July - August 2007

for a living planet

News Letter of WWF - India, Kerala State Office, Thiruvananthapuram 695 035

FROM THE STATE DIRECTOR’S DESK With the beginning of the new academic year in educational institutions, WWF – India, Kerala State Office is also into top gear with all the environment education and awareness programmes. The Friday Forum in the month of July and August stand proof to this as we had an overwhelming attendance of 320 and 150 students participating in the programme in the two months. We have also initiated the Teachers Training Workshops (TTW) in association with CPREEC, Chennai. For this academic year, we have initiated the TTW with the first programme in Thiruvananthapuram, but for the upcoming programmes we plan to give more stress to the northern most districts of Kannur, Kasargod and Wayanad. We realize that there is so much to be done in the State in the field of nature conservation. But this requires both money and manpower. With regard to the financial requirements, based on the need, we have prepared some project proposals and submitted to the various funding agencies. But with regard to the manpower, we need to expand our network to cater to the needs, right upto the grassroot level. In this regard, we have started off many new initiatives. For the last many years, we have been having a list of Life Subscribers of Kerala State Office but with whom we have been having very little interaction. Recently we have sent out letters to all the Life Subscribers to get in touch with us to confirm their latest position and contact details. We have been getting overwhelming response in this regard and we are positive that we will be able to reactivate the strong network in the State in the coming months. For effective communication between the office and our associates, we have also initiated a yahoo mailing group which is updated daily of our activities and programmes and also regarding the new developments of our concern in the State in the field of environment. The natural resources of our State are under serious threat, for which the recent killings of endangered sharks and dolphins along the Thiruvananthapuram Coast, is proof. So we need to come together, activate our state wide network and respond to the various local specific conservation needs which arises from time to time. Renjan Mathew Varghese State Director

IMPORTANT NEWS ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE GLOBAL Over-heated Mediterranean stokes tourism fears Greece is now on a war footing against weather phenomena “the likes of which we have never seen,” the country’s Public Order Minister, Byron Polydoras, has warned. He was speaking as countries around the Mediterranean roasted, with temperatures soaring to “furnace levels,” as one meteorologist described it. Temperatures are likely to reach 43 degrees Centigrade in the shade, making this the hottest summer on record for Greece in the past century. Macedonia has declared a state of emergency. Spain, Italy, and France are experiencing droughts that are measuring up to become the worst on record. Many politicians now fear the Mediterranean coast may soon become too hot to sustain a viable tourist industry. Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia, and Cyprus have all endured searing temperatures over the past few weeks as a region of high pressure extended east from the Azores, blocking weather fronts that normally keep the eastern Mediterranean fairly cool at this time of year. “Since 2003, the forests of the Mediterranean basin, though perfectly adapted to drought, are suffering,” said Daniel Vallauri, a specialist in forestry for the World Wide Fund. “There are fewer leaves, a loss of fertility. The fauna and flora will have to adapt or migrate elsewhere.” (Source: The Hindu 24/07/07) NATIONAL Freight train kills 2 elephants Two elephants - a calf and a nine-year-old were killed after a freight train knocked them down near Deepor Beel, a bird sanctuary in Assam while crossing the railway track. In 2004, three elephants were knocked down by a freight train near the same stretch. Chief Wildlife Warden M.C. Malakar said preliminary investigations showed that the train was Mruthika / July-August 2007 / 1

moving at a speed of 40 km per hour. The driver told the forest officials that the accident occurred about three km. away from the earmarked speed restriction zone where the highest speed limit is 25 km per hour. Besides, as there was a curve, the engine headlight could not illuminate the zone where the herd was crossing the track. When the driver applied the brakes it was too late and the train hit the two elephants. In the impact of the collision, two wheels of the locomotive came off. Railway officials, who reached the spot immediately, informed the forest officials. They insisted that the Forest Department should keep the Railway Authorities posted regularly on elephant corridors and movement so that timely action was taken to lower the speed to avoid tragedies. (Source: The Hindu 11/08/07) Wind up Forest Bench: Centre The Centre, in an application filed in the Supreme Court, has sought a direction to wind up the ‘Forest Bench,’ constituted in 1996 and headed by the Chief Justice of India. The Bench, set up to prevent the depletion of forest wealth, has served its purpose. “The country has been witnessing a general uptrend in forest cover in the recent decades, which is remarkable. But for active government intervention, the forest resources could have declined very fast.” The application is a sequel to differences which arose between the Centre and the Court in last December over the composition of the Forest Advisory Committee as well as appointment of its members. The Centre questioned the Court jurisdiction in interfering with the functions of the government. Pointing out that various high-power committees set up by the court from time to time interfered with the executive functions of the Government, the application said the Bench should be wound up and all executive functions should be carried out by the Central and State Forest Departments. The Centre said the Bench had been relying heavily on the views of non-experts in forestry in spite of availability of a rich scientific pool, which could undertake rigorous studies and offer sound technical advice. Citing experience, the Centre said that often these committees had neglected, even purposely denigrated, the efforts of the State and Central Governments at conservation and development of forests, thereby misleading the court. “If these weaknesses/fallacies are allowed to prevail, they might lead the forests to a 2 / Mruthika / July-August 2007

