Mruthika/ July-August 2016 / 1 July-August 2016 Newsletter of WWF - India, Kerala State Office 2016 NEWS LETTER KERALA FROM THE STATE DIRECTOR’S DESK We have initiated a project recently titled ‘Marine Turtle Conservation in Kerala’. In the earlier WWF project that covered the whole coastline of the country, we had made a comprehensive coverage of the locations along Kerala Coast from where Marine Turtles, namely Olive Ridley Turtles, have been reported. Through the data collection field exercise and interaction with the coastal community, we had got in touch with people along the Coast who are directly or indirectly involved in Marine Turtle Conservation. From our interactions, we understand that these people are from various walks of life – some auto rickshaw drivers, others painters, daily wage laborers, fishermen etc. They are attracted to the protection and conservation of the Marine Turtles only because of their genuine interest. In many areas, they are doing it willingly and voluntarily. Through our present project, we envisage to build the capacity of the Local Marine Turtle Conservation Groups (LMTCGs), especially youth coming newly into this field, and also improve the available infrastructure for better interpretation and education of the wider society. In this regard, we have identified six groups along Kerala Coast i.e. Naithal from Neeleswaram (Kasargod), Theeram in Kolavipalam (Kozhikode), Soorya Arts, Sports and Cultural Club in Thaikadapuram Beach, Chavakkad (Thrissur), Fighter’s Club in Blangad Beach, Chavakkad, Green Habitat in Chavakkad Beach and Green Roots Nature Conservation Forum in Thottapally (Alappuzha). From the initiation of the project itself, we are in discussion with these groups and it has taken a while to gain them into confidence. In detailed discussion with the group members, we have understood their operations along the Coast mainly during the turtle nesting season from October – March. We have been able to understand their various needs, identify the gaps and also suggest possible interventions to make their work more effective and efficient. In the coming days, we will be doing many activities along the Coast which will really take Marine Turtle Conservation along the Kerala Coast to a heightened level. Another major task that we have set forth on during this period is the Field Survey and Observations towards the Bird Atlas at district level. We have been assigned the responsibility of covering the three southern districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta. In Thiruvananthapuram, we are expected to cover around 156 non-forest cells during this season. Travancore Natural IMPORTANT NEWS ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE California’s giant trees cloned to combat climate change At the foot of a giant Sequoia in California’s Sierra Nevada, two Arborists stepped into harnesses and then inched up using ropes more than 20 storeys into the dizzying canopy of a tree that survived thousands of years, enduring drought, wildfire and disease. There, the Arborists clipped off tips of young branches to be hand-delivered across the country, cloned in a lab and eventually planted in a forest in some other part of the world. The two are part of a cadre of modern day Johnny Appleseeds who believe California’s Giant Sequoias and coastal Redwoods are blessed with some of the heartiest genetics of any trees on Earth and that propagating them will help reverse climate change, at least in a small way. (Source: The Hindu, 21 July 2016) History Society has come forward to partner with us in this venture. An initial meeting of expert birders were called for in our office and detailed discussions carried out on the methodology to be followed, areas to be covered etc. Based on preference of geographical location, a set of specific cells have been allotted to each expert birder. When going to the field, preferably in the early mornings from 6am – 10am, the expert birder can take along 1 or 2 amateur birders or youngsters and introduce them to the world of bird watching. So ultimately the field exercise is envisaged as a documentation exercise as well as a bird watching popularization exercise. The field staff of the Forests and Wildlife Department is also expected to give us any support required at the local level. Our Environment Education programmes are also going ahead full steam touching upon various themes and reaching to different segments of the society. We organized the International Tiger Day 2016 at TKM Arts & Science College, Kollam and this year the most surprising thing was that the College came to us and took the initiative to conduct the event. The Friday Forums and Sunday Bird Walks are also being organized regularly. As in previous years, the Nature Club Members of MGM School, Varkala took up the Beach Cleanup Campaign in Varkala Beach especially in the background of the Karkidaka Vavu Bali being conducted in this beach and the whole area being visited by thousands of the people on that day and fully being littered with pooja materials. The initiative of the MGM School and their students are really to be appreciated. WWF and