) Evolving mechanisms for local level co financing and benefit sharing
Banks are the major source for co finance to SHGs. But the SHGs functioning have no knowledge of the requirements. The attitude of bank is also not promising. There is a district central cooperative bank. The district manager of the bank is associated with our organization and he will help in establishing the linkages with bank for co financing, in near future.
? Links with BNHS has been established. A letter on Nawegaon IBA status is sent to them. Mr Asad Rahmani has responded to it. He has promised to rectify the information on Nawegaon IBA by consulting our organization. We also have proposed to take the approach of clusters of water body in IBA of Nawegaon and their co relation. He has said that it will require time but will try to incorporate our suggestion.
? Links with Bargi bandh wisthapit sangh is established. The organization of societies in federation and regulations for fishing is their strength. But they are facing the problem of low production of fish and loss of vegetation, loss of indigenous fish species. They are also eager to know about the project in our area for freshwater biodiversity conservation. We both have mutually agreed to share knowledge and experiences.
Policy Impact
? Links with Bargi bandh wisthapit sangh is established. The organization of societies in federation and regulations for fishing is their strength. But they are facing the problem of low production of fish and loss of vegetation, loss of indigenous fish species. They are also eager to know about the project in our area for freshwater biodiversity conservation. We both have mutually agreed to share knowledge and experiences.
Replication of project activities
? ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬The forest employee?s cooperative society of Nawegaon Bandh has proposed the boating and water sports activity through contractor in Nawegaon Bandh tank. They have proposed this to Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) of Gondia. The DFO has forwarded their proposal to the Irrigation Department as the tank is in the jurisdiction of irrigation department. When we have came to know about the proposal we have organized a meeting with Fishing cooperative society of Nawegaon Bandh tank. They were not aware of such proposal. The effects of boating and water sports on tank, fishes, vegetation and on members of society were discussed in meeting. The society has then prepared the letter of protest against starting water sport and boating in Nawegaon tank and sent to Forest and Irrigation department. The society is in the process of taking the follow up steps
Notable Community Participation
As the proposed activities are directly concerned with livelihood of specific community - Dhiwar, the community will participate in all the activities. The revision of proposal was a consultative process supported under Maharashtra Gene Bank project. The project will also try to assess value of these freshwater systems for local people as well as its biodiversity value.
Policy Influence
It is felt that the planning grant helped the NGO to understand the issues in village, plan the actions to be undertaken in villages. It also helped the NGO to unlearn the actions in which the communities will contribute & how much.
Linkages gef projects
Links with BNHS has been established. A letter on Nawegaon IBA status is sent to them. Mr Asad Rahmani has responded to it. He has promised to rectify the information on Nawegaon IBA by consulting our organization. We also have proposed to take the approach of clusters of water body in IBA of Nawegaon and their co relation. He has said that it will require time but will try to incorporate our suggestion.
? Links with Bargi bandh wisthapit sangh is established. The organization of societies in federation and regulations for fishing is their strength. But they are facing the problem of low production of fish and loss of vegetation, loss of indigenous fish species. They are also eager to know about the project in our area for freshwater biodiversity conservation. We both have mutually agreed to share knowledge and experiences.
Capacity - Building Component
Project is proposed to develop two kinds of institutions ? Village level Resource Management Committee to overall discuss the issues of conservation and sustainable use. SHGs will be formed to actually undertake specific livelihood activities. It also aims to strengthen Fishermen?s Societies which are formed under Fisheries act.
) Capacity building of community based organizations and local governance systems
The SHGs require following capacities:
Record keeping
Auditing
Developing bank linkages
Study for starting enterprise
Developing market linkages
The needs for Gram sabha strengthening-
Organization of community in gram sabha in form of smaller groups
The information regarding the crucial acts, schemes, programmes like NREGA, Biodiversity Act and Forest Rights Act.
The roles and responsibilities of gram sabha members.
Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment
Regular visits to the Bergi Matsya Mahasangh and the Natural History society was conducted. A visit to the local Raipur market conducted for the villagers to create awareness.
Project sustainability
The project is sustainable as per the results we are getting.
we made common consensus on the issue of biodiversity conservation is not a simple task. But taking the approach of strengthening village resources for livelihood security has led to preparation of biodiversity conservation plan. Aspirations of the local community is the key factor for initiating any work
Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods
The steps for the growth of indigenous fishes in the tanks will be as follows.
