A group of children in Kodagu have written — rather drawn — to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to protect river Cauvery which is under threat because of unplanned development activities. Instead of the usual way of writing a letter, the children opted for a scroll which has a series of paintings which depict the current state of the river.
Meena Cariappa, a social worker associated with the Opportunity School in Madikeri and wife of Air Marshal Cariappa (rtd), told Bangalore Mirror, “it is a scary situation the way river Cauvery is facing. While environment activists are working towards protecting the river, the children of Kodagu have joined hands in this mission and have attempted to draw the attention of the prime minister himself.”
She says if PM can look into the issue, the river can be a role model for the entire country itself.
She said, “Apart from a tweet to the Prime Minister’s Office, we have sent a six-ft–long scroll to the Prime Minister’s residence, hoping that he would look at it and there could be some change. There are many things happening in the name of development which is destroying the river, the lifeline of South India.”
The scroll reads: Respected Prime Minister, Please Save the Cauvery. We can see it dying and it won’t be there when we grow up. Only you can save it. There is a photograph of the Cauvery flowing in the centre. There are two photographs of the river on either side — one stating ‘what you had’ and another ‘what we get’. The entire text is handwritten on a recycled paper. It has pictures of about 100 students, though nearly 1,000 kids participated.”
“We have sent this scroll to the Prime Minister’s residence as part of Children’s Day celebration. We are hopeful that that he will respond to the students’ request. We are waiting,” Meena said.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> State / by Deepthi Sanjiv, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / November 23rd, 2017
A new biofuel, which contains part coffee oil, is being added to the London bus fuel supply chain where it can be used without the need for modification.
Transport for London has been turning to biofuels to curb carbon emissions, trialling a fuel made with used cooking oil from the catering industry.(Shutterstock)
Waste coffee grounds will be used to help fuel some of London’s buses, Royal Dutch Shell and clean technology company bio-bean said on Monday.
A new biofuel, which contains part coffee oil, is being added to the London bus fuel supply chain where it can be used without the need for modification, the companies said in a statement.
Bio-bean and partner Argent Energy have so far produced enough coffee oil to power one bus for a year, if used as a pure-blend for the 20 percent bio component and mixed with mineral diesel to form a B20 fuel, they said.
Transport for London has been turning to biofuels to curb carbon emissions, trialling a fuel made with used cooking oil from the catering industry, the transport operator said on its website.
Bio-bean said the average Londoner drinks 2.3 cups of coffee a day, producing over 200,000 tonnes of waste a year. It collects waste grounds from high street chains and factories, which are dried and processed to extract coffee oil.
“It’s a great example of what can be done when we start to reimagine waste as an untapped resource,” bio-bean founder Arthur Kay said.
The coffee fuel technology has been supported by Shell.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> World / by Reuters, London / November 20th, 2017
There was a festive atmosphere at Ponnampete on the border of Kodagu district in Virajpet taluk, which is hosting a two-day district-level Kannada Sahitya Sammelan. A large number of students participated in the Kannada literary meet, which commenced on Saturday.
Inaugurating the meet, writer Dr Siddalingaiah said that there is a need to protect Kannada in Kodagu. “A few Malayalam name boards are found in the district. Kannadigas should be awake in the district.
There is no need for a Malayalam name board in Kannada land,” he said.
Stating that there are ample opportunities for promotion of tourism in the district, he said that the state government should chalk out programmes to safeguard the culture and uniqueness of the district along with the promotion of tourism.
Highlighting the importance of Kannada in the district, he said Kodagu Commissioner Cubbon had removed Lakshminarayanayya from the post of Diwan of Kodagu in 1838. He had written a letter to Governor General in Kolkatta highlighting the injustice met on him in pure Kannada.
Siddalingaiah said, “there is a need to restrict the purchase of land in the district by people from outside the district to protect the culture of the land.”
“Field Marshal Cariappa, General Thimmaiah not only brought fame to Kodagu but also the entire country. The people of the district not only guard the border but also protect the language.”
Kaveri nadi pradhikara
In her presidential address, Kechamada Subbamma Thimmaiah demanded the setting up of Kaveri nadi pradhikara.
