are gathering rust in the banks of the Keere stream for the last two months, it is alleged.
Residents alleged that most of the people among those who have encroached on the Keere stream belong to the ruling party and are influential. Therefore, the officials of the taluk administration have kept silent.
The operation of clearing of encroachments was initiated by Ponnampet taluk in-charge Tahsildar Yogananda. Now, Ponnampet has got a full-time Tahsildar. However, the operation has been stalled now.
“If the encroachments in Keere stream are not cleared, a protest will be staged against the taluk administration,” residents Gangadhar, Purushottam, Fayaz and Ahmed said.
Tahsildar Prashanth said that regarding the clearing of encroachments, the High Court had given time before starting the clearing operation in the Keere stream. The time has lapsed and the operation will be started soon.
Taluk Akrama Sakrama Samiti president K B Girish Ganapathy said that the government land which had been encroached in the town should be cleared as per the law. The taluk administration should take immediate action.
Kaveri Jalamoola Samrakshana Horata Vedike, Gonikoppa, president Pulinjana Poovaiah said that the compound of a private school had encroached on the Keere stream. There were other structures that had been built after encroaching the stream. The encroachments had resulted in flooding of residential areas in the rainy season. Therefore, the encroachments should be cleared.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Gonikoppa / February 14th, 2022
The Kaveri flowing through Nisargadhama in Karnataka, Photo Credit: Shutterstock
The story of how the river Kaveri came to be.
The Kaveri (earlier known as Ponni, the golden maid, because of the fine golden silt deposits) flows through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The river originates at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri Range in the Western Ghats, of Karnataka’s Kodagu district,1,341 m above sea level, and flows in a south-easterly direction for about 800 km before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. It reaches the sea in Poompuhar in Mayiladuthurai district. This is Tamil Nadu’s largest river, dividing the state into north and south.
The Kaveri is a sacred river and is worshipped as the goddess Kaveramma. Its name comes from the Sankethi word for river.
Myths and legends
The story of how Kaveri came to be begins with how the sage Agastya came south. A mountain called Vindhya had an inflated opinion of itself. However, when a person praised Meru, another mountain, right in front of Vindhya, Vindhya grew jealous. Wanting to be taller than Meru, it started growing skywards.
Soon, Vindhya would block the sun. The people, animals, and trees in the forests lying in Vindhya’s shadow stopped receiving any sunlight. No matter how high the sun rose, Vindhya grew taller and blocked his light. The pleas of the people, animals, and the forests fell on deaf ears.
As a last resort, the gods approached the powerful sage Agastya for help. On reaching Vindhya, the sage asked him to bend so that he could cross over to the south. Since Agastya was known for his wrath, Vindhya did not want to be cursed and agreed to bend. After Agastya had crossed over, he asked Vindhya to stay that way till he returned. Vindhya promised to do so. The sage wisely stayed back in the south, leading to much happiness among the people around the Vindhya.
With his yogic powers, Agastya collected the most beautiful parts of creatures in the forests he visited and put them together in the form of a beautiful infant. He now wanted someone to raise the child and decided to marry.
Meanwhile, king Kavera, who ruled in that region, had also prayed to Lord Brahma for a child. In a mythologically convenient coincidence, Lord Brahma had a daughter Vishnumaya, who craved to serve humanity.
Brahma blessed Kavera so that Vishnumaya was born to him as Lopamudra. In yet another coincidence, she was also the infant Agasthya created. Lopamudra became a beautiful woman, with her craving to serve humanity intact.
Idols of saint Agastya and Lopamudra / Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
On one of his many travels, Agastya met Lopamudra, and asked Kavera for her hand in marriage. He was already of advanced age, had gnarled looks, wore the clothes of a mendicant and his unkempt hair stood out. Yet, Lopamudra agreed to marry the sage on one condition—he was not to leave her alone for a great stretch of time. If he did, she would leave. Sage Agasthya agreed.
After the marriage, this unlikely couple settled down in sage Agastya’s ashram. Once, on his travels, the sage fell ill and fainted. Since no help was in sight, Lopamudra had to carry him home by herself. Somehow, the strong-willed Lopamudra began carrying him home. On the dark path home, Agastya’s dangling foot touched a sleeping holy man. Absolutely furious, the holy man cursed the owner of the foot that he would die at sunrise.
Lopamudra, however, thought that this was unfair. After all, she was the one carrying the sage and had not meant to humiliate the holy man deliberately. So, to prevent the curse from taking effect, she invoked: “May the sun not rise if I have been a good and chaste wife and helped my husband.”
