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---> Please circulate widely - Thanks
---> Please respond to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
---> This is a purely non-profit conservation initiative
---> Financial donations to this programme of any magnitude will be
gratefully received and acknowledged.
A Call for Volunteers to Help in Biodiversity Documentation in
Eaglenest wildlife sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, north-east India
The Eaglenest Biodiversity Project initiated in 2003 has yielded many
significant records of fauna, the most spectacular being the new bird
species Bugun Liocichla. Additionally, we have redicovered several
snakes, lizards, frogs, etc which have so far been known to science
from just 1 to few specimens collected a century ago. The remarkable
thing about Eaglenest is the combination of pristine forests, 3200m
of altitude and a jeepable road across the altitudinal range, apart
from the spectacular suite of biodiversity.
As part of our conservation strategy we are helping the local
communities earn revenue from ecotourism. Additionally we organise a
non-profit activity titled VACATIONS-for-CONSERVATION programme -
this is the 4th edition of the programme which was first started in
March 2006.
1. self-funded volunteers work in Eaglenest in a co-ordinated manner
to contribute to the biodiversity documentation and other
conservation activities (defined rather liberally).
2. We organise this activity on a non-profit basis and keep the costs
low. Some fraction of the cost is being subsidised by revenues from
commercial bird tours (a big thanks to all those who visited Eaglenest
with us earlier!). The costs will be:
Boarding, Lodging and all permits
-> Indians minimum 7 days
Rs. 600 per day for the first 7 days
Rs. 450 per day for subsequent days
-> Foreigners (units of 10 days only; minimum 4 persons)
Rs. 1250 per day (approx 30 USD) - this amount includes
tourist permits and community fee which are (much) more
expensive for foreigners
Transportation to and from Guwahati at actual cost (Rs. 500-4000
depending on the mode)
3. The following programmes are planned during the coming year:
-> 1st-10th October 2007 : primarily for documenting herps
-> 15th-24th October 2007 : primarily for documenting lepidoptera
-> 1st-10th March 2008 : primarily for birds
-> 11th-20th March 2008 : primarily for birds
-> May-June 2008 (dates to be decided) : for all fauna
4. The listed categories for documentation is only indicative. Experts
capable of working independently, for instance on ants or fungi, are
welcome to join the group and contribute in their area of expertise.
legitimate activities include:
-> inventory species (other than birds)
-> photograph species
-> record bird and frog calls
-> estimate abundance of particular species (including some birds like
wedge-billed wren-babbler, ward's trogon, Bugun Liocichla, etc)
-> study their behaviour and habitat requirement
-> Evaluate other areas of Eaglenest for suitability for future
birding tours (to reduce pressure on existing areas)
-> collect mammal scats for analysis
-> survey for red panda
-> turn over leaf litter for creepy-crawlies
-> evaluate commercially important plant species in the area
for future plantations (in the degraded land outside the
sanctuary)
-> help with micro-hydel projects if you have the expertise
-> design low-cost tourism facilities
-> anything else that we can agree upon - contact me
IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE
1. All the facilities/support will be really basic (contact me for
further details) and you will be expected to take hitchs in the
ultra-low budget organisation in your stride.
2. Expect to use your feet a lot (5-15 km a day)
3. These are not the standard guided bird/herp tours - you will be
expected to work on tasks assigned to you; some free time may be
available to add to your life list. You could spend more time
after this programme for personal birding etc.
4. Visitors wanting a more comfortable tour devoted exclusively to
seeing lots of species should opt for the guided tours.
5. The brief period of time between now and October is not sufficient
to get permits for foreigners. Foreigners can opt for the March
and May-June programmes
6. Specimen collection without permits is illegal and attracts fines
and imprisonment; we will report any such activity by our
participants to the authorities for appropriate action. All
participants should be prepared to have their belongings checked
for such specimens.
7. Expect a lot of rain
8. Electrical power will only be sufficient to charge camera batteries
and laptops, and even that strictly as needed for work.
9. The area is a true wilderness - the nearest market/doctor/etc or
any other facility of any kind is over 50 km from the campsite.
10. All the data collected will be the intellectual property of the
Eaglenest Biodiversity Project. The EBP strongly believes in making
the data publicly available on the web in an expeditious manner.
Volunteers will be suitably acknowledged in all public presentation
of the data. Volunteers who contribute in the field as well as at
the desk (or museum tables) can claim authorship on publication(s)
arising from their contributions.
11. Photographs and sound recordings will remain the property of the
respective volunteers but it is expected that they will make
copies of them freely available to all activities of the Eaglenest
Biodiversity Project including local community tourism initiatives.
This opportunity is being brought to you by KAATI TRUST, Pune, and
the Bugun Welfare Society, Arunachal Pradesh.
Ramana Athreya
rathreya @ ncra . tifr . res . in
ramana . athreya @ gmail . com
PI, Eaglenest Biodiversity Project
India
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