CPREEC, Chennai has been able to come together to launch the WIPRO earthian programme in Kerala. Under this programme, interested schools and their students are expected to take up their own mini projects at their school level on the topics of ‘Water and Biodiversity Conservation’. An initial Teachers Training Workshop followed by a Students Orientation Workshop was organized in Thiruvananthapuram and the details and resource materials shared with the participants. The Senior Education Officer is also doing necessary follow- up with the participant schools. The City-level competition of Wild Wisdom Quiz 2016 was conducted at St. Mary’s School, Thiruvananthapuram where the School-level Winners of the Junior Category and Middle Category came together and competed for the City-level Winner title. With much planning and preparation, the event was conducted in the most efficient manner. Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director GLOBAL
2016
FROM THE STATE DIRECTOR’S DESK
We have initiated a project recently titled ‘Marine Turtle
Conservation in Kerala’. In the earlier WWF project that covered
the whole coastline of the country, we had made a comprehensive
coverage of the locations along Kerala Coast from where Marine
Turtles, namely Olive Ridley Turtles, have been reported. Through
the data collection field exercise and interaction with the coastal
community, we had got in touch with people along the Coast who are
directly or indirectly involved in Marine Turtle Conservation. From
our interactions, we understand that these people are from various
walks of life – some auto rickshaw drivers, others painters, daily
wage laborers, fishermen etc. They are attracted to the protection
and conservation of the Marine Turtles only because of their
genuine interest. In many areas, they are doing it willingly and
voluntarily. Through our present project, we envisage to build the
capacity of the Local Marine Turtle Conservation Groups (LMTCGs),
especially youth coming newly into this field, and also improve the
available infrastructure for better interpretation and education of
the wider society. In this regard, we have identified six groups
along Kerala Coast i.e. Naithal from Neeleswaram (Kasargod),
Theeram in Kolavipalam (Kozhikode), Soorya Arts, Sports and
Cultural Club in Thaikadapuram Beach, Chavakkad (Thrissur),
Fighter’s Club in Blangad Beach, Chavakkad, Green Habitat in
Chavakkad Beach and Green Roots Nature Conservation Forum in
Thottapally (Alappuzha). From the initiation of the project itself,
we are in discussion with these groups and it has taken a while to
gain them into confidence. In detailed discussion with the group
members, we have understood their operations along the Coast mainly
during the turtle nesting season from October – March. We have been
able to understand their various needs, identify the gaps and also
suggest possible interventions to make their work more effective
and efficient. In the coming days, we will be doing many activities
along the Coast which will really take Marine Turtle Conservation
along the Kerala Coast to a heightened level. Another major task
that we have set forth on during this period is the Field Survey
and Observations towards the Bird Atlas at district level. We have
been assigned the responsibility of covering the three southern
districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta. In
Thiruvananthapuram, we are expected to cover around 156 non-forest
cells during this season. Travancore Natural
IMPORTANT NEWS ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE
California’s giant trees cloned to combat climate change
At the foot of a giant Sequoia in California’s Sierra Nevada, two
Arborists stepped into harnesses and then inched up
using ropes more than 20 storeys into the dizzying canopy of a tree
that survived thousands of years, enduring drought, wildfire and
disease. There, the Arborists clipped off tips of young branches to
be hand-delivered across the country, cloned in a lab and
eventually planted in a forest in some other part of the world. The
two are part of a cadre of modern day Johnny Appleseeds who believe
California’s Giant Sequoias and coastal Redwoods are blessed with
some of the heartiest genetics of any trees on Earth and that
propagating them will help reverse climate change, at least in a
small way. (Source: The Hindu, 21 July 2016)
History Society has come forward to partner with us in this
venture. An initial meeting of expert birders were called for in
our office and detailed discussions carried out on the methodology
to be followed, areas to be covered etc. Based on preference of
geographical location, a set of specific cells have been allotted
to each expert birder. When going to the field, preferably in the
early mornings from 6am – 10am, the expert birder can take along 1
or 2 amateur birders or youngsters and introduce them to the world
of bird watching. So ultimately the field exercise is envisaged as
a documentation exercise as well as a bird watching popularization
exercise. The field staff of the Forests and Wildlife Department is
also expected to give us any support required at the local level.