The sun really did not rise and the earth was enveloped in darkness. Shaken, the gods came running to Lopamudra begging her to lift her ban on the sunrise. Explaining her reason, she offered to lift the ban only if they lifted the uncalled-for curse by the holy man. The gods did as told—sage Agastya lived and Lopamudra lifted her ban. The sun rose and all was well again on Earth.
Legend explains how Lopamudra became Kaveri. The people in the present-day Kaveri basin region were facing intense drought and crop loss. They prayed to Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, for help.
Since Agastya would not part from Lopamudra, he turned her into water and left her in the kamandala he carried with him. Seeing an opportunity, Lord Ganesha took the form of a crow and toppled the kamandala leading Lopamudra to flow out as a river. The sage’s disciples tried to stop her, but she felt this was her way of serving people. Diving into the Earth, she reappeared at Bhagamandala. Much later, Agastya came looking for her and recognised her in the river she had become. This river came to be called Kaveri, as she was Kavera’s daughter.
Wanting to be the holiest river, she prayed to Lord Vishnu asking to be made holier than the Ganga. Vishnu explained that Ganga’s holiness could not be undermined as she originated from his feet. He offered Kaveri to be his garland, close to his heart—and therefore, more sacred. And that is how three of the holiest shrines of Vishnu—the Adi Ranga, the Madhya Ranga and the Antya Ranga—came to be at Srirangapatna, Shivanasamudra and Srirangam respectively. In each of these places, the temples are on islands with the Kaveri encircling it—just like the mythical garland.
From this legend comes another which says that the river Ganga herself comes, via an underground route, to bathe in the Cauvery and cleanse herself every year. Just as Vishnumaya had wanted, she flowed on Earth as Kaveri serving humanity.
Where to go
Located in the Brahmagiri Hills in Karnataka’s Coorg district, Talakaveri is generally considered to be the source of the Kaveri. A tank and a temple (in honour of the goddess Kaveramma) have been built at the spot the river is said to originate. The river itself feeds off a spring close to the tank. In normal times, thousands of Hindu devotees visit Talakaveri at the time of the Kaveri Sankramana, a festival that celebrates the annual emergence of the river. Talakaveri also offers excellent panoramic views of the surrounding Western Ghats.
Devotees flocking to and bathing at Talakaveri / Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Then, there are the three river-island towns Srirangapatna—(in Karnataka), Shivanasamudra (in Karnataka) and Srirangam (in Tamil Nadu). These places house three of the holiest shrines, each dedicated to Ranganatha, an avatar of Lord Vishnu—the Adi Ranga, the Madhya Ranga and the Anthya Ranga, respectively. In each of these locations, mythology meets reality as Kaveri encircles these islands in the shape of a mythical garland.
Festival to attend
The aforementioned Kaveri Sankramana is perhaps the holiest festival associated with the river, celebrated usually in mid-October in Talakaveri every year. Another important festival is the Kaveri Pushkaram, observed once every 12 years in Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu. It is marked by a ritualistic dip in the Kaveri’s waters and elaborate pujas on the Thula Ghat.
Lamps afloat in the river during Kaveri Pushkaram / Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Two other festivals in honour of the Kaveri are Aadi Perukku and Kaveri Vellam. Aadi Perukku sees women worship nature and goddess Parvati by making rice and flower offerings. They also take a dip in the Kaveri at the several bathing ghats along the course of the river. Kaveri Vellam, on the other hand, is one of those rare festivals that celebrates floods. In the 12 districts that the Kaveri passes through in Tamil Nadu, people offer aartis in the flooded, overflowing river before moving to higher ground and safety. The belief is that the river will not harm the devout people and instead bless them with bountiful harvests.
source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook India / Home> Outlook Traveller> Explore> Story / by OT Staff / February 05th, 2022
There is always a thrill to go to places that are off the beaten track and this time we decided to go on a short drive around the Somwarpet taluka of Coorg.
The lush greenery, the winding roads, the up and down terrain, the coffee and pepper plantations on either side made me feel really blessed to have so many rich natural wild sights to admire in South India. Even the quaint village of Shanivarsanthe felt as if time had stood still there since ages.
And thankfully these places are quite free of the noisy tourist crowds that I usually see elsewhere. Our dear local friend Prasanna insisted that we visit the the biggest lake in Coorg called Honammana Kere.
