B

EMERGENCE OF GREEN AMBASSADORS

a study on local biodiversity.
 List of Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Chapter 1 : Introduction
1.1 The Context
1.2 Genesis of the Project
1.3 Project design
1.4 Objectives of the present document
Edited by (Research Content and Suggestions),
Prof. K. C. Malhotra. Chapter 2 : Documenting Local Biodiversity
2.1 Capacity Building of Green Ambassadors
Produced by, 2.2 Methodology of the research
Centre for Humanitarian Assistance Trust.
2.3 Results of the Study

Chapter 3 : Awareness, Campaigns and Advocacy

Year of Publication: 2011 3.1 Children movement for climate justice
3.2 Children representing issues of communities to Collector
3.3 Networking with other Organisation and Child institutions
3.4 Child rally in Kotauratla
Documented and designed by, 3.5 Children interact with media

S
anza
anza
anza
anza
stanza
stanza
stanza
stanza
stanza
stanza
stanza
stanza
stanz
stanz
stanz
stanz
3.6 Seed Festival
anza stanza stanza stanz
anza stanza stanza stanz
anza stanza stanza stanz
anza stanza stanza stanz
anza stanza stanza stanz

Chapter 4 : The way forward

anza stanza stanza stanz
anza stanza stanza stanz
anza stanza stanza stanz
anza stanza stanza stanz
anza stanza stanza stanz