She said “the test reports have confirmed that the water from river Cauvery at several places is not potable. The garbage and sewage from various places enter the river and pollute it. Cauvery is the lifeline of the state. There is a need to check dumping of garbage into the river. If left untreated, it could choke the river flow, ” she warned.
“The Kodagu district is the land of warriors and culture. There is a need to protect the culture of the land.”, she added.
A group of Bengalureans are out on a mission to restore the Kaveri catchment area in Kodagu to protect its biodiversity.Sheshadri, a conservationist and member of the Bengaluru-based group Forest First Samithi (FFS), believes that the word ‘conservation’ would not have existed in the English dictionary if people knew how to stay connected with nature. “It is because of our apathy that we have reached this pathetic state, where we fight with each other for even water,” he says.
Sheshadri along with IT professionals Meera Rajesh, Uma, Anil Panolil Chirikandoth and Dhandapany, formed this group in 2008 and they began their conservation work in Wayanad. They started working in Kodagu six months ago. The team works in association with Kodagu Model Forest Trust with an aim to conserve over 100 indigenous tree species of Western Ghats such as Saraca asoca, Mammea suriga, Garcinia talbotii, Dysoxylum malabaricum and Bridelia retusa. The team does rain water management to ensure maximum percolation to improve the ground water levels. People from the community equally participate in the conservation of the biodiversity
They encourage community participation as well. About eight people are working on this project. They are paid `8,000 per month from the funds that the team receives through online crowdfunding and friends. “A few IT professionals also contribute `5,000 from their monthly salary towards this cause,” he says.
Meera adds, “During the British Raj, the forest conservators were actually exploiting our forests for commercial benefits. We aim to make a headway in real time conservation of forest and ecology. It’s only then that our generation and posterity shall stand to gain and prosper.” The team is picking up some degraded patches of land across Kodagu with an attempt to protect them from cattle grazing and wild fires. Sheshadri says, “We clear dry grass and convert them to manure, hence, preventing wildfires from spreading.”
Funding is a major challenge for the project. The team is raising `7.30 lakh for this work through crowdfunding. If you wish to contribute for the cause, visit www.bitgiving.com. For further details about the team, log on to www.ffs.org.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / November 14th, 2017
Students performed a peacock dance at Yuvajanotsava held at Forestry College, Ponnampet on Friday.
Forestry College, Ponnampet won the overall championship in the cultural programmes held as part of the two-day Yuvajanotsava at Forestry College in Ponnampet on Friday.
Students of Forestry College had won 106 points while students of Mudigere Horticulture College won the second place with 96 points. In the diploma category, the students of Brahamavar College won the overall championship while Kathalegere Diploma College won the second place.
Yuvajanotsava, under the title of Yuvaspandana, was organised by the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga.
Students of Ponnampet Forestry College and Mudigere Horticultural College presented a peacock dance, Pooja Kunitha, Nandikolu, Veeragasem Bhoothakunitha and others. Mudigere College students entertained the audience with Dollu Kunitha and Pooja Kunitha while students of the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga presented Lambani dance.
Rangayana Director Bhagirathi Bai said that youth have immense talent. Rangayana will organise College Natakotsava next month.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DHNS, Madikeri / November 11th, 2017
Categories at the marathon include one-mile run, 10 km, 21 km and 42 km
The third edition of the world’s first barefoot marathon will be held at the Tata Coffee Sports Ground at Pollibeta in Kodagu on Dec 10.
Cheppudira Nikki Ponappa, professional golfer, coach and founder of Coorg Wellness Foundation, said the event is being organised with Milind Soman as part of the Coorg Reconnect Initiative by Coorg Wellness Foundation.
Ponappa said, “Barefoot marathon is an initiative through which we want the people of Kodagu as well as anyone who is a nature and wildlife lover to reconnect with mother earth and the best way to do this is by being barefoot. Through this event, we are trying to spread awareness about the rehabilitation of the elephant habitat and we want to replant the 54,000 trees that were chopped from Kodagu for a power grid. So, through the event, we hope to create awareness for planting native fruit trees in an eco-sensitive area like Kodagu. Our wildlife and elephants need to stay in the forest and enjoy their homeland.”