Our first impression was just a silent awe for the stunning natural beauty of this place. The reflection of the blue skies, the white clouds and the rich green foliage on the crystal clear waters was mesmerising. This lake was nestled in between the hills called Morí beta and Govi beta. On a more adventurous note, if we had more time, we could have undertaken short treks to the temples on top of the hills to admire the stunning views from the hilltops too!
There is a Honnamma devi temple besides the lake that has an interesting history. A local ancient king had prayed during the times of water shortage and refused to sacrifice his daughter-in-law, when asked to do so. However his pregnant daughter in law Honnamma walked into the waters and drowned, sacrificing her life for the well being of the people and ensuring abundance of water for all.
She is revered by the locals as a Goddess in a unique shrine dedicated to her on the banks of the lake. I noticed an ancient stone with carved inscriptions in front of the temple probably recording this interesting piece of history.
A lot of devotees come here for the powerful blessings of the Devi for marriage or child prospects. I was told that on Gauri festival day, at least 101 ladies immerse sets of many Pooja items like fruits, vegetables, turmeric kumkum, bangles etc. in the waters.
Yes, the spiritual energy of the place was something that could not be expressed in words. The calm serene feeling of the mesmerising natural ambience made the lake feel like a hidden gem. I could probably spend hours sitting on the temple steps, dipping my feet in the water and doing absolutely nothing.
We had a sumptuous lunch with our gracious host Jairaj Shetty at a place called Whisper Valley. The 360 degree natural view made it feel as if we were in heaven! The open air jeep ride through the coffee plantation to a hidden stream was an adventure by itself! And we just had to frolic in the gushing waters feeling rejuvenated like kids again!
It was a day well spent with good friends and lots of smiles in the unknown nooks and corners of Somwarpet.
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Shobha Rao Smilemaker has a vision of living in a world where people use their ability to find and make smiles in any situation. She is a lawyer by qualification, a soft skills trainer by passion, a motivational speaker, a freelance journalist, a bestselling author, an avid traveler and founder of ‘Smilemakers Trainings’. She can be contacted at www.shobhasmilemaker.com.
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source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld / Home> Karnataka / by Shobha Rao Smilemaker / January 18th, 2022
The petition was filed by PS Mohan and others from Kodagu district on the ground that permission was not obtained from the central government under the provisions of the Forest Conservation Act.
Bengaluru :
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday slapped a cost of Rs 50,000 on a group of petitioners for wasting the precious time of the court by filing a public interest litigation challenging the construction of the Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JL&R) by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) at Dubare forest in Kodagu district.
“We are of the view that the writ petition is filed without any material to support the contention raised in the petition and it appears that it has been filed with ulterior motives in order to pressurise the respondents — the state authorities. The conduct of the petitioners as such is deprecated for the purpose of wasting the precious time of the court by imposing cost of Rs 50,000 which has to be paid to the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority,” said a division bench of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Suraj Govindaraj.
The petition was filed by PS Mohan and others from Kodagu district on the ground that permission was not obtained from the central government under the provisions of the Forest Conservation Act for construction of JL&R.
In counter, the government advocate contended that no permission of the central government is required for construction of the jungle lodge by the KSTDC in the reserve forest area coming under the state government.
The counsel of JL&R raised preliminary objections regarding the maintainability of the petition. It was alleged this petition was filed on some personal interest and that JL&R has installed river rafting activities in Dubare area which adversely affected the petitioners. But no public interest is involved in the petition and it has been filed with ulterior motives, the counsel of JL&R argued.
After hearing the parties, the court noted that the JL&R which was constructed in Dubare is a body created by the KSTDC which itself is totally controlled by the state government and no private interest is involved in the activities of the JL&R.
source: http://www.newindianexpess.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Yathiraju, Express News Service / January 04th, 2022
The State Government has released Rs. 50 lakh to set up a new elephant camp at Harangi in Kodagu District. Already, Kodagu has two elephant camps, one at Dubare and another at Mathigodu near Anechowkur Gate that borders Mysuru.
The aim of the new camp is to decongest the existing eight camps across Karnataka where the pachyderm population has increased over the years. The State Government in February this year had ordered the setting up of a new elephant camp at Harangi.
Replying to a question raised by Madikeri MLA M.P. Appachu Ranjan in the on-going Legislature session at Belagavi regarding the Harangi Elephant Camp and a Tree Park, also at Harangi, Forest Minister Umesh Katti said that from 2017 till 2021-22 Rs.1.38 crore has been released by the Government and works are on to create the Tree Park.
