WWF-IndiaKerala State Office

2012

ANNUALREPORT

IND

ANNUAL REPORT 2011 - 2012

WWF’s mission

‘To stop the degradation of our planet’s natural

environment, and build a future in which humans

live in harmony with nature’

CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM THE CHAIRMAN’S DESK FROM THE STATE DIRECTOR’S DESK STATE OFFICE PROFILE STATE ADVISORY BOARD PROFILE SUPPORTERS PARTNERS 1. CONSERVATION PROGRAMMES & PROJECTS

1.1 Ongoing project on Development of SLSI for Vembanad Lake

1.2 Ongoing Marine Turtle Survey along the coast of India – Kerala Component

1.3 Developing the Chapter on Environment as part of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Master Plan 2031

1.4 State Wildlife Census 2011

1.5 Forest Certification Project

1.6 HSBC Bird Race 2011 1.7 Earth Hour 2012

1.8 Asian Waterfowl Census 2012

1.9 National Environment Awareness Campaign (NEAC)

1.10 Wildlife Mortality Reports to TRAFFIC

1.11 South Western Ghats Landscape Programme

1.12 Workshop on Sustainable Marine Shrimp Trawling

2. ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION PROGRAMMES

2.1 Friday Forum

2.2 2011 UN International Year of Forests launched in Palakkad by WWF

2.3 ‘Cities for Forests’ campaign

2.4 Nature Education Camps

2.5 Commemoration of Environmentally Important Days

2.6 Classes & Lectures delivered

2.7 Teachers Training Workshops

2.8 Participation in Seminars/ Workshops/ Symposiums

2.9 Other EE Programmes 3. PUBLICATIONS 4. INTERNSHIP 5. POLICY AND ADVOCACY LEVEL INTERVENTIONS

5.1 Intervention in the recent approval for wild boar shooting

5.2 Proposal by GoK for formation of Vembanad Conservation Authority

5.3 Opposition against Sky City Project, Cochin 6. SALES/ FUND RAISING

6.1 Promotion of WWF-India Conservation Products (Seasonal Products)

6.2 Promotion of Non-Seasonal Products 7. PROPOSALS PREPARED AND SUBMITTED 8. TRAININGS ATTENDED 9. OTHER ACTIVITIES

10. OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We would like to take this opportunity to thank one and all who have contributed in some way or the other, directly or indirectly, to help us fulfill our mission of nature conservation and environment protection, mainly with regard to the needs of Kerala State. We express our special thanks and regards to Mr. Ravi Singh, Secretary General & CEO who has always given ear to all our requests and supported us in immense ways in fulfilling our mission well. Our special thanks go to Dr. Sejal Worah, Programme Director who has always guided us with her advice and inputs. We extend our thanks to Mr. Lovekesh Wadhwa, Director-Finance, Gp. Cpt. Naresh Kapila, Director-HR & Manpower, Lt. Col. Sanjeev Singh Rana, Director-Operations, and Mr. Karan Bhalla, Chief Operating Officer. The support given by the other heads and staff at the Secretariat are also duly acknowledged, namely Dr.T.R.Manoharan, Ms. Vishaish Uppal, Ms. Madhur Das, Ms. Mita Nangia Goswami and others. We would like to place on record our most sincere thanks to Mr. A.V.George, Chairman of the Kerala State Advisory Board who was always there by our side with all possible support whenever and wherever we have needed them. The work freedom that he has given us is what has helped us to reach such heights. The contribution of the other Advisory Board Members are also duly acknowledged. We would like to thank all our supporters, partners and associates in our various projects i.e. Ministry of Environment and Forests, GoI, CPREEC, Chennai, Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department, Department of Environment and Climate Change, GoK, Directorate of Museum & Zoos, Department of Tourism & Ecotourism, GoK, Kerala State Biodiversity Board, State Pollution Control Board, Energy Management Centre, other government and non-government departments. Our wide range of EE programmes would not have been possible without the help and support of various departments and agencies, namely MoEF, KSBB, HSBC, NIMS, Warblers & Waders, ATREE, JCI, BNHS, CED, KSMTF, KSSP and a host of others. We would like to thank all the District Coordinators who has invested time and resources in supporting us in our various programmes and has also gone one step ahead in bringing up their own initiatives in organizing environment education and awareness programmes and also in addressing local conservation issues. We thank all our network members i.e. volunteers, intern students, partners, nature clubs, youth clubs, church based institutions, schools and colleges and all others who have partnered in fulfilling our mission in the State. Renjan Mathew Varghese (State Director)

FROM THE CHAIRMAN’S DESK WWF-India Kerala State Office has been in the forefront of nature conservation and

environment protection over the past many years. The last year has also not been

different. We have been able to carry out two major projects and also associate at

various levels in many other projects and programmes. We have been able to offer a

variety of programmes under the banner of Environment Education with the Teachers

Training Workshops taking the lead in the capacity building of Teachers and Teacher

Trainees. On behalf of WWF-India, I take this opportunity to thank the government

departments and other non-government agencies that have supported us in fulfilling

our mission and also appreciate the State Office Team in their achievements. With all

best wishes.

A.V.George FROM THE STATE DIRECTOR’S DESK WWF-India Kerala State Office was started in 1986 and since the last 26 years the office

functions from Thiruvananthapuram with a well established network across Kerala. We

have been spearheading the conservation movement in the State through projects for

conservation of species and habitat, environment education, awareness and outreach

programmes and policy and advocacy level interventions where and when required. We

are proud to present before you the Annual Report of WWF-India Kerala State Office for

2011-2012. We do not claim that we have done all possible, but we can say with

confidence that, with the manpower and resources available, we have done our

maximum possible as per priority.