situation of extreme risk, which is the opposite of the purpose for which the court intervened in the matter in the first instance.” (Source: The Hindu 21/07/07) Himachal Pradesh to allow hunting of wild boar The Himachal Pradesh Forest Department (FD) has sent a proposal to the government to allow hunting of wild boar to deal with the problem of ‘exponential growth’ in their population. If approved, a permit would be issued for three weeks to anyone, including non-Himachalis, to kill a maximum of 10 wild boars. Each boar killed would entail a fee of Rs 500 and the meat can be consumed by the hunter. The move that comes in response to continued complaints by farmers about damage to crops and demands to do something about the problem is expected to be notified soon by the State Government. The move has however raised concerns of indiscriminate poaching in a state where hunting is already said to be rampant. Scientists at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have said that there is a need to follow a scientific approach in the matter and the first step for that would be to conduct a survey of the number of boars and the carrying capacity of the forests to determine how many can be killed in a particular area. It has also been suggested that the killing, if permitted, should be under the supervision of forest staff and that the exercise should be conducted by marksmen hired by the government for the purpose. (Source : PA Update Aug 2007)

STATE

Central ‘clearance’ for Athirappilly project opposed The Chalakudy River Protection Forum on Monday protested against the environmental clearance for the 163 MW Athirappilly hydel project. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) reportedly gave clearance for the project on July 18. The Forum plans to stage a dharna in front of the Thrissur Collectorate on August 16 and to seek legal options to prevent construction of the proposed dam. The Kerala High Court in 2001 had directed the Kerala State Electricity Board and the MoEF to fulfill procedures for environmental clearance, including a Printed and published by World Wide Fund for Nature - India, Kerala State Office, MRA102, Kamalalayam, C.O. Madhavan Road, Vanchiyoor P.O., Thiruvananthapuram - 35, Phone: 04712302265, E-mail: [email protected]

public hearing when the MoEF had cleared the project in 1998. A public hearing was held at the Thrissur Town Hall on February 6, 2002. The project was again cleared by the MoEF on February 10, 2005, on the basis of a report by Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) Limited (WAPCOS). On March 23, 2006, the Kerala High Court quashed the clearance and ordered another public hearing. A public hearing held on June 15, 2002, drew protests against the proposed dam. The Expert Committee on River Valley Projects, led by P. G. Sastri, visited Athirappilly on April 12 this year. Environmentalists told the Committee that the proposed project had several disadvantages, which included destruction of forest land that was home to rare flora and fauna; ecological problems out of the submergence of the only remaining riparian forests at such altitude in the entire Western Ghats; damage to the vital elephant corridor between the Parambikulam sanctuary and the Pooyamkutty forests and the Athirappilly waterfalls; displacement of Kadar tribesmen; depletion of irrigation and drinking water resources in 19 panchayats and two municipalities. (Source: The Hindu 31/07/07) PTR losing trained forest personnels The increased stress on sandalwood forest protection in the State has eclipsed the tiger conservation activities of the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR), the only tiger reserve in the State. Though PTR is better positioned than most other tiger reserves in the country in terms of conservation and infrastructure facilities, it has not been able to retain the cream of trained forest officials, said senior forest officials. Of late, the Reserve has become the recruitment ground for officers and guards to other territorial divisions of the State. The reserve loses foresters and range officers to territorial divisions on completion of the training. It is mostly to Marayur, the sandalwood area, that the cream of the team is deployed from the reserve. “It is true that most of the trained and efficient staff are picked from the PTR by the territorial divisions”, said Bennichen Thomas, Field Director, Periyar Tiger Reserve. This may be due to the impression that there is no poaching of tigers here. Unlike other reserves in the country, the PTR has a better track record and the whole country looks up to the PTR model of tiger conservation, he said. (Source: The Hindu 13/08/07) State to evolve disaster management policy Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran has said that the