This apart, Rs. 50 lakh has been released for Harangi elephant camp under funds from Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). Apart from setting up a new elephant camp, there are plans to initiate other related development programmes including developing the camp as a tourist centre and at the same time provide shelter to the elephants, he added.
File photos of Dubare Elephant Camp near Kushalnagar in Kodagu district.
The Forest Department will establish the elephant camp in a 40-acre land at Athur Reserve Forest beside Harangi Reservoir in Kushalnagar Taluk. The place, located near the Harangi Dam backwaters, is ideal to set up the elephant camp.
The Government has also plans to closely develop Cauvery Nisargadhama in Kushalnagar and together with the new elephant camp in the region, the initiatives will boost eco-tourism activities, the Minister told the Assembly.
Currently, Karnataka has eight jumbo camps housing about more than 100 tamed elephants that are used to rescue wild animals and for logging purposes at Government timber depots.
The new elephant camp is expected to reduce the burden on the nearby Dubare Elephant Camp, which currently has over 32 elephants, the highest in the State.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News> Top Stories / December 20th, 2021
The paddy sheaves were cut by the CNC members during Huthari celebrations at the paddy field belonging to Nandineravanda Uthappa, in Chikkabettageri.
The Codava National Council (CNC), led by its president N U Nachappa, celebrated Huthari or Puthari — the harvest festival of Kodagu, at a paddy field of Nandineravanda Uthappa, in Chikkabettageri village, near Kushalnagar, on Friday.
Wearing traditional Kodava attire, the members participated in the celebrations by cutting paddy sheaves. Later, they offered prayers for the prevalence of peace and to eradicate Covid-19 from the world.
The members offered prayers to the gods and initiated the process of Huthari celebrations by ‘Nere Kattuva’ ritual using the leaves of Arali, mango, jackfruit, Kumbali and cashew nut trees.
After the rituals, the members took out a procession to the paddy field, accompanied by the ‘Dudikottpat’. After firing thrice in the air, Nachappa offered puja rituals and cut paddy sheaves.
Later, the paddy sheaves were brought back to the house and puja rituals were conducted.
CNC members presented ‘Kolata’, ‘Pareyakali’ and other cultural programmes.
Later, they also danced to the traditional beats and relished rice payasa, ‘Thambittu,’ ‘Kadubu,’ ‘pandi curry,’ ‘chicken curry’ and others.
Speaking on the occasion, Nachappa urged the government to declare a national holiday for the Puthari festival.
The Kodavas should be considered as a separate race to save the Kodava tribal culture for the future generation. Kodava language should be included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, he said.
“Kodava culture has all the qualifications to be included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List of Unesco. By showcasing our rituals, we can assert our rights,” he added.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Kushalnagar / November 19th, 2021
Left, N Poonacha receiving the award at the ceremony in New Delhi. Right, Snapshot of the indigenous ‘Adi Pepper’ spikes.
HIGHLIGHTS
Napanda Poonacha of Kodagu district, a progressive farmer, who hopes to be recognized as a pro-nature farmer
He was recently granted the Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Reward (2019-20) for his efforts to save indigenous ‘Adi Pepper’ crop
Napanda Poonacha of Kodagu district, a progressive farmer, who hopes to be recognized as a pro-nature farmer and has set examples for the other farmers to come forward to encourage them. He is working hard to establish commercial crops that have minimal or no negative impact on biodiversity, and he was recently granted the Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Reward (2019-20) for his efforts to save indigenous ‘Adi Pepper’ crops.
The Union Agriculture Ministry’s Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority bestowed the honour on Poonacha, who received it from union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar at an event in New Delhi on November 11.
He is the owner of Adi Pepper Demo Farm and Research Center in Garvale, where he is actively engaged in discovering natural crops in the district that have the capacity to become commercial crops while inflicting minimal environmental impact.
Napanda Poonacha expressed his happines for recieving the award. He said that farmers who recognise, conserve, and cultivate crops that are beneficial to biodiversity have been given this honour. Furthermore, He received the prize for his research, conservation, and promotion of the ‘Adi Pepper,’ an indigenous kind of pepper mainly grown across the natural habitat of Garvale village borders in Kodagu, India.
He further explained that Adi Pepper crops can be discovered all around the Garvale region in their natural habitat. They undertook the responsibility at the research centre to obtain this species of pepper registered under PPFRI, and in 2015, this high-quality pepper was recognised as a farmer’s variety pepper. This is the only pepper species that has passed biochemical testing, and it is regarded the best of the seven pepper species growing in Kodagu.