Renjan Mathew Varghese

STATE OFFICE PROFILE Mr. Renjan Mathew Varghese,

State Director (2006 – Till date)

Mr. A.K. Sivakumar Senior Education Officer

(2000 – Till date) Ms. Pushpakumari L. Accounts & Admn Officer

(1986 – Till date)

Harishkumar Administrative Assistant

(1998 – Till date) STATE ADVISORY BOARD PROFILE Mr. A.V. George,

Chairman (AVG Group of Companies, Kottayam) Mr. G. Vijayaraghavan,

Vice Chairman (Member, Kerala State Planning Board & Director – SunTec) Dr.C. Bhaskaran,

Member (Professor, Dept. of Extension, Kerala Agriculture University) Mr. Ravi DeeCee,

Member (CEO, DC Books) Mr. C. Sunilkumar, Member

(Senior News Photographer, Mathrubhumi & Member, State Wildlife Board) Dr. Sreekumar,

Member (Orthopedic Surgeon & Founder President, Kottayam Nature Society)

SUPPORTERS • Department of Environment and Climate Change (DoE & CC), Govt. of Kerala

• C.P. Ramaswamy Environment Education Centre (CPREEC), Chennai

• Energy Management Centre (EMC), Govt. of Kerala

• Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC)

• NIMS Heart Foundation and NI Education Trust

• Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Govt. of India, New Delhi

• Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce (TRAFFIC), New Delhi

• Department of Museum & Zoos, Govt. of Kerala

• Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB), Govt. of Kerala

• Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), Govt. of Kerala

• Department of Tourism, Govt. of Kerala

• Department of Ecotourism, Govt. of Kerala

PARTNERS

• Forests and Wildlife Department (KFD), Govt. of Kerala

• Corporation of Thiruvananthapuram

• Chamber of Commerce, Kozhikode

• Junior Chamber International (JCI Kochi)

• JCI Trivandrum Royal City

• Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Mumbai

• Centre for Environment and Development (CED), Thiruvananthapuram

• Warblers & Waders, Thiruvananthapuram

• CMS Vatavaran

• CSI Madhya Kerala Dioceses, Kottayam

• District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), Kottayam

• Environment Science Post-Graduates Association (ESPA), Kottayam

• Southern Air Command HQ, Akkulam

• Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF), Thiruvananthapuram

• Kerala Shasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP)

1. CONSERVATION PROGRAMMES & PROJECTS 1.1 Ongoing project on Development of SLSI for Vembanad Lake Kerala State Office has an ongoing project titled ‘Development of Sustainable Livelihood Security Index for the Ramsar Site (Vembanad) of Kerala’. On completion of the second year of the project period, the Second Interim Report was prepared and submitted to the funding agency. The primary data collection with regard to the project and the subsequent data compilation and analysis has been completed. Field level consultations with the various stakeholders were also being carried out to refine the data and also come out with practical solutions to the problems identified through a totally participatory bottom-top approach. The findings and recommendations have been refined and the draft final report has been prepared. 1.2 Ongoing Marine Turtle Survey along the coast of India – Kerala Component Initial discussions were held with Mr. Vinod Malayilethu, Coordinator – Marine Programme and Mr. Murukan Pareparambil, Field Officer and a consensus reached on the format and timeline of the report preparation. The field survey was completed over a period of 3-4 months. The status of marine turtles along the Kerala coast, their nesting sites, threats, local level conservation initiatives, other conservation issues along the coast etc have been looked into during the survey. The final report have been drafted and it gives a comprehensive picture of the coastal ecosystem, its biodiversity and related issues and will help us to prioritise and address them in the proper way in the days ahead. 1.3 Developing the Chapter on Environment as part of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Master Plan 2031 WWF-India Kerala State Office was the only agency outside the government invited by the Corporation of Thiruvananthapuram to be part of the exercise in preparing the ‘Master Plan of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for 2011-2031’. Mr. Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director, was made member of the Working Group on Town Planning during the Master Plan Workshop held on 26 November, 2011. Subsequently we were requested to prepare the ‘Chapter on Environment’ to go into the Master Plan. As this was a really Herculean task which required a lot of secondary and primary data and with sectoral inputs from various government departments and other non-government sectors like utility network etc, the State Director was assisted by two intern students Mr. Suraj Rajan and Ms. Kirthi Shanthan. The draft of the chapter has been completed and a multimedia presentation of the same was given in the Working Group. 1.4 State Wildlife Census 2011 State Wildlife Census was held from 18th to 20th May 2011 as a joint venture of Kerala Forests & Wildlife Department, Periyar Foundation, Kerala Forest Research Institute and WWF-India, Kerala State Office. WWF-India proactively involved in the process by preparing, printing and providing a Field Guide to the Wild Mammals of Kerala (2000 copies), attending the training programmes and providing more than 120 volunteers

