The Sustainable Enterprise Development in the Auroville Bioregion project (SEDAB) provides sustainable livelihood to the communities in the two areas of Vanur and Marakkanam, Villupuram district, that fall within the Kazhuveli bio-region of Tamil Nadu, India. This is a three year project that built on the strengths of research, development and innovation within the Auroville community.
To find out more, please see the SEDAB website.
GEN Auroville and Pitchandikulam hosted a two day workshop on the 1st-2nd July 2016 for a group of fifteen mostly married women from neighbouring villages around Nadukuppam, Tamil Nadu.
One half of the group worked at Amirtha and the other at Meera, both social enterprises that have emerged from Pitchandikulam Forest’s work at Nadukuppam, a village in Auroville’s bioregion.
]The intention was to explore through Theatre of the Oppressed games and activities what it means to live as a woman in the rural Indian context, trying to unravel the narratives, the thought patterns and societal constructions of gender culminating in a forum play for the larger community.
It was faciliated by Ms. Afshan Mariam, a psychologist working in education using tools of drama, farming and mindfulness.
To see more about the workshop and its outcomes, please see here. Soul of Women workshop.pdf
Eye catching paintings of local wildlife on Kadappa stone were erected at both tollgates between Chennai and Puducherry, along the East Coast Road (ECR).
Maintenance update: A few of the paintings have faded noticeably since they have no shade and have not been touched up since they were commissioned nine years ago.
Customers and fans of outdoor art please note: if artworks are left out in direct sunlight, the colours will fade, so repainting maintenance should ideally be undertaken every three years or so. Therefore, it is most economical not to place the art in direct sunlight without any kind of shade.
It was a pleasure to collaborate with ATREE on this project: the Art Department enhanced the landscape features of the butterfly garden with confluent paintings on large granite slabs and stone sculptures, and our Butterly Expert provided background information about the life cycle of Indian butterflies.
This was a joint UNDP and Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Trust (GoMBRT) undertaking. The concept was essentially that when one entered the building the atmosphere should be almost as if one was underwater. The highlight of the whole exercise was a three dimensional 18 ft x 9 ft model of a coral reef with hundreds of associated life forms.
Pitchandikulam Forest Consultants are the lead consultants in the ecological restoration of 58-acres of the Adyar Creek estuary in Chennai. The ecological restoration has created will result in an eco-park that is a showcase ecosystem of the Coromandel Coast with fresh water ponds, brackish areas, mangroves, mud flats, dunes, and islands. The information centre provides an educational focus to the park and is a place where children can come to watch the Creek’s birds, turtles, reptiles and other animals. One of the highlights of the eco-park is the presence of water bodies surrounded by typical vegetation found in a Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest.
The Adyar wetland reserve is a significant link for birds on their great annual migrations, particularly the wading birds who feed on the coastal mudflats. Historically, approximately 200 species of migratory birds visited the Adyar Creek region but many are now on the endangered International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. The restoration of this wetland will encourage many of these species to return.
The fascinating ecology of the estuary includes mangroves and many creatures from mud skippers and crabs, to dragon like monitor lizards. Restoring these mangroves and estuarine vegetation will function as an important fish breeding habitat, provide a natural barrier against cyclones and storms, and play a major role in the cleaning of the Adyar river.
The park educates visitors through a working model of an environmentally sustainable building demonstrating water collection, conservation and treatment, energy efficient alternatives such as solar, bio-gas and wind, waste management techniques as well as showing options for eco-friendly building materials. The use of non-conventional energy is demonstrated in a practical way for visitors, especially children to see how energy is produced by sunlight, wind and bio-mass. The bioresource centre illustrates the uses of plants and their relationship to human kind through an interesting and fun display.
This is an eco-park that is visited by many tourists and school groups. Sensitizing them to wildlife is an essential part and in this context some paintings and models were developed which enhanced both conservation education and recreation.