Since that particular form of pepper was once known as forest pepper and was mainly used for domestic reasons by the people, it has recently reached a brand value of Rs 3500 per kilo, generating more than six times the earnings of the other black pepper species sold in the district.
source: http://www.thehansindia.com / The Hans India / Home> News> State> Karnataka / by Susmita Modak / by Hans News Service / November 19th, 2021
Here is a chance for coffee growers to get additional cash from their plants throughout the year apart from income from the sale of beans. Mysuru-based Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) has developed a technology to prepare a value-added product from coffee leaves that packs in health benefits too.
Coffee is only harvested for a few months every year, depending on the country’s harvest season. This can leave a number of producers and workers without work (and income) for a significant portion of the year.
Pushpa S. Murthy
However, some producers have decided to diversify the crops that they grow and sell. As coffee leaves are constantly being produced, growers can harvest them in the off-season if there is demand, according to Pushpa S. Murthy, Principal Scientist (Spice and Flavour Science Department) of CFTRI.
This technology follows a CFTRI project on the development of value-added products from coffee leaves taken up in 2019. The project was funded by the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
If farmers can use the leaves which can be harvested during the off-season or during pruning, without interfering with coffee bean growth, it will have a great impact on the social elevation of coffee farmers, she said.
Around 70 percent of the coffee industry is unemployed or underemployed during nine months of the year due to the nature of the growth cycle of the coffee beans. The project aimed to provide a year-round sustainable process for the coffee farmers.
With CFTRI technology, the brew can be prepared with water, allowed for a few minutes to steep, filtered and consumed. The institute has initiated the transfer of this technology to the coffee industry, and a few industry participants have already extended their consent, she said.
The leaf brew does not really taste like coffee, according to Murthy. “The brew is subtle with less caffeine compared to coffee or tea,” she said. On the nutritional value of the beverage, she said coffee leaves are rich in phenolic acids with potential health benefits. A coffee leaf contains around 17 percent more antioxidants than green tea. The beverage should be consumed plain.
The beverage accords health-promoting polyphenols like chlorogenic acid and mangiferin which help in reducing blood glucose levels, inflammation and blood pressure, she said.
Leaf drink ‘kuti’ and ‘kahwa daun’ popular in Sumatra, Ethiopia
Coffee leaf tea has been consumed in Sumatra, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Java and Sudan for centuries. From the 16th century to the 19th century, Ethiopian farmers set aside their harvested coffee for trade or consumption in special ceremonies. As a day-to-day drink, the Harari people in Ethiopia instead enjoyed ‘kuti’.
‘Kuti’ tea was made by boiling coffee leaves in hot water, sometimes with a pinch of salt or some sugar. It was generally boiled for at least 30 minutes, as it was believed that the longer the leaves were boiled for, the sweeter the resulting brew would be.
Coffee leaf tea bears some similarities to green tea, but it is more earthy and sweeter. It is lower in caffeine than green tea, and thanks to its high levels of antioxidants, it has historically been believed that it cures or relieves cold symptoms.
In the 19th century, Dutch colonists transported coffee plants to designated farming regions in Indonesia. Workers on the coffee plantations were forbidden from consuming the coffee they harvested, so they drank something called “kahwa daun” instead.
‘Kahwa daun’ was made by drying coffee leaves in the sun to reduce their bitterness. The leaves were then smoked and roasted for a few hours. Finally, they would be steeped in boiling water, and then served in a coconut shell.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Top Stories / November 14th, 2021
The joint study found bird species richness to be higher in shade coffee plantations that had 78 species than in open coffee plantations that had 55 species
‘Alteration of canopy, woody plant composition can influence pattern of functional composition of resident birds’
Verdant coffee and tea plantations are more than an ideal backdrop for photos; they support a thriving avian population. In a study that underscores the need to understand the patterns and drivers of bird species composition and diversity outside Protected Area (PA) networks to develop landscape-level conservation strategies, researchers found that they varied in differently-managed plantations.
The findings were the result of collaborative work by Kannur University, Kerala, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bengaluru, and Ferns Nature Conservation Society, Wayanad. It was published in July 2021.
Focussing on the coffee plantations in the Western Ghats, which are an important agro-ecosystem and help maintain a significant portion of regional avian diversity, the researchers compared the composition and functional diversity of resident birds between shade and open coffee plantations.