State will soon evolve a disaster management policy. He told The Hindu that the decision was taken at the maiden meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) under the chairmanship of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan here on Thursday. ViceChairman of the National Disaster Management Authority General N.C. Vij attended the meeting.Mr. Rajendran said experts and representatives from different agencies to be involved in disaster management activities would be requested to join the initiatives for the formulation of the policy. Speaking at the meeting, the Chief Minister said effort would be made to identify areas in the State which were prone to landslips and evolve appropriate safety strategies. He said there was need for introducing disaster management in the educational curriculum, as well as to create public awareness on related issues. The officials of various agencies must not only be sensitised to the disaster management programmes but also be equipped adequately to act in critical situations. Mr. Rajendran said the State requested Gen. Vij to persuade the Centre to include lightning and sea erosion in the list of natural calamities for which Central assistance would be provided for carrying out relief operations. (Source: The Hindu 06/07/07) Action against houseboats operating against Pollution Control Board norms In the wake of increase in pollution in the lake and the spread of diseases in Alappuzha district, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) is preparing to take action against houseboats that lack arrangements to check pollution and are operating without PCB clearance. The Lok Ayukta had issued orders directing that a waste treatment plant be set up for treating the waste in the bio-tanks of the houseboats. But the houseboat owners were reluctant to implement the order. There was a proposal to set up such a plant at Punnamada in Alappuzha district. The PCB feels any demand for further extension of the deadline is unjustifiable. It is convinced that because of the present situation, the houseboats continue to pollute Vembanad Lake and the inland waterways that already face serious problems of pollution. This has forced the PCB to take steps to protect the lake and the waterways. (Source: Kerala Travels.com 02/08/07)

Mruthika / July-August 2007 / 3

EXCLUSIVE ARTICLE FOR WORLD INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY 2007 World’s Indigenous People’s Day All over the world the indigenous peoples are struggling for existence. In this context in 1994, the General Assembly of United nations declared that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People shall be observed on August 9th. Its aim is to strengthen international cooperation for solving problems faced by native first people, their human rights, the environment, culture, education and health. Here follows the significant portion of the declaration: ‘Bearing in mind that one of the purposes of the United Nations, as set forth in the Charter, is the achievement of international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion, Recognizing the value and diversity of the cultures and the forms of social organization of the world’s indigenous people, Recalling its resolution 48/163 of 21 December 1993, by which it proclaimed the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, commencing on 10 December 1994, Conscious of the need to improve the economic, social and cultural situation of the indigenous people, with full respect for their distinctiveness and their own initiatives, Reaffirming that the goal of the Decade is to strengthen international cooperation for the solution of problems faced by indigenous people in such areas as human rights, the environment, development, education and health, Recalling that, beginning in the first year of the Decade, one day of every year shall be observed as the International Day of Indigenous People, Welcoming the recommendation of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities of the Commission on Human Rights that the International Day be observed every year on 9 August, that date being the anniversary of the first day of the meeting of the Working Group in 1982..’ Indigenous Peoples Earth Charter (1992) declares that “We the indigenous people walk to the future in the footprints of our ancestors. From the smallest to the largest living being, from the four directions, from the air, the land and the mountains, the creator has placed 4 / Mruthika / July-August 2007

us, the indigenous people upon our mother the Earth.” Who are the Indigenous people? 1.’The word INDIGENOUS has many meanings. In every region of the world, many different cultural groups live together and interact. But not all of these groups are considered indigenous or inherent to their particular geographic area. In fact, it is only in the face of a collective or shared sense of identity that the term indigenous people have been internationally recognized.’ 2.’ Indigenous people live in every region of the world. They live in climates ranging from Arctic cold to Amazon heat, and often claim a deep connection to their land and natural environment. For many indigenous people, the natural world is a valued source of food, health, spirituality and identity. Land is both a critical resource that sustains life and a major cause of struggle and even death.’ And what is their worldviews? We can see the indigenous idea of Sioux, Navajo, and Iroquois in 1978 declaration as follows: “Our roots are deep in the lands where we live. We have a great love for our country, for our birthplace is here. The soil is rich from the bones of thousands of generations. Each of us was created on these land and it is our duty to take great care of them, because from these land will spring the future generations of our people. We walk about with great respect, for the Earth is a very Sacred Place.” Reference: 1.UN declaration in 1994 2.Indigenous peoples web site 3.Survival international web site. DR.C.R.Rajagopalan, Centre for Indigenous Knowledge Studies, Kanimangalam P.O., Thrissur, Kerala 680027