The organisers are expecting about 500 runners to participate from all over the country. “While for the natives of Kodagu, cash prize is awarded, outsiders who win prizes take home produce such as coffee and pepper. We want people to come and experience Kodagu and take back Kodagu with them. The entire event is an eco-friendly event with a ban on plastics. Even water is served in coconut shells. There are no loud speakers nor do we use electricity. The warm up begins with the folk music known as the ‘Vallaga’ and people will have to warm up by dancing the traditional Kodava dance,” Ponappa said.
Ponappa said the categories include one-mile run, 10 km, 21 km and 42 km.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> State / by Deepthi Sanjiv, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / November 10th, 2017
EXHILARATING Bathing and feeding sessions are the most popular among the activities at Dubare and Sakrebailu elephant camps. PHOTOS BY AUTHOR
Everyone loves elephants. Whenever we see them, they bring out the child in us, with a craving to touch, photograph and ride on them, and if possible, take a selfie with them.
Elephants also play an important role in some of our religious festivals. We see the sculptures of elephants in heritage places as well. The best places to get close to these awesome pachyderms are Dubare Elephant Camp in Kodagu and Sakrebailu Elephant Camp in Shivamogga district.
Dubare Elephant Camp
Dubare Elephant Camp is located amidst lush green forest, on the picturesque banks of River Cauvery, about 14 km from Kushalnagar in Kodagu district. This is a project undertaken by the Karnataka Forest Department and Jungle Lodges and Resorts. There are more than 22 elephants in the camp at present. All of them are tamed and trained, but are allowed to roam free in the forest in the afternoon and night. The elephants return to the camp for their bath and feeding sessions. Here, the visitors can not only observe and learn but also participate in various activities involving elephants through the ‘elephant interaction programme’ arranged by the naturalists of the Forest Department.
Driving down from Kushalnagar, we reach the bank of River Cauvery and have to cross over in small motor boats. The view of the river is breathtaking, with the water flowing gently over rocks and bushy trees hanging over the water’s edge on both sides. The chirping of different birds provides a pleasing background music. It is an open, seamless forest area and the only man-made constructions here are for training and feeding the elephants. Trained naturalists explain the various aspects of elephants like their history, biology, personality and food habits. They also facilitate our intimate interaction with the animals. This camp is said to have been started during the British era for taming and training wild elephants to be used for transportation and in war. Some of the trained elephants from this camp participate in the Mysore Dasara procession and other temple festivals.
The most enjoyable part of our visit was joining the mahouts in bathing the elephants. Every morning, the animals are taken down to the river for their bath, which lasts for an hour. It is a pleasure to see them lying down in the river and splashing water, with their trunks, all the while enjoying their bath. Visitors who are bold enough can roll up their sleeves and pants to give the mammoths a scrub. The bath is followed by an elaborate feeding session, in which we could also lend a hand. We can feed them with balls of ragi, jaggery, sugar cane, banana and coconuts provided by the Forest Department.
Elephant rides are arranged thereafter. It is an hour-long journey around the forest and this makes for a memorable experience. If we are lucky, we can catch a sight of animals like peacocks and Sambar deer during the safari.
There are places to stay near the elephant camp. Additionally, the elephant camp also conducts river rafting in the upper part of River Cauvery. In addition, coracle rides are provided for those who wish to ride the river in a different way and enjoy the blissful wilderness along the way. Boat rides and trekking are also possible for bird lovers as the forest is home to a variety of birds, which can often be seen flying across the river.
Sakrebailu Elephant Camp
Sakrebailu Elephant Camp is located about 14 km from Shivamogga town on the Thirthahalli road. This is also run by the Karnataka Forest Department for training wild elephants. Set amidst thick forest on the bank of River Tunga, this ecotourism centre attracts wildlife enthusiasts and tourists in large numbers. Here, also the elephants are taken to the river every morning for their elaborate bathing session.
Visitors are allowed to help in the bathing and feeding sessions. It is a pleasure to watch the giant animals enjoying themselves in the river. After feeding, all the animals are left free to roam in the forest. This an ideal place to enjoy a day out with the elephants.
Elephant rides and trekking are also allowed in this camp. An aane utsava is also held at the camp in the month of October.