They counted 3,846 birds of 87 species, and found species richness to be higher in shade (78 species) than in open coffee plantations (55 species). “Interestingly, 32 species were unique to shade and nine were unique to open coffee plantations, with 46 species found in both types of plantation. Species richness and abundance were higher in shade coffee,” the study says, adding that the results reveal that different farm management practices can affect functional bird richness and its abundance in coffee plantations. They have made a case for retaining shade-trees of native varieties in coffee plantations to support high functional diversity, richness, and abundance of birds in the coffee plantation of the Western Ghats.
The study, ‘Resident birds show different patterns in species composition and functional diversity in differently managed coffee plantations in the Western Ghats, India’, was published by the Ornithological Science journal in July 2021.
Speaking to The Hindu, Santhanakrishnan Babu, one of the authors, said the study was conducted between May and August, 2016, in the northern part of Wayanad district. “Wayanad is a major coffee producer, producing 90% of the Kerala’s coffee. Our study aimed to understand how resident birds respond to differently-managed coffee plantations – shade and open,” he said.
The Kerala government recently passed an order to chop all resident trees on private land except sandalwood. This will lead to extensive chopping of resident trees from the coffee plantations which will affect biodiversity, he added.
Another author Athira S. Variar and Mr. Babu said retaining shade trees of native varieties in coffee plantations is important for supporting high functional diversity, richness, and abundance of birds. “Shade plantations support several habitat specialists and range-restricted birds, and alteration of the canopy and woody plant composition can influence the pattern of the functional composition of resident birds. Since our study covered only one season, year-round study in these plantations may shed more light on the composition of resident, breeding and migratory bird species,” they said.
Conservation strategies
They have called for landscape-level conservation strategies. Author Anoop N.R. pointed out that the Forest Department has little authority over the plantations located outside forest areas, and trees in these plantations are increasingly being replaced with exotic trees such as Grevillea robusta. “To promote the protection of large native trees in coffee plantations, we recommend initiating programmes to provide financial incentives to private landowners. Education programmes will also help to improve community support for retaining texisting indigenous tree varieties and promote planting more of the same,” he recommended, adding that a framework needs to be developed with regard to which species can be planted and which must be maintained, or removed, from the plantations.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by K C Deepika / Bengaluru, October 04th, 2021
Chamber of Commerce president M B Devaiah speaks during a discussion on the pros and cons of tourism in the district, held at Kodagu Press Club, Madikeri, on Tuesday.
Various stakeholders in the tourism sector gave their suggestions towards developing sustainable and eco-friendly tourism in Kodagu, during a discussion on the pros and cons of tourism in the district, held at Kodagu Press Club, Madikeri, on Tuesday.
Chamber of Commerce president M B Devaiah said that it is the foremost duty of the people of Kodagu to preserve the environment of the district. Businesses can be carried out while maintaining ethics. Money is not everything.
“Nature-friendly industries should be set up in the district to provide jobs for people,” he added.
Pravasodyama Avalambitara Okkoota president K K Manjunath Kumar said that tourism contributes immensely to the development of a country.
Tourism in Kodagu has been generating good revenue, he said and pointed out that the countries which are backward in tourism are backward in development as well.
Resort and Hotel Owners’ Association president Nagendra Prasad said that there has been a significant rise in investment in the tourism sector in the district after the market for coffee fell. There are 1.50 lakh people in the district who are depending on tourism activities for their livelihood.
Kodagu Press Club president Ajjamada Ramesh Kuttappa in his introductory remarks, said, “Every citizen of the nation has a right to carry out legal work in any part of the country to make a living. No restrictions can be imposed on him or her in carrying out a job. A forum has been formed to discuss the problems of people working in the tourism sector and to find possible solutions.
Hotel, Lodges and Restaurants’ Association advisor Chidvilas said that coffee growers switched to homestay and hotel industry after they suffered losses in the coffee industry. He also advised imposing a total ban on plastic at tourist destinations in the district.
Kodagu Samrakshana Vedike convener Chammatira Pravin Uttappa said that there is a need to curb illegal activities which are carried out in the name of tourism.
“Insulting the traditional Kodava attire in some resorts should stop immediately. Tourism activities should stop during the Cauvery fair,” he added.
District Working Journalists’ Association president Savitha Rai, writer Bharadwaj K Anandateertha, Kodagu Hitarakshana Samiti president Rajiv Bopaiah, Travel Association president Cheyyanda Satya Ganapathy, Kodagu Tourism Association president Madetira Timmaiah and others were present.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / b y DHNS, Madikeri / October 05th, 2021
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