Stanza documentations. 4.1 Focus of CeFHA on Green Ambassadors

4.2 Focus of Green Ambassadors and CeFHA team on the Communities
Printed by,
Azeem prints.
Acknowledgements Foreword
This book actually portrays, the various steps the
The following document is a children were involved during the process of the study. It also
We on behalf of Stanza documentation team, thank all the children of Kotauratla for their interpretation and hard work assisting detailed depiction of the joint brings out the learning’s by the children during the various
us to document this book with as much detail as possible. It was enormously helpful to us in preparing the publication. efforts by the green ambassadors, events that have been organized by CeFHA in order to sensitize
We are especially thankful to Prof. K.C. Malhotra,Chairman - eco system research division,Ministry of Environment and Forests for the community and CeFHA team the children and the communities on the isssues of biodiversity
being a part of the documentation process right through and providing his valuable time, experience and knowledge without which the to evaluate and protect the exist- and the importance to preserve it. It was a very gallant effort
children’s effort on research and its publication would not have been possible. ing ecosystems that normally by CeFHA team to actually commission a study and auditing the
We warmly acknowledge Dr. Sasi prabha, Director CeFHA for giving us an opportunity to be a part of this documentation process. support the livelihood security of existing resources in the selected environment to the children,
On behalf of the documentation team we would also congratulate her on the success she has achieved in the rural development sector. the people in the area. During our without the committed cooperation and positive attitude of the
Of the many other people who have been greatly helpful in the preparation of this report, we in particular thank Mr. J.B. Rathnam, experience in Documenting the Staff members the study would not have been as successful.
Dr. Chandrasekahar and Dr. Venkiah for their able guidance to the children, as it encouraged the children undertake various activities. process from the initiation of study The objective of this book is to introduce the reader to a
Our special thanks to Dr. Guido Falkenberg, KNH Germany, Mr. Sathish Samuel, KNH India and other members of the funding till date has been a very rich experi- range of successful events that were carried out by the children.
agency for trusting the children and commissioning this study and for constant encouragement. ence in terms of knowledge and practicality of the girth in the The areas that are covered in this book are the general aware-
We express our sincere thanks to Mr. Suresh, Mr. Murthy, Mr. Gopal and other CeFHA team members for their help in compilation situation which we possibly put ourselves in. It was indeed very ness and the need to protect the biodiversity, training programs
of field reports. heartening to see a group of motivated children taking up an the children were a part of, case representations by the children
I extend my esteemed gratitude to my colleagues Mr. Bhaskar Nagendra, Frameboxx team for providing the technical assis- enormous responsibility of helping themselves and their com- on the ground reality, the different networks and movements
tance as well as being a part of the entire documentation process and Ms. Anvesha Anwarullah for her able support in proof reading the munities understand and evaluate the status of present day the children were a part of a detailed study of various subjects
document. We also appreciate the efforts of Mr. Azeem and his company for helping us in getting the document published in time. climate and environment dynamics. that portray the biodiversity situation in the selected areas of
We also thank the Mr. J Syamala Rao, District collector of Visakhapatnam and Mrs. Nirmala Devi, M.P.D.O., Kotauratla block for The book also emphasizes on the various capacities forests, water bodies and agriculture. The book also evaluates
ably cooperating the children cause for the environment. the children inculcated from many learned laureates who have the situation and gives a conceptual understanding basing on
Finally, we thank all the Green Ambassadors for their valuable support and wish them the very best to carry the good work taken out time from their busy schedule and helped the study the results of the study.
forward. We also thank the communities for their support in this regard. group to meticulously strategize the various components this
study required. The training programs of Prof. K.C. Malhotra,
Photographs provided by Mr. Suresh & Mr Murthy(CeFHA), Mr. Prabhat Khosla (IRDWSI) and Mr. Bhaskar Nagendra (Frame- Chairman- Ecosystem department of MoEF, have formed the
boxx) are duly acknowledged. backbone and the basis of technical aspects that show up in the Dr. Sasi Prabha
book. It was also very fascinating to have Mr. Rathnam, Social Director (CeFHA)
By, activist to strengthen the conceptual basis of critiquing the ef-
Sushant ficacy of modern day development. The inputs of Dr. Rajasekhar
Stanza Documentation and Dr. Venkiah have helped the children capacitate with the
current day chaos in climate change and also undestanding the
floral resources of the area.
4
Chapter One It is also expected that many species will be unable to keep up • To help the children understand the impact of water C. Child Eco clubs
to the changes caused by climate and as a result will be at an pollution and the importance of neutralizing it. Five eco clubs in schools of five different villages have
1. Introduction increased risk of extinction. The resilience of ecosystems has • To develop evaluation methods of hydrological cycle been established. These clubs were established primarily to
been also severely threatened. Determined and appropriate Focusing on the relationships and Processes within the initiate activities in aspects such as social, educational, health
1.1 The Context actions will enable the communities to reduce the impact of ecosystems. and eco development. The main activities of the eco clubs are
climate change. • To Use adaptive management practices like diverse agro • To motivate the children to keep their surroundings
Children are the building blocks of the future; it is best There is an existing river Varaha in Kotauratla which runs forestry & agro biodiversity and sustainable management green and clean by undertaking plantation of trees.
left to them to understand the impact and chaos the future from the east to west. This river has a forest cover on its left of grasslands. • To compost horticulture waste to use it as a manure for
climate is going to have on them. It is very important for them to bank. The forest harbors a wide variety of wild animals like boars, • To Develop Child Eco Clubs and Restore the Traditional school gardens.