SPECIES OF THIS ISSUE Malabar tree nymph (Idea malabarica) The Malabar Tree Nymph is a beautiful butterfly which is endemic to the Western Ghats region lying south of Goa. One can commonly come across these fairies during the monsoon months of June, July and August in wet evergreen forests. Groups of variable numbers of these fascinating creatures allure us to the lofty tree canopies, where they usually spend the major portion of their days. The translucent, buttery

rate of increase has almost halved since its peak, which was reached in 1963, of 2.2 percent per year. The world’s population is expected to reach over 9 billion by the year 2050.

The 15 most populous nations

white wings of this butterfly are interspersed with large black spots and the outer margins of the wings are characterized with black streaks. The pattern is same on both the dorsal and ventral sides. The pattern of veins is distinct due to the black colouration along it. It is a large butterfly and the size is observed to range from 12 to 16 centimeters. The flight of the Malabar Tree Nymph is stunningly impressive and it may be regarded as one of the slowest butterflies of India. In the canopies, they float like pieces of white papers dropped from the sky. The wings are flapped effortlessly at alternating time intervals and descend is done by gliding gently. The combination of this angelic flight and charming beauty has earned it the vernacular name ‘Vana Devatha’. The courtship display is spectacular in which the male chases the female zestfully. Once the female finally settles on a comfortable position, the mating ritual commences. The male flutters and dances above the female, touching and receding from it for some time. Then at the climax, ejaculation takes place. The caterpillars feed on Aganosma cymosa and Parsonsia spiralis plants. Varun T. FACTS ON POPULATION As July 11th is observed as Wold Population Day, let us look into some figures……. The world population is the total number of humans on Earth at a given time. In September, 2007, the world’s population is believed to have reached over 6.6 billion. In line with population projections, this figure continues to grow at rates that were unprecedented before the 20th century, although the

Sl.No Nation

Population

% (about) of world population

1.

China

1.32 billion

20

2.

India

1.12 billion

17

3.

United States 300 million

4.6

4.

Indonesia

225 million

3.5

5.

Brazil

186 million

2.8

6.

Pakistan

165 million

2.5

7.

Bangladesh

147 million

2.3

8.

Russia

143 million

2.2

9.

Nigeria

135 million

2.1

10.

Japan

128 million

2.0

11.

Mexico

108 million

1.7

12.

Philippines

86 million

1.3

13.

Vietnam

84 million

1.3

14.

Germany

82 million

1.3

15.

Egypt

75 million

1.2

(Source: wikipedia.org) ACTIVITIES OF WWF-INDIA, KERALA STATE OFFICE 1. Friday Forums Friday forum, the monthly interactive forum for school/ college students of Thiruvananthapuram was conducted at Museum Auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram on 6th July and 1st August 2007. As July 11th is the World Population Day, the topic and discussion for July was on Population and Youth. The topic was presented by Dr.P.Mohanachandran Nair, Reader, Dept. of Demography, University of Kerala. About 300 students from six different education institutions participated in the programme. Friday forum in the month of August was attended by 180 school students. As August 9th is being observed as the International Day for Indigenous people, the topic for this Friday forum was Indigenous People of India. Dr.Ajithkumar from Dept. of Malayalam, MG Mruthika / July-August 2007 / 5

College presented the topic with few film clippings. He narrated how the social system has created different indigenous people based on their job. The traditional practices and rituals followed by certain indigenous groups of Kerala were briefed and screened. He highlighted the importance of keeping the essence of each group. The interactive sessions which followed these presentations was very active with the questions and doubts from the side of participants.

2. World Population Day 2007 World Population Day 2007 was observed by WWFIndia, Kerala State Office on 11th July 2007 at VTM NSS College, Dhanuvachapuram. It was inaugurated by Dr.T.B. Balachandran Pillai, Principal of VTM NSS College in a function presided over by Mr. Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director of WWF-India. About 150 students from five different schools and colleges attended the programme.

