Editor’s note
Dear reader
Greetings from Care Earth Trust !
If you are receiving this email, it is because you subscribed to our newsletter from our website (thank you!). While we initially sent out our newsletter as a document, we found that it gives us limited visibility and an even more limited opportunity to interact with our subscribers. So we have decided to go for a more minimal look but instead switch to an email newsletter format. We hope this works better to share with you all our work that we are very excited about.
With this first issue of 2023, we also send to you and your loved ones our very best wishes for the New Year to be filled with joy, warmth, kindness and lots of time spent outdoors !
Thank you for your support to Care Earth
The Ainthinai team
Eco-restoration of Veinthankulam, Tirunelveli
Veinthankulam is a wetland situated in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu and it is of crucial importance in flood regulation and mitigation for the Tirunelveli town. Eco-restoration of Veinthankulam was launched on 31st July 2021 by Thiru Thangam Thennarasu, Minister for Department of Industries. The project commenced on 1st August 2021 under the guidance of Tirunelveli District Collector V Vishnu, I.A.S., under the Nellai Neer Valam initiative.
The eco-restoration of Veinthankulam has been supported by Hinduja Leyland Finance (HLF) and co-leveraged by Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL).
You can watch our brief video on the project over at Youtube and Instagram.
At the forest frontlines
Care Earth Trust has been working in the Satyamangalam landscape for over a decade now. One of our ongoing projects in the Sathyamangalam, Hassanur and Erode Forest Division is the ‘Anti-Poaching Skill Training and Infrastructure Support in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.’ It aims to provide skill training and infrastructure support to 310 Anti-Poaching Watchers (APW) and 62 Anti-Poaching Camps in 14 Forest Ranges under 3 Forest Divisions. Nearly 70 APWs have so far participated and benefited from this skill training program.
Based on need-based assessment with Forest officers and APWs, the following skill training programs have been conducted
Birds and Plants identification - July to August 2022
Capacity Building Training Programme on Wildlife Management for forest front line staff of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve - 26 to 28 August 2022
First Aid Training for Forest Frontline Staff - 17 September 2022
The project is supported by the Small Industries Development Bank of India.
Mugalur wetland
Mugalur lake is located in Mugalur village of Anekal taluk in Bengaluru (urban) district of Karnataka. The lake spread across 56 acres in a non-undulating terrain on the outskirts of the Mugalar village, 9 km from Bengaluru.
The wetland has been restored completely and brimming full with water after 35 years. The work has been planned and executed by MYRADA with the support of Hinduja Foundation. Before the initiation of restoration activity, an assessment of biodiversity was undertaken by Care Earth Trust in January 2022. Following all the activities after restoration, fencing and greening, the wetland and its vicinity was surveyed again for the status of biodiversity by the Care Earth team. We wish MYRADA the best for their work in Mugalur and their future projects.
TechCamp Kochi: A Wave of Change
TechCamps are a public diplomacy program hosted by the U.S. Department of State. TechCamp workshops in countries around the world connect participants with technology experts to co-create innovative tech solutions to real-world challenges.
In May 2022, the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) in collaboration with the U.S. Consulate-General, Chennai conducted a TechCamp in Kochi on the theme of Tech and Oceans. Our researcher Anjana Vencatesan was selected to attend this 3 day Techcamp which brought together 50 participants with International and Local experts. The TechCamp also has a small grants program for which our proposal has been selected. Keep watching this space for more information on what we are working on.
Wipro Urban Ecology Small Grants 2022-23
The Urban Ecology Small Grants Program supports organisations working on urban ecology challenges in cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Pune each year. We collaborate with capable and committed individuals and teams to help them implement on-ground community initiatives in water management in urban areas.
There are 3 grantees selected for the 2022-23 grant cycle. You can find more information on their projects by clicking on their names below
Sumanasa Foundation - Promoting wetland literacy among Chennai’s youth using toxic, climate & water tours
Paperman Foundation of India - Construction of 3 deep-aquifer recharge wells in Little Flower Convent
Kasturba Nagar Community Garden - Community building through sustainable urban gardening
Can the private sector lead climate adaptation ? Read this article in The Trouble magazine by our researcher Anjana Vencatesan to find out what are the pitfalls and what can be the way ahead.
Pallikaranai Margazhi Thiruvizha
Our annual Margazhi celebration is back and this time there is a lot more afoot! Our Instagram is the best place to follow us for updates on the Margazhi Thiruvizha including videos from every walk day !
Very useful