take up activities to understand various dimensions of biodiver- goats, rabbits, stag, reptiles, birds and insects. The floral diversity knowledge & intellectual property rights • To induce the students to create awareness among
sity, ecosystems and the impact of climate change on Biodiver- is also very rich, there are different kinds of trees, shrubs, herbs public and sanitary workers to stop the indiscriminate
sity and livelihood security of poor. and creepers. The river in itself has a lot of variety of fish and 1.3.2 Project Components with reference to the Activities: burning of waste which causes respiratory diseases.
other aquatic biodiversity. In order to achieve the above objectives a number of • To sensitize the children & students to minimize the use
Centre for Humanitarian Assistance Trust (CeFHA) activities described below were designed, planned and execut- of plastics/polythene bags, and not throw them in public
has been working in Kotauratla block of Visakhapatnam 1.2 Genesis of the Project ed. places. Also, to encourage the use of healthier alternatives
District, Andhra Pradesh since the last nine years. The reasons CeFHA submitted to Kinder Not Hilfe, Germany (KNHG) a like jute, cloth and paper bags, etc.
for choosing this area for the long-term intervention were the project proposal entitled “Children study project on biodiversity A. Capacity building of children: • To arrange other awareness programmes such as
following and climate change action” in the year 2009. KNHG sanctioned One hundred children were selected to be a part of the Quiz, Essays, Painting competitions, rally, role-plays etc.
the project in 2010. capacity building program. The program was designed to build focusing on various environmental issues.
• Kotauratla area has thick forests and river tributar- the capacity of children in various aspects of biodiversity, eco- • To celebrate various environmental days, weeks like
ies; but during the last 5 years the forest cover has been 1.3 Project Design systems and climate change. Vanmahostav, Wildlife Week, Earth Day, and World
depreciating and much of the flora and fauna is disap- Details of this program are given in chapter 2. Environment Day etc.
pearing in the local areas. 1.3.1 The Objective of the Project were:
• The communities are experiencing unstable tempera- B. Campaigns on Global warming& Climate change D. Children Networks & Climate Change Workshops &
tures, erratic rain fall, droughts and the depletion of • To Capacitate children on Global warming and its effects The capacities of the children were built to take up Exposures
ground water. and ecological rights of children initiatives of spreading awareness on climate change among The child networks of 24 villages were teamed up
• These factors have severely impacted the livelihood • To disseminate the ecosystem knowledge and benefits the local communities. The various training programs that were to discuss Child ecological rights and the facts of deteriorat-
security of a majority of people especially the marginal- of protecting the forest cover and river water sources conducted have helped the children in increasing their technical ing climate and the impacts that could be surfaced in their
ized people. • To sensitize the Children on different ecosystem research knowledge, methods of generating awareness and campaigns. generations to come. The children were the major participants
and purpose of doing it. in the climate change workshops and were sensitized on various
Climate change is already impacting Biodiversity and • To protect and strengthen the existing fauna, flora on aspects of this topic.
is projected to become progressively a more significant threat. land as well as in water. “Scientists expect a 3.5° F increase in average global temperatures by the year 2100, resulting in the warmest temperatures in the past
million years”. - this would trigger many more natural disasters
6
Emergence of Green Ambassadors
The various capacity building programs (workshops on Biodiversity in India! Detailed information of Species “EMERGENCE OF GREEN AMBASSADORS“
different topics of biodiversity and climate change, exposure
visits, participation in seminars, conferences) were designed India contains a great wealth of biological diversity in
and implemented to create and empower green ambassa- its forests, its wetlands and in its marine areas. This richness
dors in Kotauratla area. Altogether 685 school going children is shown in absolute numbers of species and the proportion
(F-356, M-329) belonging to 24 villages were trained. they represent of the world total.
The main purpose for creating Green Ambassadors, was India has a great many scientific institutes and uni-
that they would undertake campaigns and advocacy programs versity departments interested in various aspects of biodiver-
in primarily Visakhapatnam district sity. A large number of scientists and technicians have been
engaged in inventory, research, and monitoring. The general
Objectives of the Present Document state of knowledge about the distribution and richness of the
This document incorporates a detailed description of country’s biological resources is therefore fairly good.
the various activities undertaken by the children, the commu-
nity and CeFHA team, to enable the reader to understand the Endemic Species
range of successful events that were carried out by the children. India has many endemic plant and vertebrate species.
The book describes the various capacity building programs that Among plants, species endemism is estimated at 33% with 140
were initiated during the implementation of the project. The endemic genera but no endemic families (Botanical Survey of
book also gives an idea of the future vision of CeFHA in respect India, 1983). Areas rich in endemism are north-east India, the
of continuing programs with school children in Kotauratla. Western Ghats and the north-western and eastern Himalayas.
A small pocket of local endemism also occurs in the Eastern
The contents of the book have been organized in four Ghats (MacKinnon & MacKinnon, 1986). The Gangetic plains
chapters: are generally poor in endemics, while the Andaman and Nico-
Chapter 1: Gives an overview of the genesis of the project, bar Islands contribute at least 220 species to the endemic flora
as well as the objective of the book. of India (Botanical Survey of India, 1983).
Chapter 2: Presents the details of the research studies carried
out by the children in documenting both the domesticated and Threatened Species
wild biodiversity in different habitats of Kotauratla. India contains 172 species of animal considered glob-
Chapter 3: Gives details of various campaigns organized by the ally threatened by IUCN, or 2.9% of the world’s total number
children of threatened species (Groombridge, 1993). These include 53
Chapter 4: Gives the future vision of continuing work with the species of mammal, 69 birds, 23 reptiles and 3 amphibians.
children in Kotauratla.
8
Chapter Two Capacity Building of the Green Ambassadors