from our local network. Mr. A.K.Sivakumar, Senior Education Officer volunteered in the census in Parambikulam Tiger Reserve and Mr.Murukan Pareparambil, Field Officer volunteered in Periyar Tiger Reserve. We also facilitated in mobilising the NCI and other network members to be volunteers in the field level census operations. 1.5 Forest Certification Project As part of the EC funded Switch Asia Project on ‘Responsible Wood Trade and Forest Certification’ being implemented in Kerala and coordinated by the Forests Conservation Programme, WWF-India New Delhi, a ‘Workshop on Responsible Wood Trade and Forest Certification’ was organized in Hotel Avenue Regent, Kochi on 26 August 2011. Small and medium traders based in and around Kochi attended the workshop. As part of this project, the State Director accompanied the GFTN delegation from Vietnam on their B2B Meetings in Kozhikode and field visit to Nilambur on 22 and 23 of Oct, 2011. 1.6 HSBC Bird Race 2011 The HSBC Bird Race was coordinated by WWF-India, Kerala State Office again for the fourth consecutive year in a great manner on 13th November 2011. Around 80 birdwatchers attended the programme held in six different sites and for the gathering at Hotel the Capital at Thiruvananthapuram. A total of 148 species of birds were recorded. Sri.Thrivedi Babu IFS, Addl. PCCF of the State was the chief guest. 1.7 Earth Hour 2012 The tentative programme for Earth Hour 2012 was charted and the programme proposal prepared and shared with corporates and others for possible sponsorship. The entire month of March was dedicated for co-ordinating and organizing Earth Hour 2012 in Kerala including proposal preparation, submission and liasoning, communication, preparation and printing of quality resource materials in the form of stickers, posters, pamphlets etc, publicity programmes, mobilization of volunteers, Earth Hour events at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kottayam, Kasargod and few other small towns. 1.8 Asian Waterfowl Census 2012 WWF-Kerala State Office did the AWC 2012 at the Neyyar dam reservoir inside the Neyyar WLS. The whole day long census was with the support of Kerala Forests & Wildlife Department and with the guidelines of BNHS. Around twelve species of water birds were reported in the census. 1.9 National Environment Awareness Campaign (NEAC) As part of the National Environment Awareness Campaign (NEAC), WWF-India, Kerala State Office in association with Centre for Environment & Development and with the support of MoEF conducted a programme titled ‘Turning Waste to Wealth’. The 150 Teacher Trainees of Mar Theophilus Training College, Nalanchira, Thiruvananthapuram attended the awareness programme in which all the participants were trained to make paper bags. The 1500 paper bags made by them were distributed to local shops free of

Project on Development of SLSI for Vembanad Lake

Marine Turtle Survey along the Coast of India – Kerala Component

Casuarina plantation at Nattika Beach

Sea wall at Kolavippalam Beach Maine Turtle Conservation Centre

at Kolavippalam

Thai Hatchery

Thai Hatchery Solid waste dumped at Kezhoor Beach

Earth Hour 2012

Interactive Campaign at Museum Compound Interactive game winners given CFL as prize

Sticker Campaign at Palayam Campaign at Shanghumugham Beach

Campaign at Statue Signature Campaign at Technopark

Campaign Signboards Dignitaries leading the candle light vigil

Together for Earth Hour Earth Hour Logo in candle light

Earth Hour at Hotel Uday Samudra, Kovalam Sri.Oommen Chandy, Chief Minister and family

enjoys candle light

The Field Guide published in

connection with the State Wild-

life Census 2011 organized

jointly by Kerala Forests and

Wildlife

Department, KFRI, Periyar

HSBC

Bird Race 2011

Asian Waterfowl Census in the reservoir of Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary

Neyyar Reservoir at full storage Common Kingfishers in Neyyar

National Environment Awareness Campaign (NEAC) 2012

Teacher Trainees with self made paper bags Teacher Trainees distribute paper bags to shops

Dr.George Chackacherry inaugurates the campaign Training session on paper bag making

Public Campaign Boards Dr.R.V.Varma, KSBB Chairman

inaugurates the campaign

Public Campaign Teachers Training Workshop

Interactive Campaign Public Campaign

Cities for Forests Campaign

cost to create awareness on waste recycling and also to reduce use of plastics in daily life. 1.10 Wildlife Mortality Reports to TRAFFIC TRAFFIC-India has their office jointly with WWF-India in New Delhi. As per their request, regular reporting of wildlife mortality is done. As news of such incidents reach us through newspapers or other media, the report is made in a prescribed format and shared with the TRAFFIC division in New Delhi who compiles such information for the whole country and does necessary analysis and interpretations. 1.11 South Western Ghats Landscape Programme SWGL Programme is one of the major projects including both the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is one of the priority landscapes in the WWF Network Initiatives. The project is being coordinated from WWF-India Secretariat, New Delhi. A major discussion meeting was held with the Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department including the top two PCCFs and other higher officers with the SWGL team headed by the Programme Director to discuss and deliberate on the progress of the project and the future course of action. The State Office facilitated the whole process and also did the liaison work with the Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department to get necessary approvals for the various field level initiatives under the SWGL Programme. 1.12 Workshop on Sustainable Marine Shrimp Trawling The State Director in co-ordination with Mr. Vinod Malayilethu, Co-ordinator, Marine Programme, WWF-India was fully involved in organizing and conducting the two day workshop on ‘Developing a Blueprint for Sustainable Marine Shrimp Trawling’ organized in Hotel Avenue Centre, Kochi on 1 and 2 June 2011 under the banner of the Marine Programme of WWF-India. 2. ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION PROGRAMMES 2.1 Friday Forum The monthly interactive forum on nature and environment for school students of Thiruvananthapuram is regularly organized on the first Friday of every month at the Museum Auditorium. Around 200-250 school students from 8-10 educational institutions from in and around Thiruvananthapuram City regularly attend the forum. For this academic year, the following sessions were held:

- For the month of July 2011, the topic was ‘Our Monsoons’ and the session was handled by the Director, Indian Meteorological Department.

- For the month of August 2011, the topic was ‘Agriculture – Status, Issues & Concerns’ and the session was handled by Smt.Usha from Thanal.

- For the month of January 2012, the topic was “Drinking Water - Myths & Realities” and the session was led by Smt.S.Santhi, well known environmental activist and educator in Kerala.

2.2 2011 UN International Year of Forests launched in Palakkad by WWF The programme was kick started with a single day awareness programme in connection with the International Year of Forests on the theme of ‘Forests for People’ at Govt. PMG HSS, Palakkad on 13th July 2011 with the participation of more than 100 school students of the district. Further on, a single day workshop was organized in connection with the International Year of Forests at Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Kottatam on 31st October 2011. Sri. Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director and Sri.C.Harikumar, Resource Persons of WWF-India led the technical sessions. Following the sessions, an interactive quiz competition and documentary screening were also carried out. 2.3 ‘Cities for Forests’ campaign 2011 being the UN International Year of Forests, WWF-India launched the national campaign titled ‘Cities for Forests’ in selected cities in India. The same was organized in Thiruvananthapuram. The main objective was to engage the youth to understand the service, values and functions of forest ecosystem and to encourage them to come forward to conserve and protect them. The campaign was launched in the capital city of Kerala on 21 August, 2011 with whole day long programmes. In continuation to this, sixty four teachers from different schools of Thiruvananthapuram City attended the Teachers Training Workshop organized as part of the campaign at the Museum Auditorium on 30th September 2011. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr.K.Udayavarman, Director of Museums and Zoos. The technical sessions on ‘Our Forests & International Year of Forests’, ‘Environment Education and Formal Education’, ‘For a Clean, Green and Vibrant Kerala’ were led by Sri.S.Radhakrishnan, Dy. Director (Wildlife Education), Sri.C.P.Aravindakshan, Science Educator and Smt.Shyni D.S. Program Officer of Clean Kerala Mission respectively. 2.4 Nature Education Camps 2.4.1 Twenty-one students and parents were taken for a single day nature orientation trip to a tribal hamlet, Chathancode within the Peppara WLS of Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala. They had a unique experience with knowing the life of forest dwellers, a wild stream with wonderful waterfalls, different types of forests, bird, butterflies etc. 2.4.2 A Nature Education Camp was held at Chimmony WLS of Central Kerala, rich in biodiversity on 6th & 7th August 2011. 19 nature enthusiasts including wildlife experts and photographers attended the camp with Senior Education Officer and volunteers. The team had interesting observations and experience during the camp hours. As it was raining heavily, it turned into a monsoon camp. 2.4.3 A Nature Orientation Camp was held at Kalakkad – Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) of Tamil Nadu from 10 to 12 Sept 2011. Fourteen nature enthusiasts including wildlife experts and photographers attended the camp led by the Senior Education Officer.

Chathancode Parambikulam Tiger Reserve

Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary

Kalakkad-Muntanthurai Tiger Reserve Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary

Nature Education Camps

2.4.4 A two day long Nature orientation camp was held at Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, rich in biodiversity and support the first designed eco tourism site in India. The camp held on 20th and 21st October 2011 was attended by 21 officials of Health and Environment wing of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The team had interesting observations and experience during the camp hours. They enjoyed the highly ranging habitat diversity and their inmates. 2.4.5 A team of 26 members of our camping team had a Nature Orientation camp at Parambikulam Tiger Reserve on 24th, 25th and 26th February 2012. 2.4.5 A team of 16 nature enthusiasts had a half day boat cruise on the waters of Vembanad Lake, India’s largest Ramsar Site on 10th March 2012. Bird watching, feel the wetlands, knowing the culture, enjoying the wetland food, wetland photography etc were the activities for the day. 2.4.6 Kerala State Office organised an internal official leisure trip to Chathancode Forest area on 9 April, 2011 for the staff, volunteers and other network members. It was a really good team building exercise.

2.5 Commemoration of Environmentally Important Days 2.5.1 World Migratory Bird Day 2011 World Migratory Bird Day, the global initiative launched in 2006 devoted to celebrating migratory birds was observed by WWF-India, Kerala State Office in association with Kerala State Biodiversity Board and Warblers & Waders on 14th May 2011 with the awareness programme organised at the Press Club Hall on this year’s theme ‘Land use changes from a bird’s eye view’. On 15th, a selected team of birdwatchers visited Koonthakkulam Bird Sanctuary near Tirunelveli as part of the field observation. 2.5.2 World Environment Day 2011 WWF-India, Kerala State Office commemorated World Environment Day 2011 as a week long programme with vast array of events with the support and cooperation of three agencies:

- Department of Museums & Zoos, Govt. of Kerala - NIMS Heart Foundation, Thiruvananthapuram - CMS Vatavaran, New Delhi

The activities included awareness sessions, documentary screening, zoo visit, forest study trip, presentations, quiz and participatory field oriented programmes. 2.5.3 International Day for the Preservation of Ozone Layer 2011 About 400 students from 14 educational institutions in and around Palakkad attended the programme organized in Govt. Victoria College, Palakkad organized jointly by WWF-India, Dept of Education and the College with the support of Kerala State Pollution

Control Board on 16th September 2011. Poster designing, painting competitions were held on 15 September at the college itself. 2.5.4 World Tourism Day 2011 WWF-India, Kerala State Office joined hands with Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala to observe the World Tourism Day 2011 on the theme of ‘Tourism: Linking Cultures’ on 27th September 2011. This time the event was organized at Kalpetta in Wayanad District. The painting and poster design competitions for school students were held at SKMJ School Auditorium on 24th and the awareness programme and the photo exhibition, information panel board exhibition etc were held at Municipal Town Hall, Kalpetta on 27th and 28th September 2011. The awareness programme was attended by 180 students from 8 schools of Wayanad District. 2.5.5 Wildlife Week At Thiruvananthapuram - Senior Education Officer led an awareness session on 7th October 2011 at Christ Nagar International School of Thiruvananthapuram targeting the student community. The participants performed role plays on wildlife. At Ottappalam - WWF-India, Kerala State Office observed Wildlife Week 2011 with the support of Zoo Outreach Organization (ZOO) at KPSMMV Higher Secondary School, Varode, Palakkad on 7th October 2011 with the participation of around 150 students from nearby five higher secondary schools. The event included programmes like awareness sessions, wildlife quiz, painting, and essay writing competitions for all students. 2.5.6 World Wetlands Day 2012 World Wetlands Day 2012 on the theme ‘Wetlands and Tourism’ was observed with a variety of events at Kottayam at different venues from 8th February to 10th February 2012 by WWF-India in association with District Tourism Promotion Council, Kottayam and CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese with the support of Directorate of Ecotourism, Government of Kerala. The event included an All Kerala Photography Competition and Exhibition on the theme, Workshop on Backwater Tourism in Vembanad, Wetland Field Visit, Competitions and Awareness Programme. Around 300 individuals participated in these programmes altogether. 2.6 Classes & Lectures delivered 2.6.1 Sri.A.K.Sivakumar, Senior Education Officer was invited to take a class at Model HSS Venganoor for NSS Camp participants on 5th April 2011. 2.6.2 Mr. Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director took class on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for Government Officers at Institute of Management in Government (IMG) on 8 August, 2011.

Environment Education Programmes

Friday Forum on the theme

‘Monsoons of Kerala’ Friday Forum on the theme

‘Water Conservation’

HSBC - CMS Environment Week

Tree Calculator Hidden value of Trees

Healing the Forest Tree plantation

Environmentally Important Days

World Migratory Bird Day 2012

World Environment Day 2012

Ozone Day 2012-Poster Release Ozone Day 2012-Competitions

World Tourism Day 2012-Poster Release World Tourism Day 2012-Awareness Session

World Tourism Day 2012-Competitions

Wild Wisdom State-level Winners Wildlife Week 2012

Poster release

World Wetlands Day 2012

Stakeholders Workshop Interaction during the wetlands study trip

Wetlands study trip Award distribution

Photo exhibition

2.6.3 Sri.A.K.Sivakumar, Senior Education Officer was invited to Kerala Institute of Travel and Tourism Studies (KITTS) on 29th October 2011 to take a session on Wildlife Tourism during the training programme for wildlife tourist guides working across the State. 2.6.4 The Senior Education Officer led a session on Forest Conservation during the nature education camp held at Neyyar WLS on 10th November 2011 organized by Kerala Forests & Wildlife Department. The camp was attended by around 40 higher secondary students. 2.6.5 Senior Education Officer visited the affiliated Nature Club at Mar Baselios Public School, Kottayam on 15th November 2011 and had an interaction with the members with the help of multimedia presentations on the background of nature club and nature conservation. 55 students attended the programme. 2.6.6 The State Director led a technical session on EIA at IMG for the DFOs of Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department on 2 Nov 2011. 2.6.7 The State Director, led a technical session on Energy and the Environment at TKM Institute of Management on 10 and 21 Nov, 2011 2.6.8 The State Director led a technical session on EIA at IMG for the RO’s and Dy RO’s of Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department on 18 Nov 2011. 2.6.9 The Senior Education Officer led a session on Forest Conservation during the nature education camp held at Peppara WLS on 28th January 2012 organized by Kerala Forests & Wildlife Department. The camp was attended by around 40 college students. 2.6.10 The State Director delivered a talk on ‘Individual responsibility towards nature and environment’ at the PRS Children’s Clinic organized at PRS School of Nursing on 1st Feb, 2012. 2.6.11 As part of celebrating National Science Day, on 27th Feb, 2012 the State Director delivered a talk on ‘Ecological Footprint and Energy Security’ at All Saints College, Thiruvananthapuram. The session was attended by about 120 students from science stream courses of the college.

2.7 Teachers Training Workshops Teachers Training Workshops on Environment Education and Education for Sustainable Development has been one of the major cutting edge programmes through which we have been able to influence the teaching community in the State to make changes in their attitudes and lifestyles towards sustainability and also make a long lasting change in the student community and also in the society. These workshops help them for their own capacity building through its activity sessions. The workshops are one day

programmes which usually has a participation of about 50-60 per workshop. The days programme includes an informal inaugural session followed by technical sessions in the forenoon. The afternoons are exclusively for activity sessions and also for preparing a year long school-level action plan. Over the past years, WWF-India Kerala State Office with the support of CPREEC, Chennai has been organizing about fifteen TTWs in different parts of the State for School Teachers as well as Teacher Trainees. For this academic year, eleven workshops were done as follows:

Teachers Training Workshops conducted by WWF-India, Kerala State Office in the year 2011-12

Sl. No

Date Venue Target Total

1. 16.11.2011 Govt. GHSS, Thodupuzha School Teachers 48

2. 23.11.2011 St. Joseph’s Training College, Pavaratty, Thrissur

School Teachers and Teacher Trainees

33

3. 24.11.2011 Govt. Victoria College, Palakkad School Teachers 28

4. 09.01.2012 Mount Tabor Training College, Pathanapuram, Kollam

School Teachers and Teacher Trainees

31

5. 11.01.2012 Block Resource Centre of SSA Koothuparamba, Kannur

School Teachers 43

6. 13.01.2012 District Institute of Education & Training (DIET), Sulthan Bathery, Wayanad

School Teachers 40

7. 19.01.2012 DFO Office, Devikulam, Munnar, Idukky

School Teachers 29

8. 20.01.2012 John Paul Memorial B.Ed College, Kattappana, Idukky

Teacher Trainees 45

9. 08.02.2012 TKMM College, Nangyarkulangara, Alappuzha

School Teachers 25

10. 08.02.2012 Millath College of Teacher Education, Kollam

Teacher Trainees 64

11. 09.02.2012 Mangalam College of Teacher Education, Kottayam

Teacher Trainees 61

2.8 Participation in Seminars/ Workshops/ Symposiums 2.8.1 Took part in the various activities as part of Anti Endosulfan Day organized in the Capital City Thiruvananthapuram on 25th April, 2011.

Teachers Training Workshops in association with CPREEC, Chennai

Thodupuzha Thrissur

Pathanapuram Palakkad

Koothuparamba Sulthan bathery

Kollam Kottayam

Alappuzha Ottappalam

Munnar Kattappana

Dr.Suresh Babu inaugurates the Teachers

Training Workshop at Sultan Bathery

Participants of the Teachers Training

Workshop at Koothuparamba

A.K.Sivakumar speaks at the Teachers

Training Workshop at Kattappana

Dr.K.P.Joy inaugurates the Teachers

Training Workshop at Kottayam

Sri. Renjan Mathew Varghese inaugurates the

Teachers Training Workshop

at Pathanapuram

Sri. N. Johnson speaks at the Teachers

Training Workshop at Palakkad

2.8.2 ‘Endosulfan Banning and after’ – One day seminar by PAACET at Press Club on 3rd May, 2011 2.8.3 Centre for Environment Education (CEE) organized the Chennai Coastal Carnival for Children (C4) at Chennai from 4 – 6 August 2011. WWF-India was invited to attend the same by putting up an exhibition stall. A set of 12 exhibition panels, set of 2 stickers and a brochure on WWF-India’s Marine Programme were prepared and the exhibition stall put up in Chennai as part of the carnival. 2.8.4 State Director attended the Kerala Environment Congress organized in Thiruvananthapuram from 25 – 27 August 2011 by Centre for Environment and Development. 2.8.5 State Director attended the S. Jones Colloquium on Marine Mammals organized in Kochi on 26 – 27 of August 2011 by CMFRI. 2.8.6 As part of the ongoing project on ‘Development of a Sustainable Livelihood Security Index for the Ramsar Site (Vembanad) of Kerala’, the State Director attended the one day Pre Conference Workshop and three days INSEE Annual Conference organized in Hyderabad from 19 – 21 Oct. 2.8.7 WWF-India Kerala State Office supported the Kanyakumari – Kashmir Bike Expedition by Mr. Madhu on the theme of ‘Save Forests’. The expedition was completed in a time span of almost one month. 2.8.8 This year i.e. 2012 is being celebrated as the 50th year of ‘Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring’. In this regard, Green Community International and other like minded institutions and individuals are organizing the year long campaign on ‘Silent Spring’ with various events and programmes. The campaign will cover each district taking a time of 1 month and the total campaign will totally span over a period of 14 months. WWF-India Kerala State Office has conveyed support to the campaign by putting up a good quality exhibition with 20 panels on themes related to ‘Silent Spring. We have also taken the initiative to send a letter to the Director, SCERT requesting him to retain ‘Silent Spring’ in the school course curriculum atleast for this one more year. 2.8.9 Association in the Man and Biosphere Project in Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve being conducted by Anthropological Society of India and JNTBGRI. 2.8.10 Mr. Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director, was the guest at the Workshop on Environmental Law organized by Green Community International, Govt. Law College and Dept of Environment and Climate Change, Govt. of Kerala organized on 9 Nov 2011. The law students from the college were divided into different groups and they have done some good work in preparing write-ups on laws and relevant issues in Malayalam.

2.8.11 The State Director attended the Workshop and Exhibition being organized by Shuchitwa Mission on 29 Nov, 2011 on Solid Waste Management Technologies – Issues and Prospects. 2.8.12 The State Director attended the ‘National Seminar on Coastal Zone – Processes, Resources and Social Relevance’ organized by School of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology and delivered a multimedia presentation on the paper ‘Survey of Marine Turtles along Kerala – Status, Issues and Concerns’. 2.8.13 Mr. A.K.Sivakumar, Senior Education Officer mastered a State level quiz competition on the theme ‘Forests and Biodiversity’ for the State Biodiversity Board on 17th November 2011 at Thiruvananthapuram in connection with the State Children’s Ecological Congress organized by the Board. 2.8.14 The Senior Education Officer mastered a district level quiz competition on the theme ‘Forests and Environment’ for the Dept of Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries, University of Kerala on 22nd November 2011 at Thiruvananthapuram in connection with the 81st Annual Session and Symposium on ‘Sustainable Management of Biodiversity Using Science & Technology'’ by National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI). 2.8.15 WWF-India supported the National Fish workers Forum (NFF) National Meet organized in Thiruvananthapuram on 6 & 7 Dec, 2011. The State Director attended the public meeting and seminar arranged as part of the same. 2.8.16 WWF-India Kerala State Office is an organizing partner with Environment Science Post Graduates Association (ESPA) in organizing the National Symposium on Environment Education in India proposed to be held at Kottayam. The symposium will be a first of its kind and proposes to critically analyse, discuss and debate on the present status of environment education in India with particular reference to Kerala. Dr.M.C.Mehta is expected as the Chief Guest of the function. The sessions have been charted out in such a way as to include all the relevant topics under the broad banner of Environment Education. Environment science postgraduate and graduate students, academicians, researchers, working personnel, bureaucrats and so on are expected to actively participate in the symposium. 2.8.17 Department of Revenue, Govt of Kerala in association with State Disaster Management Authority and Institute of Land and Disaster Management organized the week long Surakshaayanam 2012 consisting of exhibition and international conference. With our good relation with the department, they invited WWF to put up a stall free of cost. The State Director was also invited to attend the two day international conference on Disaster Mitigation, Preparedness and Management organized at Kanakakunnu Grounds.

Chennai Coastal Carnival for Children

CMFRI Colloquium on Marine Mammals WWF Exhibition Stall in Surakshaayanam

Notebook distribution for slum dwelling stu- Awareness Programme for Air Force

2.9 Other EE Programmes 2.9.1 Puzhayarivu (Knowing the River) Camp at NILA River Basin, Kuttipuram A camp was conducted in association with Haritham Eco Club of MAM U.P. School Arakkal on 30th June 2011 to know and understand the River Bharathapuzha popularly known as “Nila’. The camp was attended by around 60 students and Teachers from 10 schools. 2.9.2. Inauguration of Plantation drive (fruiting trees) at Vinobanikethan School, Thiruvananthapuram The Senior Education Officer inaugurated the plantation of fruiting tree plantation at Vinobanikethan School, Vithura and led a talk on its significance with respect to plant animal interaction on 26th July 2011. 2.9.3 Wild Wisdom Quiz 2011 Regional level - Regional level Wild Wisdom Quiz 2011 was held at three regional centers in Kerala namely Kozhikode, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram on 28th September 2011. First and second place winners of these competitions will compete at the State level competition to be organised at Thiruvananthapuram during third week of October 2011. Dr.Kishore Kumar of NSS College, Manjery, Sri.Jain J. Therattil of St. Aloysius College, Thrissur and Dr.Parvati Menon of MG College, Thiruvananthapuram were the Quiz Masters at Kozhikode, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram. State Semi Final - The State Semi finale of Wild Wisdom Quiz 2011 was held at Press Club Hall, Thiruvananthapuram on 26th October 2011. Sri.Renjan Mathew Varghese welcomed the participants and briefed on the national event. First and second prize winners of southern, central and northern regions of the State attended the quiz that was mastered by Sri.A.K.Sivakumar, Senior Education Officer. 2.9.4 Awareness Session on Forests in connection with International Year of Forests at Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Kottayam An interschool awareness session was conducted on 31st October 2011 at Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Thazhathangady, Kottayam and was attended by around 150 students from different institutions 2.9.5 Awareness Programme for AWWA Organised a half day EE programme for Air Force Staff and their family on 10 Dec, 2011 at Air Force Complex, Akkulam.

3. PUBLICATIONS 3.1 WWF-India Kerala State Office compiled and published its Annual Report for 2010-2011. The copies of the same have been sent to our associates and partners and also to the other State Offices and higher officials of WWF-India.

3.2 Based on the lessons learned from the ongoing project ‘Development of SLSI for the Ramsar Site (Vembanad) of Kerala’ an article titled ‘Vembanad Lake – Wise Use or Misuse’ was prepared and published in the Kerala Tourism magazine. The article received good response which was evident from the letters of appreciation forwarded by some readers. 3.3 As per the request from the EE Division from the WWF-India Secretariat, the Kerala State Biodiversity Profile has been prepared with text and pictures and the same has been sent for uploading on the EE website. 3.4 Under the South Western Ghats Landscape Programme, one of the major issues being addressed in Human–Elephant Conflict in Anayirangal Region of Munnar. An article on this issue including the field conditions, observations, findings and suggestions were prepared and submitted to be published in a magazine to be published by the ‘Friends of Elephants’ – an NGO in Thiruvananthapuram working for the cause of elephant conservation and protection. 3.5 Based on the lessons learned from the ongoing project ‘Survey of the status, threats and issues of Marine Turtles along the Indian Coast – Kerala Component’ an article on the same titled ‘Marine Turtles’ was prepared and published in the Kerala Calling magazine of I&PRD, Govt. of Kerala. 3.6 WWF-India is carrying out the tiger monitoring and estimation across the country including Kerala in association with NTCA, WTI, WII and Aranyam. A brief article on the Tiger Monitoring work in Kerala has been compiled and given to ‘Kerala Calling’ (the publication of Information & Public Relations Department, Govt. of Kerala). 3.7 Mruthika, the bimonthly newsletter of the Kerala State Office, which is printed in 1000 copies for each issue and distributed to the entire network both inside and outside the State was published for September - October 2010, November - December 2010, January - February 2011, March – April 2011, May – June 2011 and July – August 2011. 3.8 There are a lot of development projects being pushed forward by government departments and private agencies which ultimately threatens the existence and health of the wetland ecosystems in the State. To bring this to the attention of the wider public and to initiate some discussions and debates, an article titled ‘Kerala’s Wetlands in Peril’ was prepared and published in the Kerala Tourism magazine. 3.9 Based on the State Director’s recent travel experiences to Munnar, an article titled ‘Munnar – Utter chaos amidst nature’s bounty’ was prepared and published in Kerala Tourism magazine. 3.10 Recently a responsible citizen of Thiruvananthapuram came to our office and shared some photographs of dolphins being caught accidentally in fishing nets and

getting killed due to the negligence of the fishermen and the tourists along the Shanghumugham Beach in Thiruvananthapuram. Based on this, an article titled ‘Marine Mammal Killing’ was prepared and published in the New Indian Express on 14 September 2011 with the aim to sensitise the authorities and the general public. 3.12 Based on our findings from the ongoing project ‘Survey of the status, threats and issues of Marine Turtles along the Indian Coast – Kerala Component’ an article titled ‘Status and Issues of Marine Turtles along Kerala Coast’ was prepared and published in The Times of India from Kochi 4. INTERNSHIP Four MBA students from two institutions in India have completed their internship with Kerala State Office for a period of one month: Dennis Koshy & Roshny Maria Koshy - Conducting a study on ‘Attitude and Perception of People towards SWM’ as part of the present burning issue of Solid Waste Management in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. Suraj Rajan & Kirti Shanthan - Developing the Chapter on Environment as part of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Master Plan for 2011-2031. 5. POLICY AND ADVOCACY LEVEL INTERVENTIONS 5.1 Intervention in the recent approval for wild boar shooting The Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department has recently issued a controversial order approving shooting of wild boar causing destruction to crop and agriculture and ultimately severe financial loss to farmers. The order has been issued with certain conditions. WWF-India Kerala State Office took initiatives for certain level of internal discussions and has clearly raised our apprehensions on the above order, especially on its implementation side. 5.2 Proposal by Govt of Kerala for formation of Vembanad Conservation Authority The Kerala Government has decided to form the Vembanad Conservation Authority for the conservation and management of the largest backwater system in Kerala i.e. Vembanad lake and that too an internationally recognized Ramsar site. Discussions are on at various levels on its structure, powers and functions. On behalf of WWF-India, Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director and Jerry Mechery, Research Associate has been involved in this process. 5.3 Opposition against Sky City Project, Cochin WWF-India Kerala State Office in association with many other institutions and individuals are voicing our opposition against the proposed and controversial Sky City Project in Cochin. Since we plan to take up this issue with the MoEF, it was requested by

