We spoke to Sarayu Kamat at Raah Foundation and learnt a lot about their mission:
At Raah Foundation, we believe in ‘philanthropy by design’— a philosophy rooted in change without charity. Rather than relying on aid, we emphasize community empowerment. We actively engage with the communities, drawing on their ancestral wisdom and collaborating with them to ensure each initiative is aligned with their true needs. This ground-up approach fosters local ownership, turning passive recipients into active participants, who take the lead in their own development journey. In doing so, we create lasting, sustainable change that is shaped and driven by the people themselves.
As we began to understand that many of the initiatives are similar it made sense to use them as a sounding Board for their hugely successful program. Here are some insights on what they do on a proactive basis to manage the potential human/animal conflict:
– CLN Newsdesk
As our young forests continue to grow rapidly, they are becoming home to an increasing variety of wildlife – leopards, hyenas, porcupines, deer, blackbuck, foxes, reptiles, snakes, insects, and many birds. With this flourishing biodiversity, it is becoming ever more important to build awareness among local communities on how to safely and respectfully coexist with wildlife.
Pratiksha is leading our awareness campaigns. We have a tripartite collaboration with RESQ, a local wildlife rescue NGO, and the Nashik Forest Department to conduct these programs, ensuring the safety of both people and wildlife by encouraging mutual respect for shared spaces.
Pratiksha has developed an annual calendar of awareness sessions covering topics such as coexistence with wildlife, biodiversity conservation, creating butterfly gardens, developing People’s Biodiversity Registers, nature walks, and more. These sessions will be conducted for both children and adults.
The awareness programs were officially launched today with active participation from the Forest Department, villagers, and our team. A live demonstration was conducted on how to safely rescue snakes and release them into appropriate habitats. We have also provided a snake rescue kit in every village.
There was a time when Senior retired Armed Forces personnel were actively involved in the leadership of the Coorg Wildlife Society – Brig. Cariappa, Lt General B C Nanda, Air Marshal Nanda Cariappa ….. who brought experienced leadership, networking skills, vision and stature that would make the District Administration and Forest Department sit up and take note. Perhaps the respect they would elicit from young soldiers who retire at a relatively young age could be galvanized into a disciplined group of people to volunteer and execute critical priority community programs.
There is an ex-Servicemen’s Organization which could be co-opted into CWS as honorary members or for projects supported by CSR grants – this is exactly how organizations like Raah function. Dedicated retired professionals and bureaucrats who are committed to a cause. The equivalent such movement could be steered by retired Defence personnel that our community has…no doubt with full participation by young planters.
I had visited this location when those trees were just saplings. Now most of those plantations must have graduated into mini Forests.
It’s so nice to hear about such success stories. Her ideas on human animal Co-habitation are very encouraging, charting a new way through uncertain territory.
Everywhere else we get to hear mostly of Human Animal conflicts.
Earnest work is being undertaken by RAAH Foundation.
Coexisting with wildlife is region-specific. You can’t compare Sunderbans to other areas; it’s just not feasible. Tigers, for instance, have a territory of 5-10 sq km, which they know like the back of their paw. They’ve got their escape routes, prey spots, and patrol routes mapped out. And they tolerate humans, but only up to a point. I’ve lived in Hogarekan Giri, on the fringes of a Yemmadodi Tiger Reserve, Chikmagalur dist, and I’m proud to say our resident tiger knows its boundaries. It’ll walk along the fence, respecting my boundary. These animals are intelligent; they know who’s who, and they’ll coexist with humans who respect their space.
But here’s the thing: coexistence depends on the human population density. In my area, there are only 4-5 humans in that 10 sq km, and the tiger’s fine with that. But cramp it with 40-50 or more people, and you’ll have a problem. And that’s what’s happening in the Tiger Reserve – tribal colonies inside Nagrahole Tiger Reserves are about 56 (Hadis) , increased population, increased vehicles movements in the recent past, non-biodegradable waste littered in the vicinity… it’s a mess. The Forest authorities need to step in and manage this better. We’ve seen elephant dung with plastics, nappy pads… it’s disgusting and shocking. They need to take action, pronto.
Community base management would work only in certain places and region! not everywhere.