Both the camps are open to the public throughout the year. When the waters of River Cauvery become very rough during the time of peak monsoon, the Dubare Elephant Camp closes down the route through the river for the public as it is not safe for people to go across in small boats. However, it can also be reached via road. But for obvious reasons, the bathing sessions are not held during rainy days.
Dubare Elephant Camp is open to the public from 9.00 am to 12.00 pm and 4.00 pm to 5.00 pm on all days. On the other hand, Sakrebailu Elephant Camp is open only in the morning, between 8.30 am and 11.00 am, on all days. September to June is the best time to visit as the elephants love to spend more time in the river when it is not raining and when the weather is humid and hot.
It is suffice to say that Dubare and Sakrebailu are a must visit locales for nature enthusiasts and those who love to have intimate encounters with the elephants.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / by K Karunakaran / October 17th, 2017
Plantations with native trees produce more coffee which is also of better quality
Forest trees are good, not just for the environment but for your coffee too: having more forest trees in coffee plantations maintains tree diversity and also increases coffee production and quality, shows a study. This could be vital information as native trees are being replaced with exotics in coffee-growing landscapes to increase coffee production.
India, the world’s sixth largest coffee-producer, grows ‘shade’ coffee, under the canopies of naturally occurring native trees such as jackfruit, Black dammar (dhup) and Magnolia (champa) which are legally-protected. However, some planters now replace dead native trees with exotics like Silver oaks which are not protected and can be felled for timber. Silver oaks also serve well as pepper stands, and cultivating pepper on them supplements planters’ incomes. This ‘intensification’ – reducing and replacing native shade tree cover – contributes to forest loss in the tropics, where coffee is cultivated.
Scientists at ETH Zurich (Switzerland) and the College of Forestry (Kodagu) examined whether this intensification affects native tree biodiversity and coffee productivity in Karnataka’s Kodagu district, which produces more than one-third of India’s coffee. They studied tree species diversity in 25 coffee plantations varying in native shade tree cover, with some having only non-native Silver oaks as canopies.
The benefits
Their results, published in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, show that 95 native tree species offer shade for coffee in Kodagu; and intensification decreases this tree diversity. Some plantations, which still retained native trees, even had red-listed tree species (designated as threatened by the IUCN), and some of them in high numbers. The team found that such plantations produced more coffee, which was also of better quality . Silver oak-dominated plantations showed more single-seeded fruits and attacks by the Coffee berry borer, a major pest.
“This is likely due to reduced predators such as ants, birds, or parasitoids, in Silver oak-dominated plantations,” says lead author Maike Nesper (ETH Zurich). Protecting native trees could be crucial, she adds.
“Some regions are re-diversifying tree canopy cover in coffee agroforests, as consumers are increasingly interested in biodiversity conservation and ready to pay premium prices…but to gain the same level of native diversity by reforestation is nearly impossible, and it is crucial to diversity in the first place.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Environment / by Aathira Perinchery / September 30th, 2017
Tourists at Abbey Falls near T Shettigeri, with rain catching up by monsoon end, all falls in the State are putting up their best show
Madikeri :
City dwellers might hate rain with its attendant problems but when they flock to Kodagu, the rain is an added attraction. Tourist inflow has gone up in the rainy months which were once considered off-season.As many as 91,619 visitors came to Kodagu in July, a jump over the figures for 2016.
Between January and July this year, 6.9 lakh people visited Kodagu, of whom 91,619 people visited in July. This is a jump of 21% over last year, when just 75,492 tourists came. In 2015, only 74,798 tourists visited in the month of July. But even these are conservative numbers, say officials, since it only accounts for guests at registered homestays. The number could be almost double if the other homestays, not on paper, are factored in as well.
What helped probably was that the rain wasn’t as heavy as expected. The district as a whole received 51cm of rain in the month against a normal of 90cm, allowing tourists to enjoy the showers while finding time to move around as well. The tourist count estimate for this August had crossed 50,000 by the middle of the month.