1. “ Documenting Local Biodiversity” For building the capacity of Green Ambassadors in bi-
odiversity and climate change a workshop was organized on
As noted above the main objective of the project was to september 10-11 2010 at Kotauratla, under the guidance of
empower school children in different dimensions of climate Professor K. C. Malhotra.The approach adopted was interactive
change and biodiversity, in order to achieve this, a comprehen- and participatory.
sive strategy was designed and developed in consultation with The training commenced by explaining the definition
school children, communities, school teachers and government and importance of biodiversity to Human beings; it was ex-
officials. The activities planned were: plained that Biodiversity includes all living forms – plants, ani-
mals and micro organisms. Protection of the Diversified biologi-
i. Documentation of local biodiversity cal elements is very important at this conjuncture, to have a well
ii. Impact of climate change on biodiversity and livelihoods balanced ecosystem of which all the human beings are a part.
iii. Generating awareness among different stakeholders – Bio diversity is very crucial as it strongly affects our social rela-
tion. In India alone we have 125,000 recorded species which Prof K.C Malhotra training the Dr Rajshekar demonstrating
school children and staff, communities and government Green Ambassadorson bio diversity study field documentation
personnel and forms a vast complex web directly or indirectly linking it with the
iv. Future action plan smallest to the largest organism. Apart from the importance that
biodiversity holds to humans, another prime reason to conserve
This chapter however deals only with component 1 and the various life forms is their inherent ‘Right to Live’. Whereas, in
2 above.Below are described various activities and programs un- Today’s world we see development only through the destruction
dertaken in respect of the above. of nature. These developmental measures may be necessary for
the hard hearted city dwellers; but for the soft hearted inhabit-
i. Documentation of local biodiversity: ants living in rural India, and who constitute to about 74% of the
For this the following activities were planned and implemented: total Indian population, they traditionally believe in protection
of all live forms.
• Capacity Building of the Green Ambassadors
• To identify suitable and appropriate research topics re- “The year 2010 has been declared as the International Year
lated to biodiversity and climate change of Biodiversity yet very little has been so far done to halt the
• To develop and design methodologies for undertaking global biodiversity loss. According to the current estimates
research more than 25000 species are driven to extinction every year.”
Resource persons training green ambassadors
10
Why Biodiversity needs to be protected? burnt in 1956. People do not realize that plants are a renewable
resource, whereas fossil carbon is not; as it take millions of years IMAGES PORTRAY DIFFERENT SPECIES
• The plants, animals and invisible life forms around us, to renew the earth’s supply of coal and oil.
sustain and improve the quality of air, water and soil for Before the industrial revolution began, there were 580
human beings. billion tones of carbon, which has been released into the atmos-
• Wild plants and animals constitute a very important part phere. That accumulation, the result of burning fossil fuels, is
in the dietary system of the rural population. These foods causing the climate change crisis. It is our responsibility to tackle
are very important as they are also known as famine foods, this problem if we are to survive. In this connection, the project
and are used when crops fail. has taken a small step to generate awareness in the community
• 3/4th of the world’s population is directly dependant on through children’s Initiative on conservation of Biodiversity.
plants and animals for their medicinal needs according to Biodiversity is the alternative to fossil carbon. Everything
WHO (World Health Organization). Even the GDP is made that we derive from the petrochemical industry has an alterna-
up of economic benefits derived from wild species and ac- tive in biodiversity. The synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, the
tive ingredients from plants. chemical dyes, the sources of mobility and energy, have sustain-
• Agricultural diversity is very important in terms of pro- able alternatives in the plant and animal world. These alterna-
viding a variety of food, ensuring that micro and macro tives can also be replaced with nitrogen fixing leguminous crops,
nutrients are made available to be a part of the diet of vermicompost and vegetable dyes.
people. Today it is important to create biodiversity ecosystems,
• Fisheries are a very important part of marine biodiversity because only they offer the potential to adapt to an unpredict-
and it contributes to 100 million tons of food worldwide. able climate and provide alternatives that anyone can afford. It is
• Climate change is the present hot topic and we are all the time and need to understand the renewable carbon cycle of
well aware of the climate change and its various stages of biodiversity.
warming and cooling.