The tank bed will be ploughed before rains to prepare it for plantation of aquatic plants.
Next step will be introduction of the big species of indigenous fishes. Earlier, the fast growing species are not introduced in the tank, especially Clarias batrachus. Only the naturally available small species were there. We are introducing the two big fish species in the tank. The breeding pairs of Clarias batrachus will be released in the tank in June. Whereas the fingerlings of Channa striatus will be released after one to two months, as in the water body without plants, this specie will not find the place to build its nest for breeding.
We will also improve the habitat in the water body. Plantation of different species of aquatic plants will solve different purposes. It will provide shelter to the smaller species and the young ones of introduced fish, from the predator species. It will also provide shelter from prey birds and bats. The plants will also provide the food and will support for the development of other life forms like frogs and other micro organisms, which are food of the introduced species.
Food supplement will be provided during the first one to two years, till the habitat development is going on. This food supplement means the very small species of fishes, which the introduced fishes are using as food and the decayed humus from streams and near by tanks. A bulb or petromax will be hanged during night for two to three months as Clarias batrachus is the insectivores specie.
The protection provided by people will also be helpful for the growth. The protection will be of two types. The waster weir and gates of tanks will be guarded during the overflow of tank by smaller fishing nets (locally called as jhorli). This intervention is very crucial as per the experiences of local fishermen. This will save half of the production. Another type of protection will be provided in the months of March and April, when the fish production will be ready for catch. Night guarding of tank will be done by the groups of three people each. These will be the members of SHG, who has taken the tank for production.
Gender Focus
Total 9 women and 1 men SHGs are functioning from 2 to 3 years in four project villages. They have not received any facilitation from any agencies to provide them the opportunities to go ahead. On the other hand, schemes of different departments have made the division of BPL and non BPL. They were nor able to identify their roles in social development and not in economical development. The convergence of all the groups at village level on common issues was also not possible due to these reasons. The Gram Panchayat members are also the part of community. The Gram Panchayat is not providing any capacity building opportunities for them, especially the information regarding using the developmental schemes. The Panchayat members and Sarpanch also have not proper information of the opportunities.
So the organization of community in the form of SHGs and Gram sabha is needed.
Planning non gef grant
we are also getting funds from other organizations which are very much interested and are coming forward with enthusiasm for the next projects.
Project Results
? Studied to Identify aquatic plants, and indigenous fish species and the process of its conservation.
? Also a detailed study was carried out to explore Fish product and opportunities available to improve it.
Identified species of fishes for conservation:
The two indigenous fish species, Channa striatus and Clarias batrachus are selected for conservation. These are endangered species. Earlier these species were present in all the tanks and rivers. Due to fishery policy of department, and high yield of imported varieties, no attention has been paid towards these species. Now these species have higher demand in the market but the supply is very minimal. It resulted in availability of these species in just few tanks. Protection will be given to these species. Along with it, the smaller indigenous species- Puntius ticto, Channa gachua, Rasbora daniconius, Mystus vittatus, Mystus montanus, Mystus galio, Puntius sarana sarana,Ompok binaculatus will also be protected in the tank. These species will get benefit of the habitat development in tank.
Identified species of plants for conservation:
The plant species Schenoplectus articulatus, Hydrilla verticillata, Nymphoides indica, Vallisneria spiralis are selected for plantation in the selected water bodies. The aquatic plants are important for people from the fishery point of view. The indigenous as well as high yield species use these plants as food and for nesting and hiding place. It was observed by people and birdwatchers that the availability of aquatic vegetation is directly related to the existence of water birds. The tanks in Bhandara and Gondia districts, where the vegetation is lost the waterfowl migration is also minimized or stopped. People have also observed that water availability in tank is also related to the amount of vegetation. The evaporation losses are minimized due to vegetation in tanks.
There are total 53 species of aquatic plants found in the area in the period of four months. The detail year long scientific documentation is started as some species occur for very short period.
Identified actions for intervention:
1) Conservation of economically important local fish species in selected water bodies:
Five tanks selected for conservation and production improvement. Wad bodi and Nav talsa of Jambhali, two Zilla Parishad bodi of Rampuri and a Zilla Parishad bodi, (Gaon bodi) in Yelodi are selected for the conservation of above mentioned fish and aquatic plant species.