Following the inaugural session, Dr.Lakshmanan, Physician, Social and Preventive Medicine, PRS Hospital delivered a lecture on ‘Population and Youth’. Dr. Lakshmanan started the talk with the history of census, demographical scenario of the world, India and Kerala. He stressed that the role of youth in managing 6 / Mruthika / July-August 2007

population with respect to depleting natural resources, under the situations of global climate change is of more significance. The second session was on Population and Natural Resources by Mr. Renjan Mathew Varghese. A quantity and quality wise analysis of impact of booming population on the natural resources was highlighted in this session. The social as well as cultural changes happening due to this in our immediate surroundings were also pointed out. 3. Nature Club Advisers Meetings Chengannur A meeting of Nature Club Advisers was called at SN College, Chengannur on 16 th July 2007. The objective of the meeting was to discuss about the implementation of Green Gathering for Nature Clubs and about the possible Nature Club activities. The meeting was attended by Principal and Nature Club Advisers of SN College, Chengannur, TKMM College, Nangyarkulangara and Sri Ayyappa College, Eramallikkara. Ottappalam Nature Club Advisers meeting of Palakkad district was held at NSS Training College, Ottappalm on 9th August 2007. Education Officer briefed on the strategy of district level coordination system and the capacity building programme for District Coordinators held at Ernakulam. Dr.Sreeranjithkumar and Sri.Dinesh Palakkad were nominated as District Coordinators for Palakkad. Following the introduction, Dr.Sreeranjith kumar further led the meeting after brief discussion on activities of each Nature Club in the previous year. The meeting decided to conduct a series of awareness programmes at district level. The meeting came to an end with presentations on NC activities by Education Officer and another presentation on e - waste management by Dr. Sreeranjitkumar. 4. The International Polar Year (IPY) Competitions WWF-India, Kerala State Office coordinated the IPY competitions in the State. About 72 schools participated in the programme. The International Polar Year is jointly being celebrated by WWF-India and National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Ministry of Earth Sciences, from March 1, 2007 to March 1, 2009. This period therefore affords an opportunity to engage in the upcoming generation of Young Earth System Scientist and to get the public to realize the importance of polar regions and its

influence on our lives. As part of the celebration, students from schools across the nation were invited to take part in the competitions planned for both the years. This includes activities like poster and slogan writing, stamp designing and project preparations for different category of students on various themes. 5. Teachers Training Workshops (TTW) organized jointly with CPREEC, Chennai TTW at Ernakulam on 3rd & 4th August 2007 A Teachers Training Workshop was conducted at Ernakulam on 3rd and 4th August 2007 targeting a special group of teachers who has been coordinating nature clubs at district level. So this workshop envisaged multi level outputs. Sri.A.V.George, Chairman of WWF-India, Kerala State Committee inaugurated the workshop which was attended by twenty teachers from various districts of the state. Sri. Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director gave an

introductory note on the objective of the workshop and the need to expand the network of WWF in the State to take up local level activities. The technical sessions during the workshop included Environment and Mind, Running Nature Clubs – Constraints, Challenges and Solutions, Guidelines for district level coordination system and Grass root level activities for nature clubs and few other activity sessions and discussions. The sessions were led by Sri.Radhakrishnan from One Earth One Life, Sri.J.Murali, Southern Regional Coordinator, Mr.C.Sunilkumar, State Committee Member and Sri. A.K.Sivakumar, Education Officer from WWF-India. The workshop came to an end with the preparation of an action plan at district level. The common programmes planned were Nature Club Advisers Meeting, Green Gathering, commemoration of environmentally significant days and campaigns on local environmental issues.

TTW at NSS Training College Ottappalam on 10th August 2007

Teachers Training Workshop was conducted for the school teachers of Palakkad and Malappuram districts on 10 th August 2007 at NSS Training College, Ottappalam. The objective of the workshop was to enable the school teachers to spread the message of nature conservation and environmental protection through conducting environment education activities and running nature clubs. First, the introductory session was utilized for introducing the concept of Environment Education, the rationale of this workshop and the output expected by the organizers. The technical sessions on “Significance of Nature Conservation and Environment Education”, “How to run Nature Clubs?” and “Methods of Ecosystem Interpretation” were led by Sri.Guruvayurappan, Coordinator of WPSI- South India, Ms.M.V.Aswathy and Mr. A.K.Sivakumar. Based on these sessions, the participants were asked to prepare a draft action plan for this academic year with an objective to ensure their as well as their students participation in environment education and conservation activities. 6. Interaction with members of Aashraya Mathrubhoomi study circle at Palakkad Mr. A.K.Sivakumar, Education Officer had an interactive session with the members of Aashraya unit of Mathrubhoomi Study Circle at Thathamangalam, Palakkad on 12.08.07. Twenty-two school and college students attended this session and interacted on various aspects of nature conservation and environmental protection. They were eager to know more about WWF-India’s activities at national and state level. Mruthika / July-August 2007 / 7

