Helping scientists of wild animals, scientists and NGOs in studying and documenting species that inhabit unwilling grassland and ecosystems to Sclubland, began to systematically record the presence of wild stands in their mixture.
These local volunteers, who were referred to as wildlife observers, reported more than 350 proven observations and incidents concerning wildlife. Their efforts help to bridge the critical abyss between NGOs, distant scientists and wildlife managers and bring them closer to habitats they seek to save. Participants, especially farmers and herdsmen, traditionally existed with wild game in these grassland.
The grass around Pune is considered to be the only known region in the country where three large carnivore-Indian gray wolves, striped hyenas and leopard-lined through a landscape controlled by man. Experts believe that Pune serves as a key case study to demonstrate the potential of coexistence, especially with regard to the growing urban footprint.
Mihir Godbole, founder and president of The Grassland Trust, charity confidence in PUNE, which works on the protection of biodiversity, notes that Indian pastures of savannah and dry habitat for peeling are among the most misunderstood and neglected ecosystems. He has often incorrectly classified as “wastelands” or “degraded forests”, he says these landscapes are in fact ancient, bio -biodivers and ecologically significant.
A field guide developed by Trust Grassland Trust in Marathi’s language for residents to learn about the type of wildlife in their respective region. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“Nevertheless, long-term perceptions and gaps in the field of policy are caused by urbanization, infrastructure projects and soil use. Types such as Indian Gray Wolf, striped hyenas, and Indian gazelles, especially modified to these open habitats, are rarely included in mainstream monitoring. It is that it is spent, “he says that it is preserved,” he says that to cream planning, “scratched,” they said that for cream planning, “he says to cream planning,” he says to cream planning, “he says. “
To solve this gap, Grassland Trust with the support of Ashreya Haseth Trust, based in Bengalur, started the “Wildlife Watchers” initiative. The program is trying to seize the inhabitants who are familiar with these landscapes to participate in the documentation and monitoring of wild animals.
According to Preraran Sethiya, head of strategy and partnership in Grassland Trust, every volunteer is equipped with a basic field set consisting of bags, shirts, caps, water bottles, torch, shoes and simple field guides. Volunteers present their observations via a mobile wildlife observer to order and offer cost -effective, non -invasive alternative to techniques such as radiobarizing.
“Verified messages are rewarded with improved tools such as telescope, smartphones or cameras, and consistent contributors can receive modest scholarships as recognition for their role as frontline administrators. This is trust, dignity and shared purpose. lives.
Wilderness observers send live updates via a mobile application for time intervention. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
One such volunteer, Prasad Memane (25), a tour of tourism and a farmer from Paragon Memane Village, was an observer for a year and a half. Eight years ago, he remembered his first encounter with the wilderness scientists when he saw them studying animals that was a regular look in his village.
“I learned from them that these species of wild animals are important to maintain the balance of the ecosystem and over time their number has been reduced. When they saw my interest in learning, they asked me if I should be interested in watching them. The fact that it is a will, that it is, that it is a will, that it is a will is that it is, that it is the will of the will that it is for existence, and I update that it is a will, and update how will it be.
Nikhil Khomane (31) of Gulung Village, who works in a private company, recalls that in 2016 he saw a team from Grassland Trust in his village.
“I started to accompany them, showed them where the lair were and which animal could be seen, when. They taught me how to identify traces of different animals, how to identify animals from a distance and slowly started working with them. Last month I joined them as an observer,” he says.
Common species observed in their villages include Hyena, Jacal, Bengal Liška, Gray Wolf, Porcupine, Lizard monitor, Jungle Cat, Cat Cate and more than 40 species of birds. Occasionally, leopards are also reported.
When the locals began to observe the animals carefully, their interest began to influence other members of the community. Both children and adults are now reportedly more engaged and often share live updates with observers.
Within six months, forty active observers have submitted more than 350 verified reports, including observations and interactions including more than sixty types of mammals, birds and reptiles. More than thirty of these reports resulted in the results.
Mrs. Sethiya said that several of these observations have led to direct protection measures such as forest department warning, monitoring attempts at poaching and confirmation of breeding activity of elusive species.
Some observers also began to document the behavior of animals and identify individual animals on the basis of their designation – indicating that they develop on qualified natural scientists. These community members, trained in scientific data collection methods, are now considered reliable contributors to protection.
The locals use the telescope received from the training program to document grassland species. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Mrs. Sethiya adds that the model offers an alternative to maintaining strategies from top. The aim of confidence in the experience of local communities is to increase efforts to protect root, more adaptive and more scalable across neglected open stations of India.
“Instead of expecting external experts they know best, the program emphasizes cooperation, mutual respect, co -creations, seizes local communities, learns from their experience and build efforts to protect them, not call for them and notice the subtle rhythms of a country that outsiders could easily miss,” explains Godbole.
The organization is now investigating the extension of the initiative to other districts and insufficiently monitored by open natural ecosystems. However, maintaining the sustainability of the model remains the main problem for the future.
Published – June 12, 2025 20:57
