Saturday, August 23, 2014

Village outposts near fringe forest farms

it is such small village outposts bar homestead plantations and agriculture plots near fringe forests that are the first line of defence/caution in cases of human wildlife interactions. While in some cases these lead to conflict especially when large ungulates like Gaur and Sambar enter into areas where there are standing crops, in most cases the presence of humans at night do help in keeping away wildlife.
Our teams endeavour has been to observe this process and its effectiveness and wherever possible suggest some measures that can enhance and safeguard both the farmers as well as wildlife.
It has been an uphill task but nevertheless there has been some limited success after trial and error.

The base of the vazra falls

The vazra falls in the Chorla Ghats have been home to me for a decade and half now and have shaped my career as well as my life. Here the falls cascade almost 142 meters into the valley and later join the Valvanti river.
Here, at the fag end of the monsoons these falls cascade into a rainbow and give it an ethereal feel.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Asian Weaver Ants || Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabricius, 1775) taking away a shrimp head

Asian Weaver Ants || Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabricius, 1775) taking a shrimp away at Nerul, bardez Goa. It is such smaller facets of urban biodiversity that need to be observed and appreciated. This image was taken in my backyard and I am sure one can see such events unfolding in any homestead farm or garden across the state.

Thursday, August 7, 2014