Our Environment Education programmes are also going ahead full
steam touching upon various themes and reaching to different
segments of the society. We organized the International Tiger Day
2016 at TKM Arts & Science College, Kollam and this year the
most surprising thing was that the College came to us and took the
initiative to conduct the event. The Friday Forums and Sunday Bird
Walks are also being organized regularly. As in previous years, the
Nature Club Members of MGM School, Varkala took up the Beach
Cleanup Campaign in Varkala Beach especially in the background of
the Karkidaka Vavu Bali being conducted in this beach and the whole
area being visited by thousands of the people on that day and fully
being littered with pooja materials. The initiative of the MGM
School and their students are really to be appreciated. WWF and
CPREEC, Chennai has been able to come together to launch the WIPRO
earthian programme in Kerala. Under this programme, interested
schools and their students are expected to take up their own mini
projects at their school level on the topics of ‘Water and
Biodiversity Conservation’. An initial Teachers Training Workshop
followed by a Students Orientation Workshop was organized in
Thiruvananthapuram and the details and resource materials shared
with the participants. The Senior Education Officer is also doing
necessary follow- up with the participant schools. The City-level
competition of Wild Wisdom Quiz 2016 was conducted at St. Mary’s
School, Thiruvananthapuram where the School-level Winners of the
Junior Category and Middle Category came together and competed for
the City-level Winner title. With much planning and preparation,
the event was conducted in the most efficient manner.
Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director
GLOBAL
Iconic Tigress Machhli walks into history
Legendary Tigress Machhli, who was the world's oldest Tigress in
the wild, died in Ranthambhore National Park in Sawai Madhopur
district of Rajathan after a prolonged illness. She had stopped
eating for the last five days. She was 19 years old, while the
average age of a Tiger is 14 to 15 years. Also referred to as T-16,
the Tigress was named Machhli because of marks on her face which
resembled a fish. The celebrity Tigress was also the world's most-
photographed big cat and had a postage stamp and several
documentary films on her name. Wildlife lovers used to track her
movements through several Facebook pages dedicated to her. Machhli
played a significant role in populating the Ranthambhore Tiger
Reserve, as she was blessed with 11 cubs, including seven females
and four males.(Source: The Hindu, 19 Aug 2016)
Rare ‘Marbled Map’ butterfly sighted in Eastern Ghats
When a group of green enthusiasts were exploring the thick forest
of Eastern Ghats near P.M. Kota Village of Maredumilli Mandal in
East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, they were hoping to sight
some interesting flora and fauna. Little did they realise they
would stumble upon a butterfly species never before sighted in
south India. N. Chandramohan Reddy IFS, currently working
Freshwater biodiversity under threat
More than half of the endemic freshwater biodiversity in the Kerala
region of the Western Ghats could be inching towards extinction in
habitats outside protected areas, a recent study by an expert group
has revealed. The study published in the latest issue of Aquatic
Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, an international
journal, found that, around 130 species of freshwater-dependent
species including fish, amphibians, crabs, shrimps and odonates
were endemic to the region, with 33 species listed as Critically
Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable. More than half of the 130
species were not represented in the Protected Area (PA) network of
the State. The paper notes that native freshwater biodiversity
inside Protected Areas was exposed to multiple threats like
invasive alien species, damming of rivers and infectious diseases.
