Project Report
| Mar 11, 2011
Pastoralist women livelihood improve through Oran
By Aman Singh | Project Leader
![Bera village_ pastoralist women collect dry fodder]()
Bera village_ pastoralist women collect dry fodder
In the project village Bera, there are 40 women of Gujjar pastoralist community, which formed a Mahila Mandal (women group) for taking up their oran (community forest) conservation work. These pastoralists’ women depend on the oran for fuel wood, animal fodder as well as for traditional medicine and various non timber forest produce (NTFP). The women group meets once a month and Rs15 is collected for each member. Apart from the project assistance, the group as a whole has taken bank loans three times of INR 20,000, 40,000 and 50,000. The loan and the money are usually spent on livelihood activities e.g. used to buy each member one buffalo, other livestock and fodder. The interest paid on the bank loans is 9%. Though all the women in the village are illiterate, but managing their group so efficiently. Members of the group have worked on the check dam construction, tree plantation and the johad (water harvesting structure), under the project “Restore 10 oran in 10 villages of Rajasthan” of the GG program.
![Training to pastorlasits on ethno – veterinary]()
Training to pastorlasits on ethno – veterinary
Dec 30, 2010
Tiger conservation, communities and Orans
By Aman Singh | Project Leader
![Sariska communities are worry for their relocation]()
Sariska communities are worry for their relocation
The well-known Sariska Tiger forest reserve is in fact one such collection of Orans or Devbanis that together formed a substantial forest tract. To this day it is possible to identify the various dev-banis(sacred forest) that comprise the Sariska Reserve. There are 28 villages located in Sariska National Park. The Sariska authorities have Identified 11 villages for relocation from Sariska. The process has already begun in 3 villages where 148 families have moved. KRAPAVIS has working with pastoral communities on livelihood and sacred groves in and around the Tiger Reserve. During the last three months, KRAPAVIS had a series of meetings on relocation process with the local communities inhabiting Sariska Tiger Reserve.
During the meetings with the local communities, there are some anecdotes from conversation with communities; “We have shared the landscape with tigers and our livestock, and ready to loose a few of the livestock to protect the rest. After so many years, where our ancestors have lived too, why are we being asked to move out? We have helped them nab the poachers and outsiders who steal timber we have protected our Devvanis/ orans (sacred forest). All was well till the forest was ours”. “Everybody is bothered about tiger, where as the forest condition is deteriorating due to invasive species, if this continues wildlife will die due to lack of food”. “I have 30 livestock and they recognize my voice, wherever they are, will be back on one call of mine and they have only five tigers which they (forest officials) cant even protect.
![Sathus (saints) play also a role in protecting ora]()
Sathus (saints) play also a role in protecting ora
![View of a village Umari located in Sariska]()
View of a village Umari located in Sariska
Oct 11, 2010
If our oran is intact we have everything
By Aman Singh | Project Leader
![Community tree plantation, Meena ki Dhani village]()
Community tree plantation, Meena ki Dhani village
“Yadi hamara devbani thik to sab kuch hai; yadi yah thik nahi to chara, pani aur bhojan ke lale.” (If our oran is intact we have everything; if not, we suffer from lack of fodder, water and wood” because Oran is our livelihood, say People of Meena ki Dhani village. In order to keep intact the oran, tree plantation has undertaken during the monsoon period. As many as 5000 tree saplings were planted to increase the number and variety of trees and also arrest soil erosion. Nearly 15 species of trees like Prosopis cineraria, Acacia sp., Zizyphus, Anogeissus pendula etc are planted in the orans. The saplings are raised in a tree nursery at KRAPAVIS Bani. The species used for fodder by the community and also their drought tolerance and ability to fix nitrogen. These species, during the time immediately before the monsoon or in times of severe drought, “provide fodder when other tree species become devoid in foliage.” Also, these ecologically valuable species perform key functions in the ecosystem thereby supporting and enhancing biodiversity and helpful in reducing the climate change.
![Planting fruit trees at KRAPAVIS oran]()
Planting fruit trees at KRAPAVIS oran
![Community members who are real conservator of oran]()
Community members who are real conservator of oran
Attachments: