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Tamil Nadu
Protect, preserve: District Forest Officer S.Ramasubramanian speaking at a seminar on Conservation issues in Nilgris Biosphere, organised by a group of wildlife enthusiasts in Sathyamangalam on Friday. SATHYAMANGALAM: Man-animal conflicts, particularly with regard to elephants, in Sathyamangalam forest areas can be reduced and cheaper alternatives to protect crops are available, Raman Sukumar, an Indian Institute of Science professor and authority on Asian elephants, said. Speaking at a seminar-cum-workshop on ’Conservation Issues in the Nilgris Biosphere’, organised on Saturday by a group of wildlife enthusiasts in association with the District Forest Office, Sathyamangalam, he said the idea that elephants raided fields in the absence of food in the forest was not completely true. Sugarcane, ragi and maize give strength to the elephants and having tasted it once they had the habit of re-visiting the fields," he said. “ Moreover, elephants being intelligent, trenches and fences do not work for long,” he added. The author of ‘Elephant Days and Nights’ cited several instances to suggest that cheaper alternatives were available. "Elephants are averse to chilli powder, which when mixed with tobacco and engine oil makes a fantastic elephant-scaring concoction. Strings when soaked in the concoction and tied to poles chase away the elephants," he said and suggested to the District Forest Officer, Sathyamangalam, S. Ramasubramanian, that this can be tried in the forest division where instances of conflicts are high. On elephant corridors, Mr. Sukumar said elephants needed 1,000 sq.km a year, which is their home range. Such vast stretches were fast becoming scarce as fragmentation of forest land was on the rise. R. Bhanumathi from Pavai Centre for Puppetry, Chennai, said puppetry was a good tool to carry forward environment awareness. "Children as well as adults understood it better when the message was conveyed through puppetry," she said. N. Ramjee from the Centre for Environment Education, Chennai, talked about the need for sustainable development and how small, individual changes could make a difference to environment. "Switching off a unwanted light or fan athome will help save not only electricity but also coal and water used forgeneration. Multiplying the figure for a year for several thousand peoplewhich definitely bring in a qualitative change to the environment," he said. Mr. Ramasubramanian, DFO, said post-Veerappan the forest had been thrown open to all people to understand and conserve forests. Dr. V. Jeevanandham of Tamil Nadu Green Movement, Erode, said Dollar-driven perception towards environment had led to its damage and destruction. "It is no longer aquestion of development vs environment," he said and added that it should be sustainable development. He suggested convening a special programme for students to create awareness among tomorrow’s guardians of mother earth. Wildlife photographer T.R.A. Arunthavaselvan and environmentalist G. Christopher also participated.
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