Although 62 endemic freshwater species occur inside the PA network,
they are rarely subject to species- specific management or
monitoring plans, it observes. (Source: The Hindu, 6 July
2016)
Clean water for all, 24x7
The United Nations discussed and passed a non-binding resolution to
set an agenda primarily to eradicate poverty and develop an action
plan for people, planet and prosperity, as it calls it. For this,
17 sustainable goals and 169 targets have been identified, set as a
target for the year 2030. The comprehensive website for the SDG
(Sustainable Development Goals) is at http://www.un.org/
sustainabledevelopment/. Of these goals, the one for water and
sanitation is SDG 6. Clean, accessible water for all is an
essential part of the world we want to live in. There is sufficient
fresh water on the planet to achieve this. But due to bad economics
or poor infrastructure, every year millions of people, most of them
children, die from diseases associated with inadequate water
supply, sanitation and hygiene. Water scarcity, poor water quality
and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security,
livelihood choices and educational opportunities for poor families
across the world.
SDG 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and
sanitation for all.
6.1 By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and
affordable drinking water for all.
6.2 By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation
and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special
attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable
situations. (Source: The Hindu, 16 July 2016)
as the Managing Director of A.P. Urban Greening and Beautification
Corporation Ltd., was on a “green walk” with his friends, when he
chanced upon the ‘Marbled Map’, a rare butterfly species usually
found in the north- east. According to the Book of Indian
Butterflies by Issac Kehimkar and published by Oxford University
Press, Marbled Map or Cyrestis cocles is listed as a “rare”
butterfly species confined to forested hills in the region between
Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bhutan and Myanmar.
(Source: The Hindu, 15 July 2016)
Two Leopards die due to suspected poisoning
Two Leopards died due to suspected poisoning near Hanchipura
Village close to the Omkara Range of Bandipur National Park on
Tuesday. Bandipur National Park Director Hiralal told The Hindu
that the Leopards were about one- year-old and one of them was a
melanistic variant and black in colour. The incident came to light
in the morning when one of the Leopards was found dead but another
was still gasping for breath and the Forest Department Staff
immediately tried to shift it to the hospital for treatment but it
died en route. (Source: The Hindu, 12 July 2016)
Eco-friendly transport in Kolkata’s Fort William
Battery operated rickshaws, locally called ‘Totos’ are allowed to
ply in Fort William, the headquarters of Eastern Command, for the
civilians to commute in the 177 acres campus. The initiative has
indeed benefited those who work in the Eastern Command — the former
and current employees — who routinely visit Fort William, located
on the eastern banks of the river Hooghly. The rickshaws ply from 8
am to 8 pm inside Fort William, which completes 235th year in 2016.
(Source: The Hindu, 13 July 2016)
Mruthika/ July-August 2016 / 3
SPECIES OF THE ISSUE
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t-NÀ-¶-m-W-v P-o-h-n-¡-p-¶-X-v. G-X-m-ï-v H-c-p a-o-ä-t-d-m-f-w
\-o-f-h-p-w 12þ18 kg h-s-c `-m-c-hpa-p-ï-m-I-p-w. ]-t-£
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through a lesser electricity bill and we had the luxury of a more
clean and green environment, not hampered by global warming and
climate change.
Now, with the so-called development, when we have given up all
these mechanical implements and replaced them with electrical and
electronic equipments, our body does not get the required exercise,
and we are entitled to blood sugar, hyper tension, cholesterol etc.
at the age of 40 itself. We sacrifice our sleep and get up at 5am
and go and walk or run in public parks and play grounds. We are so
much bogged down by our huge monthly electricity bills and every
day we face the imminent threat of global warming and climate
change with our increased energy consumption and subsequent energy
production. Is this really development? Weren’t our earlier
generations much wiser with their choices...
The latest trend to have malls and major shopping complexes to run
24*7 is another foolish step in the same direction. Few major
reasons why we should not allow this is because:
A developing society should have healthy people. For a person to
stay healthy, he or she should get average 6-8 hours of sleep.
Especially for our younger generation, who are already awake most
of the time with TV, internet, mobile, video games etc., let us not
push them too much further by giving the choice of spending whole
night in malls.
Everyday when we open the newspaper in the morning, we read many
stories of eve teasing, molestation, rapes, murders etc. And many
of these happen in the darkness of the night. Do we really want to
try our luck by extending more active hours into the night?