While most tourists visit the staples in Kodagu -Talacauvery, Cauvery Nisargadhama in Kushalnagar, the Nalaknad palace in Kakkabe and Raja’s Seat – some also make their way to Irupu falls near Shrimangala, Mallalli falls off Somwarpet, Abbey falls near Madikeri, the golden temple at Kushalnagar, Dubare elephant camp, Ha rangi and Mandalapatti near Madikeri.
Shobha Shetty , a retired bank employee from Mangaluru, says she had a magical experience visiting Talacauvery in the morning hours. “The mist-covered slopes, the moving fog and the gathering dark in daylight made me forget everything else. This can happen only during monsoon,” she says. Around 45,616 tourists visited Talacauvery between January and May this year.
Shashi Monnappa, who runs Mythili homestay at Madikeri, said many tourists preferred to visit during monsoon and opted to go to waterfalls, for river rafting and on safari in Nagarahole.
Boosting the tourist inflow, homestays drop rates during the rainy off-season. Coravanda Madan Somanna, who runs a homestay in BB estate at Kadagadal near Madikeri, said the discounts ranged between 25% and 30% on the room tariff.
Kushalnagar assistant conservator of forests Chinnappa said an average of 3 lakh tourists visit the Dubare elephant camp every year.And around two lakh tourists visit Irupu falls in south Kodagu every year, says Kodagu DFO Jaya.
Given the surge, the tourism department has taken up some development projects. It is building a Kodava heritage centre at Madikeri at a cost of Rs 2.6 crore, a pathway for tourists at Mallalli falls at Rs 1.4 crore and providing a chain barricade at Abbey falls for Rs 86 lakh.
The district administration has sent proposals for another 12 projects which include road development in Mandalapatti, Talacauvery and Dubare; building a hanging bridge to Irupu falls and setting up a garden at the Nalaknadu palace. It has also proposed building a concrete road from Nanjarayapatna to Dubare to reach the elephant camp. These proposed projects will need nearly Rs 17 crore from the government.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / News> City News> Bangalore News / TNN / September 25th, 2017
The Western Ghats has been plundered over the years, resulting also in progressively hotter summers in Bengaluru. While afforestation efforts to save the Ghats have been on for years, a team of passionate and dedicated Bengalureans is trying a different approach to save the many tree species. They are planting acres-wide groves in private and public lands that fall in the range, for now focussing on Coorg and Wayanad.
Meera, Rajesh, Sheshadri Ramaswamy, Uma, Anil Panolil Chirikandoth and Dhandapany collectively form Forest First Samithi (FFS) – a society that aims to engage and empower local communities in ecological conservation by educating them about endangered and endemic plant species. What started off as a team of four has today grown into a family with ten permanent members and over 30 volunteers.”FFS is trying to conserve endangered tree species by creating an eco-system where birds, small mammals and insects can also thrive,” says Meera, one of the founders of FFS, adding that the organization was started in 2008, and that most of their early years were spent on learning.
FFS’ vision for degraded lands in Kodagu started this May, and they have already spoken to local organizations and communities to get them on board. “Since we started work in Kodagu, we have already managed to add 35 species of endangered plants into the groves we worked on, and plan to touch 100 species,” she says, adding that the lands they are focusing on are public spaces ranging between 5 acres and 30 acres.
Workers in Wayanad grove Pics courtesy: Meera Rajesh
How it all started
FFS started work in the biological hotspot that is Wayanad, where a lot of native tree species have been chopped to give way to silver oak, coffee and teak plantations. Meera says that unless one ventures deep into the forest, it is unlikely you’ll come across any traditional species. “During the summer months, we noticed how trees in Wayanad were being chopped at an alarming rate for timber. That’s when we decided to do something about it. We got involved in a lot of discussions with research organizations and experts on how to go about it, and also spoke to locals to get them involved,” she says.
Years of hard work and research resulted in the complete transformation of a private farm land in Wayanad, where a section of it was partitioned to create what is called a ‘farm grove’. This grove comprises endemic, endangered tree species, while the rest of the land can be used for economic purposes. By getting farmers and land owners involved in understanding how these endangered species will actually better their crops in terms of soil quality, water retention and pollination, FFS has managed to conserve 100 species of trees in Wayanad.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by M Shriya Sharma / Express News Service / September 06th, 2017
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