Mahua flowers empower tribal women from Odisha

Mahua flowers empower tribal women from Odisha to earn their living 

Annual average production of mahua flowers in the country is around 45,000 tonnes and mahua is an important source of employment for tribal women in Odisha providing 25-30 days of employment per year. While mahua flowers are mainly used for brewing local liquor, they are now becoming popular among tribal women in Odisha’s Kandhamal district. 

Most tribal women in the district are engaged in collecting mahua flowers from the jungle between February and April every year. As the Odisha Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation Limited, a state government-owned organisation did not procure the flowers, women were forced to sell the flowers to middlemen and the local traders, who would supply it to liquor manufacturers by buying them from the women at Rs 20-25 per kg and sell them to the liquor manufacturers at Rs 50-60 per kg.

However, all this changed after women attended a training held at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Nandurbar, Maharashtra, in February 2023 that helped them make use of mahua flowers to make  a range of products from laddus to cakes, jams, toffees etc. The training was facilitated by the district administration. Around 120 tribal women members of the state’s Van Dhan Vikas Kendras now prepare laddus, cakes, jam, toffees, pickles, squash, pakodas and biscuits using dry mahua flowers and supply them in the local market. Mahua laddus are in high demand compared to other products.

The initiative has changed the situation of women who are now empowered to earn on their own by making products from the flowers that have a high demand in the market.  Following this, tribal women from other states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Maharashtra have also started preparing several value-added products from mahua flowers and seeds (Down To Earth). 

Scientists develop a new toolkit to identify high conservation areas

An international team of scientists has developed a new decision-making tool to identify high conservation-value areas (HCVAs). The method consists of three main steps. The first involves drawing up a list of important species in a landscape using databases like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and ebird, literature surveys, field visits, and discussions with wildlife experts.

The second step involves visualisation of distribution patterns of the species (using spatial distribution models or SDMs) to assess suitable habitats for important species. The last step uses a spatial algorithm based analysis to study and identify areas that have the highest densities of the selected species.

The researchers have now identified HCVAs for 50 rare, endemic, and threatened species in the high altitude Changthang landscape in India using this tool where more than 60 percent of the total geographical area has been identified as suitable for conservation for these species, most of which falls outside the Changthang Wildlife sanctuary.

The researchers have recommended regular monitoring of these breeding and refuge sites to control  tourism and overgrazing, quarrying, sand mining and improper waste disposal and to track changes caused by climate or land-use changes (Mongabay India)

Developing adaptive capacities essential for building climate resilience: Study 

A fifteen year study by researchers from W-CReS (WOTR Centre For Resilience Studies) and Wageningen University (the Netherlands) on enhancing climate resilience in semi-arid farming systems looked at two case studies from Maharashtra to examine the effectiveness of interventions and their impact on agricultural productivity, water and soil and community well-being.

The study found that initial watershed development interventions in the studied areas resulted in intensified agriculture and altered cropping patterns, but at the cost of declining groundwater tables and deteriorating soil health over time, highlighting the limited success of conventional agricultural development in semi-arid regions.

Rather, the study found that neglecting the development of adaptive capacities and focusing solely on irrigation infrastructure without demand-side management exacerbated vulnerability to climate change in the long run. The study highlighted the importance of community engagement, capacity-building, and inclusive decision-making in promoting climate resilience (The Print).

Rising sea levels turn farmlands to mangroves in Ratnagiri

Around 37 percent of the Ratnagiri coastline has been found to be at the risk of erosion and high tide levels in Ratnagiri have risen by 5-6 centimetres since 1978, causing erosion of the beaches and damage to estuaries and flatlands. While the government has been building seawalls to keep erosion in check, the sea continues to invade private lands negatively affecting local biodiversity and livelihoods of people.

These changes have been attributed to sea level rise due to climate change, as well as anthropogenic activities like sand mining, construction of ports and harbours, barrages constructed across the coast, etc. 

According to the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) report, a global sea-level rise of 0.52–0.98 m is expected by 2100. This could further affect the coastal areas and result in submergence of the low-lying coastal areas. In Ratnagiri, this has been affecting the ridley turtle populations in the area. Increasing salinity has also been gradually leading to encroachment of farmlands by mangroves, that are known to act as buffers between the sea and the land, and protect the shorelines from damaging winds, waves and floods.

The Government of Maharashtra came out with the Mangrove Protection and Employment Generation Scheme in 2017 to promote mangrove-based livelihood opportunities like crab farming, bee-keeping, fish farming and eco-tourism, among others. Under the scheme, the government will provide subsidies, for individuals as well as collectives, to pursue mangrove-based livelihoods. 

Increase in mangroves could thus be turned into an opportunity, but many people are not aware of the scheme, which is why it has not taken off to the extent it could have. While it seems that mangroves will be the most abundant species in this coastal area, adapting by making a living out of such salt-tolerant species can provide a way out, think experts (Indiaspend).

Community based conservation key to protecting biodiversity in the northeast

Community Reserves (CRs), or protected areas managed by indigenous communities can greatly help in balancing conservation priorities and livelihood requirements of the communities, finds a study, which has examined the importance of CRs for the conservation of mammal species in Meghalaya.

Illegal logging, mining, shifting cultivation, population expansion have resulted in widespread habitat fragmentation and led to a decline in wild mammal populations in northeast India. This has also led to an increase in human-wildlife conflict in the region and further loss of biodiversity.

Agencies including the Forest Department are attempting to involve local populations in conservation. There are around 205 CRs in northeast India and despite being smaller in size they offer a refuge to many species that live in the landscape. Local folklore and taboos influence the conservation of the present mammalian species.

For centuries local communities have hunted all animals except few species with taboos and involving them in conservation through increasing their participation and awareness will be a great step forward, argues the study (Mongabay, India). 

 This is a roundup of important news updates from June 1 - June 15, 2023. Please read our policy updates here