Malls are becoming hang-out places for boys and girls, including
senior school children, during the day time. The only consolation
the parents have is that the kid are home by evening or late
evening and is in the security of the home. Let us not sacrifice
the security of our kids.
I had read in an article sometime back that “Malls are becoming the
temples of modern Indian”. Kids and youngsters do not want to go to
temples, churches etc. Rather they want to spend time with family
and friends
Im«p]«n Wild Dog (Cuon alpinus)
Malls and major shopping complexes to be open 24 * 7 Some practices
in the past were really good……..
Just stop for a moment, think and reflect….just go back 20 years
back……..to a household in Kerala…… we used to have Ural and Ulakka
to powder things like rice…….. Aattukallu to make dosa dough…….
Ammikallu to grind things together like coconut, garlic, pepper,
chilly etc……. We have now given away all these things and replaced
them with electrical grinders, mixies etc. On one side, when all
these traditional home implements used to give us some good
physical exercise, on the other hand, it used to keep our energy
consumption much lesser, help us save money
4 / Mruthika/ July-August 2016
ACTIVITIES OF WWF-INDIA KERALA STATE OFFICE
in malls and shopping complexes which are the so-called happening
places in our culture now. Are we moving in the right
direction?
Malls and shopping complexes use a large amount of electricity for
their extravagant lighting, both exterior and interior, and for
operation of elevators, escalators etc. Kerala is already reeling
under deficit of power. We are trying to come up with more power
projects, to meet the increasing demand for power in our society,
with major negative impacts on nature and environment and we are
also looking at possibilities of buying power from other states
through the Central grid at a much higher cost. Do we really want
to worsen this situation by further increasing our power
consumption?
As malls and shopping complexes remain open, commuting will be more
and that too in private vehicles. We are still now totally
dependent on fossil fuels and the number of vehicles on the roads
are increasing exponentially which directly translates into more
carbon emissions. Let us keep our vehicle use less atleast in the
night and give our trees the space and freedom to convert carbon
dioxide into oxygen.
Should there be more reasons why we should keep our malls and
shopping complexes closed after 11pm? I am not the one to decide.
We need to think and take a collective decision. But make sure that
we do not regret in future.
Renjan Mathew Varghese Thiruvananthapuram
Marine Turtle Conservation along Kerala Coast
As part of the ongoing project supported by Johnson Lifts and
Escalators, Chennai, the State Director, Mr. Vinod Malayilethu,
Senior Co-ordinator, Marine Programme and Mr. Murukan Pareparambil,
Volunteer visited Neeleswaram on 7th July and Kolavipalam on 8th
July and had detailed interaction with the Local Marine Turtle
Conservation Groups (LMTCGs) to understand the present situation,
drawbacks, field level requirement with regard to local marine
turtle conservation efforts and look at ways by which these can be
addressed through the project. The requirements at the local level
from Nileswaram, Kolavipalam, Chavakkad and Thottapally have been
compiled and submitted to Mr. Vinod for final approval to move
ahead with the field-level implementation. The information
collected from the Local Marine Turtle Conservation Groups was
compiled into an excel sheet, discussed internally with regard to
the possible interventions within the framework of this project and
budgetary allocations carried out.
Bird Atlas in Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram Bird Atlas had a royal start with 42 bird
watchers, including expert birders and budding bird watchers. The
district-level inauguration was held in front of the Kawdiar
Palace, which in itself is one of the sampling sites, at 7.30 am.
Sri. C.S. Yalakki IFS, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests
(Social Forestry) inaugurated
the survey in presence of Prince Adithya Varma and his wife Smt.
Resmi Varma, also a bird enthusiast. Two sessions of birding was
done within the palace premises resulting in the sighting of 14
species of birds. The ‘Pocket Guide to Birds of Kerala’ was
released by Prince Adithya Varma. Renjan Mathew Varghese, State
Director of WWF-India, Sri.J.R. Ani, Asst. Conservator of Forests,
Sri. Ramesh M.B. of TNHS and
Activity 2: Make your own water filter! You need: • A large clear
bottle, preferably a discarded one. • Two clear jars or beakers, •
Cotton Wool, • Clean, Washed sand • Clean, Washed gravel, • Paper
napkin/ towels, • Garden Soil, • An old Spoon, • Scissors
Method: Carefully cut the bottom off the bottle, turn it upside
down and plug the neck with cotton wool. Put a thick layer of
clean, washed gravel on top of the cotton wool followed by a thick
layer of clean, washed sand. Cut out the circle of paper towel and
lay it on top of the sand and let your filter stand on top of a
clean jar or beaker. Mix two or three spoonfuls of garden soil with
some water in the separate jar and stir it thoroughly. Slowly pour
this muddy water onto the disc of paper towel in your filter.
Observe the water that comes out of your filter.... isn't it
sparking clean!!! Yes
Mruthika/ July-August 2016 / 5
Sri. A.K.Sivakumar, Coordinator of the Survey spoke on the
occasion. The wider bird documentation programme is going on at a
faster mode across the district under the leadership of 12 expert
birders. The combined effort resulted in 75% of the area beign
covered in this month itself. All the leading volunteers are in the
field on most of the holidays accompanied with one or two
volunteers. They went into each preselected sample cells and
collected 2 sets of observations for 15 minutes each. The
observations were very interesting and actually it was a learning
process for everyone involved in this programme
Friday Forum
Friday Forum, the regular monthly open forum for students to
discuss environment related issues was held on 8th July 2016 at
Museum Auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram and was the first of this
academic year. Dr.S.Sudevan from Indian Meteorological Department,
Thiruvananthapuram led the session on Monsoons of Kerala &
Water Conservation. Around 89 students from 3 schools attended the
progrgamme.
Friday Forum in August was held on Friday 5th August 2016 at Museum
Auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram and was the second of this academic
year. Sri.Baiju, Programme Officer, Centre for Environment and
Development, Thiruvananthapuram led the session on ‘Solid Waste
Management’. Around 120 students and their Teachers from 4 schools
attended the programme.
Sunday Bird Walk
Sunday Bird Walk of July was held on 17th July at Kallar Forests.
Sixteen bird enthusiasts attended the programme and observed 42
species of birds including Indian Cuckoo, Pompadour Pigeon, Fairy
Blue bird, Crested Tree Swift etc.
Observation of International Tiger Day 2016 at TKM College,
Kollam
Kerala State Office observed the International Tiger Day 2016 at
TKM College, Kollam on 29th July 2016 in association with Social
Forestry Extension Unit, Kollam and the College. The programme was
inaugurated by Sri. Shahal Hassan Musaliyar, Chairman of the
College Trust. He released a set of Tiger Conservation Posters
with
captions in Malayalam. The session on ‘Vanishing Stripes – issues
and concerns of Tiger Conservation’ was led by Sri. Renjan Mathew
Varghese, State Director, WWF-India. Following this, the
documentary ‘India - Land of the Tiger’ was screened.
A.K.Sivakumar, Senior Education Officer mastered an interactive
quiz competition exclusively on Tigers. Around 120 students from
various classes attended
6 / Mruthika/ July-August 2016
the programme and discussed and deliberated on the hard fact that
“our remaining few Tigers and their shrinking habitats needs to be
protected at any cost”. The posters prepared by WWF-India in Hindi
on addressing Human- Tiger Conflict was translated into Malayalam
to be used for the observation of the International Tiger Day by
the Western Ghats Landscape Team. All India Radio took an audio
bite of the State Director on the Present Status and Issues of
Tigers to be aired on the morning of International Tiger Day
2016.
Beach Cleanup at Varkala Beach
Following the previous year, the Nature Club Members of MGM School,
Varkala did a great job showing their commitment towards Mother
Earth and society by cleaning up the entire length of Papanasam
Beach at Varkala littered with banana leaves, flowers, plastic and
other pooja materials left over by thousands of people who had
visited the area the previous day as part of Karkkidaka Vavu. The
Municipality was also part of the programme this year. It was
advised by WWF-India to collect the waste in a segregated manner to
analyze the major components and make a strategy to reduce and
properly dispose it in the coming years.
