Projects that are currently on, and those on the anvil

Photo-documentation of wildlife and habitat in the Point calimere bird and wildlife sanctuary

Point Calimere Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary has a variety of habitat types like salt marshes, mangroves, tropical dry evergreen forests and open grasslands. These habitats play host to a huge number of species of birds and animals. The Tropical Dry Evergreen forest and the open grassland are best known for the presence of Black buck in South India.

During the winter months of October to January, the salt marshes become a birding hotspot. Thousands of birds arrive at the salt marshes. About 216 species of migratory birds have so far been recorded, among them 103 species are water birds. The Muthupet mangroves are the largest mangrove forest in Tamil Nadu. A combination of mudflats, lagoons and channels in the Muthupet mangroves provides a favourable environment for the wintering migratory birds to nest and breed.

The photographic documentation of the Sanctuary aims at creating a high quality photographic record of the birds, animals and the landscape of the park. The various aspects of the exercise are as follows.

- Birds and Animals: The focus would be on the primary animals of the sanctuary like blackbuck, spotted deer, wild boar, jackal, feral ponies, etc. A special focus would be photo-documentation of nocturnal animals of the sanctuary like black naped hare, civet, etc. The photo-documentation also covers important vegetation like medicinal plants, endangered species, etc and shall be carried out across seasons to complete the spectrum.

- Landscape: A photographic profile of various habitat types (Salt marshes, TDEF, Grassland, Mangroves, Mudflats, etc.) of the sanctuary across the year. Photographic record of seasonal lakes and rivers.

The pictures, other than serving as documentary evidence, could be of help in promoting awareness on the sanctuary. It could be utilised in producing educational and awareness material aimed at students and visitors  to the sanctuary alike. The photographs are also geo-referenced which provides additional information, which researchers would find helpful. Researchers may also benefit from this photo stock for identification and documentation.

The project was completed and submitted to the Point Calimere Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary in July 2006

Photoessay - Kalivelli wetlands

The Lake with a 778 sq.km watershed and 68 sq.km lake area is the second largest brackish water lake in South India. With 180 species of birds so far identified, Kalivelli is a birding hotspot. The lake has two distinct parts. It is perennial and saline near its mouth, where it opens to the Bay of Bengal at the Edayanthittu eastuary. The southern portion of the lake is seasonal, mainly rain-fed (North East monsoon - October to December) hence fresh water in nature. The lake with a rich biodiversity does not have any protected status. It still falls under the control of the Revenue department. While protected status is an immediate need, there are also livelihood issues to be addressed as there are 16 villages directly dependent on the lake's resources.

A booklet highlighting the rich biodiversity and legal status of the lake was published in 2004 in collaboration with FERAL (Foundation for Ecological Research, Advocacy and Learning). The booklet in pdf format is available for download from the "resources" section.

The current photoessay, while portraying the various issues to be addressed, will however give a special importance to Kalivelli's bird life.

Environment Education

A rich biodiversity is an asset to a country. Development is the key word professed in all sectors in today’s India, a country emerging as a world power. However, one crucial element that has not been accorded its due importance is the Environment. Population growth, economic development and the resulting proliferation of industries have all contributed to degradation of the environment, some of which are irreversible: destruction of rainforests, wetlands and species extinction, to name a few. A healthy environment is essential for a better living standard. Hence it is absolutely essential to start conservation efforts without delay. Awareness about  the environment is the first step towards its protection. Awareness leads to analysis, which in turn would promote conservation.

The project, over a two-year period would involve school children, school teachers and volunteers. While the intervention among school children will create an interest about the environment, involving the school teachers and volunteers (local mentors) is a must to sustain the generated interest. The educational tools have been tailored to suit each group.

The programme will be interdisciplinary in nature and uses the  rich visual medium extensively, along with various other innovative tools. The entire documentation on the programme will soon be available on http://www.photoessays.com/education