the Secretariat to the State Director to prepare a detailed and concise note on the above mentioned project and submit to the Centre for Environmental Law (CEL) at WWF-India Secretariat for the Secretary General & CEO to take further action. Based on the field visits and data collected, the note has been prepared submitted. 6. SALES/ FUND RAISING 6.1 Promotion of WWF-India Conservation Products (Seasonal Products) The Catalogue 2012 has been dispatched to a carefully prepared mailing list of prospective customers through post and courier. The soft copy of the Catalogue was sent to a wider mailing list through email. The soft copy of the Catalogue 2012 was also circulated through the KLSO Yahoo Mailing Group. Possible follow-up is being carried out through phone also to promote sales to the maximum possible extent. Write-up on Sales Promotion and Catalogue 2012 of WWF-India was published in Malayala Manorama. 6.2 Promotion of Non-Seasonal Products Kerala has good potential for sale of Non-Seasonal products mainly with the Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department. In this regard, letters with the Catalogues were sent out to all the divisions of the Forest Department and follow-up conducted through phone calls. 7. PROPOSALS PREPARED AND SUBMITTED 7.1 Proposal prepared and submitted to KILE The Kerala State Office has prepared a proposal on ‘Critical evaluation of NAP Programme in Kerala with regard to labour generation and improvement in livelihoods and submitted to Kerala Institute of Labour and Employment for funding.

7.2 Proposal prepared and submitted to the Western Ghats Cell The Kerala State Office has prepared a research proposal on ‘Identification of Suitable Sites for Artificial Waterholes in selected (water stressed) Protected Areas of Kerala and submitted to the Western Ghats Cell of the Planning and Economic Affairs Department, Government of Kerala.

7.3 Proposal prepared and submitted to Ministry of Environment and Forests A proposal on conducting ‘Media Workshops on Mitigating Human Wildlife Conflict’ was prepared and submitted to the Environment Education Division of MoEF for possible funding under the ‘Other Awareness Programmes’ scheme. 8. TRAININGS ATTENDED 8.1 Training of Trainers in ESD - Mr. A.K.Sivakumar, Senior Education Officer attended a five day intensive training workshop on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

held at Bharathiya Vidyapeeth Institute of Environment Education and Research (BVIEER), Pune from 23rd to 27th August 2011. It was a venue to refresh the earlier training workshops attended and to update new trends and approaches in ESD. The lessons, tools and techniques acquired during the workshop can be used in the Teachers Training Workshops to be later on organized in Kerala. 8.2 Mr. Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director, attended the two day workshop on Renewable Energy organized by Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) University from 24 – 25 Nov, 2011. 8.3 State Director and Senior Education Officer attended the one day workshop on ‘Project Management’ organized by the Social Service Group of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode on 3rd Dec, 2011. The sessions were handled by Prof. Saji Gopinath and the workshop was attended by delegates from around 30 NGOs. 8.4 State Director attended the training on Bhuvan organized by Dept. of Space at the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management (IIITM-K), Technopark Campus on 19th March, 2012. 9. OTHER ACTIVITIES 9.1 Nomination of Vava Suresh, Snake Rescuer for the Ernakulam P.S. Gopinathan Nair Environment Protection Award 2012. 9.2 Ms. Sathi Devi, Teacher, Bhavan’s Vidya Mandir, Kochi has won the Vriksha Mithra Award instituted by Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department. Ms. Sathi Devi has long years of association with WWF-India Kerala State Office. In this regard, a letter of appreciation and memento was sent to her. 9.3 WWF-India Kerala State Office in association with NIMS Heart Foundation and COME Ministries distributed about 1300 notebooks to school and college going students of Karimadam Colony, Chalai, Thiruvananthapuram. This initiative was well appreciated by different sections of the society. 9.4 Nomination of Mr. Vava Suresh, Snake Rescuer was prepared and officially forwarded through the Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) for the Amrita Bishnoi Devi Wildlife Conservation Award. 10. OFFICE ADMINISTRATION 10.1 Senior Manager’s Meeting at WWF-India Secretariat The State Director attended the Senior Manager’s Meeting organized in the WWF-India Secretariat on 23 and 24 June 2011.

10.2 Annual Plan for 2011 – 12 Detailed discussions on the strategies to be adopted and the implementation methodology and approaches were conducted in the office on the Annual Plan for 2011 – 2012. 10.3 Mr. Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director, attended the State Director’s Meeting at WWF-India Secretariat from 14 – 17 Nov, 2011. 10.4 Budget and Annual Plan of KLSO for 2012-13 prepared and submitted to Secretariat The Annual Plan for KLSO for 2012-13 including conservation initiatives, environment education programmes, policy/ advocacy initiatives and fund raising possibilities have been prepared in the prescribed format and submitted to WWF-India Secretariat. Renjan Mathew Varghese (State Director) 98472 87725/ renjanmv@wwfindia.net

World Wide Fund for Nature – India(WWF-India)Kerala State OfficeVanchiyoor P.O., Thiruvananthapuram – 695035, Kerala State, IndiaPh: 91-471-2302265 Email: wwfklso@gmail.com Web: www.wwfindia.org

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