Teachers Training Workshop (TTW) on Sustainability Education
The WIPRO earthian 2016 programme was launched in the Capital City
of Kerala under the initiative of WWF- India with the support of
C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre (CPREEC), Chennai through a
Teachers Training Workshop on 9th August held at Museum Auditorium
in which 45 Teachers from 35 schools in the district
attended. The workshop had two technical sessions on ‘Water and
Sustainability’ and ‘Biodiversity’ which were led by Renjan Mathew
Varghese, State Director and A.K.Sivakumar, Senior Education
Officer of WWF- India. The Teachers and students were briefed about
the objectives, themes, methodology and expected outcome of the
programme by Sri.U.T.Arasu of CPREEC. WIPRO earthian was
represented in the workshop by Ms. Arathy Hanumanthappa who
presented a national picture of the programme and its achievements
over the years.
Follow up orientation for WIPRO earthian 2016
As requested by the Teachers who had participated in the WIPRO
earthian 2016 TTW, another follow up programme was conducted for
students of the participant schools on 16th August at the Museum
Auditorium in Thiruvananthapuram. Around 40 students participated
in the orientation programme in which the project outline and
frameworks were explained to them on the themes of Water
Conservation and Biodiversity. Now, the students are expected to
submit their projects by 15th October 2016. The projects will be
evaluated by a national panel of experts for its innovativeness,
methodology, outcome and creativity with regard to the final
representation in the form of the project report which can
incorporate poems/ songs, photos and videos, charts and diagrams
etc.
Mruthika/ July-August 2016 / 7
Wild Wisom Quiz 2016
The City-level competition of the 9th edition of Wild Wisdom Quiz
culminated in St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School, Pattom at
Thiruvananthapuram with Master. Siddhant Gokhale & Sharun Akash
of Atomic Energy Central School, Kudamkulam emerging as the
City-level Winners. In the quiz competition held right from morning
8am and extending up to 4pm, organized into two categories of
Junior and Middle, totally 33 teams competed in the Junior category
and 47 teams in the Middle category. Mas. Joshua John Darvy and
Muhammad Shahansha of Vimala Public School, Thodupuzha and Hrudaya
R. Krishnan and Hrudayesh R. Krishnan of St. Thomas HSS won the
second and third place. The quiz was mastered by Prof. E.
Kunhikrishnan, noted environmentalist and quizzer of Kerala. Mr.
S.Radhakrishnan, Deputy Director (Wildlife Education), Kerala
Forests and Wildlife Department, Mr. Renjan Mathew Varghese, State
Director, WWF-India and Mr. A.K. Sivakumar, Senior Education
Officer, WWF-India were present all through the event and addressed
the participants.
Article on Integrated Water Resource Management
An article titled ‘Integrated Water Resource Management’ has been
prepared and translated into Malayalam and shared with Pampa
Parirakshana Samithi based on their special request to be included
in the Souvenir that they are planning to release as part of the
celebration of completing 10 years.
Article on Tigers
An article titled ‘Increasing Tiger Numbers is a matter of great
pride for Kerala’ has been prepared and translated into Malayalam
and shared with Forestry Information Bureau (FIB) of Kerala Forests
and Wildlife Department to be included in their official magazine
Aranyam.
Mr. G. Vijaya Raghavan Mr. Renjan Mathew Varghese
Mr. A.K. Sivakumar
EDITORIAL BOARD
, . .
. Poster 1 of 5 of International Tiger Day 2016
.
Poster 4 of 5 of International Tiger Day 2016
. , , . . .
Poster 5 of 5 of International Tiger Day 2016
8 / Mruthika/ July-August 2016
Computer Graphics: Soft and Soft, Sasthamangalam, Phone:
9447451314, Printed at: New Multi Offset, TVPM.
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