STAFF PROFILE A.V. George, Chairman A.V. George has been having long years of association with WWF and he has served as State Committee Member for several terms. As of 2005, he is the Chairman of the Kerala State Committee. Mr. George is a leading businessman heading the reputed A.V.G Group of Companies based in Kottayam. He is a great environmentalist and nature lover and has been supporting many environmental causes. Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director Renjan Mathew Varghese joined WWF -India Kerala State Office as the State Director in January 2006. He has his Master’s in Environment Management from Mahatma Gandhi University and Post Masters in Natural Resource Management from Indian Institute of Forest Management. He has over 7 years of experience in the field of wetland and forest ecosystem studies, GIS applications, EIA, PRA Techniques etc. He has been involved in various major projects and was the team leader for the World Bank assisted project of ‘Survey and Inventory of Wetlands of Kerala for Sustainable Utilisation of Resources’. A.K. Sivakumar, Education Officer Mr. Sivakumar has completed his B.Ed in Natural Science. He has also completed ‘Certificate Course in Conservation Biology’ from ATREE, Bangalore and is presently pursuing Diploma in EE at BVIEER, Pune and MPA from IGNOU. Since 2000 he has been leading the environment education programmes of Kerala State Office like initiation of nature clubs, nature camps, seminars, teachers training workshops etc. He has traveled to almost all the wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in Kerala. He is a good expert on butterfly and birds and has been involved in various surveys and census programmes concerning wildlife. Sreejith A., Project Officer Sreejith is an agriculture graduate and has also completed his MBA in Project Management. Since 2006 he is working with the Kerala State Office in handling the various ongoing projects and also in formulating new project proposals. He is an expert on pest control. He has experience in working with AHADS, Agriculture Department and various other NGOs in the State. He has attended various professional training programmes too. Raghu K., Area Sales Manager Raghu joined WWF, Kerala State Office in 2006 as the Area Sales Manager for promotion of sales and fund raising which goes a long way in supporting conservation programmes. He is a post graduate and

right after his education he has turned to the field of marketing and sales. He has very good experience with major companies like Standard Press (India) Pvt Ltd, Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt Ltd, The Hindu, Higginbothams and so on. Pushpakumari L., Accts and Admn Officer Ms. Pushpakumari has been attached with WWF Kerala State Office right from its start in 1986. She is a graduate in Economics and has technically qualified in typewriting, computer operations and accounting softwares. She is presently looking after the day to day accounts maintenance and other records keeping and also necessary communication with the WWF Secretariat. Harish Kumar, Office Attendant Harish Kumar joined WWF in 1998 and since then he has been working as the Office Attendant looking after various day to day activities of the office like ‘Green File’ from paper cuttings, reprography services, support to other staff in programmes outside the office etc.

nature education camps Camp duration : 3 Days (flexible) Camp Fees : Rs. 600/(This includes food, accommodation, resource materials, entry fee, local travel etc. Video camera fees and travel between your starting point and camp site is not covered) Camp Sites Kallar - Ponmudi Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary/ Thenmala Vazhachal Forests Chimmoney Wildlife Sanctuary Siruvani Forests Periyar Tiger Reserve Eravikulam National Park Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary Thirunelly Forests Nilambur Forests Vembanad Wetlands Tholpetty/ Muthanga Forests Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary. Camp Activities Bird/Butterfly/Wildlife watching Ecosystem Interpretation Nature Games Multimedia presentations Discussions Interactive sessions Socio- economic surveys Feel the Nature Feel the River

EDITORIAL BOARD Mr. A.V. George Mr. Renjan Mathew Varghese Mr. A.K. Sivakumar

Computer Graphics: Soft & Soft, Sasthamangalam, Phone: 9447451314, Printed at: G.K.Printers, Kochi

8 / Mruthika / July-August 2007