Transcript Myristica swamps

Participatory approaches for ecological restoration of
Myristica swamps, central Western Ghats, India
Narasimha Hegde
with Snehakunja and Life Trust
team
[email protected]
Ecosystem services
Controlling ground water run off
Water purification
Provide special habitat for organisms
Raorchestes luteolus
Pseudophilatus amboli
Major threats to swamps
• Altering natural hydrologic regimes
• Pollution, introduction of exotic/invasive
species
• Land use change
• Pollinator decline
• Problems in seed dispersion
• Over harvesting of resources
Objectives
• Ecological restoration of Myristica swamps in Uttara
Kannada district, central Western Ghats India.
• Characterizing the swamp fragments and micro-corridors for
species composition, resource use, develop an enrichment
protocol for each of the micro-corridor with respect to the
species, frequency and geometry of planting
• Create micro-corridors by enrichment planting through
participatory approach, creation of new swamp populations habitat recovery
• Achieve a lasting restoration of the swamps
Methods
• Identification and mapping of the fresh water
swamps
• Identify critical micro-corridors to link the
swamp fragments
• Detailed vegetation survey, listing of
obligatory species and facultative swamp
species, regeneration and demographic
studies.
• Standardizing protocol for propagation of
swamp species through participatory approach
• Decentralized community nurseries near the
swamp forests in three villages
• Active planting of degraded swamps with
obligatory, facultative and associated species was
done during period from 2010-2012
• Survival and growth rates assessed
• Re-wetting of the land through installing soil and
moisture conservation structures in the degraded
swamps
• Activities to ensure community participation
in restoration and management
• Classification of swamps based on physical
characteristics and vegetation elements to
suggest effective management plans for the
swamps
• Soil and hydrological studies
Results
• 102 swamps were identified in the district fifteen swamps in Sharavati river catchment
• Twenty in Bilgi hole
• Seventeen in Bedti
• Twenty five in Aghanashini
• Twenty three in Mukti hole
• Total depression part of swamp area
documented is about 82 hectares
Results
• 156 swamp species and associated were
documented.
• 15 species of lianas, 5 species of climbers, 24
species of shrub and 104 species of trees
occur in the swamp area.
• Frequency, geometry and spatial dispersion of
the obligatory swamp species was carefully
noted.
Spatial distribution of swamp species
HOPPON PINDIC
MYSFAT
PANFUR
GYMCAN
AREWIG
MYSFAT PANFUR MASARB SEMKAT SYZTRA CASSPP LOPWIG
• Ten thousand seedlings planted
• Commercially important and RET forest
species were raised
• Survival rate - obligatory swamp species was
56 percent and facultative and associate
swamp species was 64 percent
Hydrological studies
v notch to monitor the water flow in swamp
Swamps at Katlekan – Google earth
Participatory approaches
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Swamp conservation committees
Establishing VFCs
Nursery raising and providing the seedlings
Installing fuel efficient units
Training on value addition and value chain
development of NTFPs
• Matching grants from line departments
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Western Ghats Task Force
Awareness workshops
Publications
All India Radio Program
Efforts to reach as many people to make them
aware of swamps and its importance
Restoration of swamp at degraded barren land
Acknowledgement
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CEPF-ATREE large grants to Snehakunja Trust
Jack Tordoff
Ananth Hegde Ashisar
Life Trust team Sirsi
Balachandra Hegde
Dr Shrikanth Gunaga
KFD
Local villagers
Thank you