The present trend towards climate systems and weath- The mass extinction of different species is due to human-
er patterns is human induced and we are already suffering the kind’s unsustainable methods of production and con-
impact of intensification of untimely rainfall, drought, Tsunami, sumption and according to the World Resources Institute,
floods, Quakes, cyclones & related health problems. the biggest cause of extinction is loss of habitat. - This in-
We are increasing the use of fossil carbon such as coal, variably explains the domination humanbeings have on
oil and gas, which were formed over millions of years. Today various eco systems benifiting his existence in luxury.
the world burns 400 years worth of this accumulated, biologi-
cal matter every year; which is 3 to 4 times more than that was
12
However keeping in view the capacity of the children it In respect to climate change being a complex phenom- METHODOLOGY OF DOCUMENTING LOCAL BIO-DIVERSITY
was suggested that biodiversity could be studied under the fol- enon, it emerged during the workshop that for the time being it
lowing headings will be sufficient to focus on observing changes that are occur-
ring in the domesticated and wild biodiversity especially among Development of research formats for
1. Domesticated Biodiversity the flowering plants. The focus should be to document shifts in documenting biodiversity
a. Plants the onset of flowering and the productivity.
b. Animals
2. Wild Biodiversity To identify suitable and appropriate research topics related Selection
a. Plants to biodiversity and climate change Team Research Area
b. Animals
3. Aquatic Biodiversity After detailed deliberations the children identified the
a. Plants following research topics to be undertaken.
b. Animals Intrest and guidance by Discussion with the
1. To document local biodiversity in select villages. organization communities
1. Domesticated biodiversity: 2. To document changes that has occurred in local biodiver-
During the evolutionary history, humans have learnt to sity in select villages.
domesticate a number of plants as well as animals. This diversity Documentation of
could be studied under the following broad categories: 1. To document local biodiversity in select villages: Domestic biodiversity Selection of Forest patch
The areas to be covered were domesticated biodiversity
• Agriculture associated with agriculture, horticulture and ornamental plants, Documentation of Forest Selection of villages
• Horticulture and animal husbandry. In respect to wild biodiversity it was de- Bio Diversity
• Ornamental Plants cided to study both terrestrial and aquatic. Selection of water bodies
• Domesticated Animals
2. To document changes that have occurred in the local bio- Documentation of
2. Wild life Biodiversity: diversity in select villages: Aquatic Bio Diversity Methods followed
Wild plants and animals occur both on land as well as in The areas to be covered were the same as above, but the
water bodies and therefore could be studied under the follow- data could be obtained in such a way as to have indicators that Interviews
ing two categories would help for comparison.
FGD
• Terrestrial, and “The UN Convention on Biological Diversity has stated that there are some 13 million species, of which
• Aquatic. 1.75 million have been described. Successful conservation of biodiversity has to be part of the plans for Transact walk
agriculture, fishery, and forestry sectors, and it also requires lot bigger media attention.”
14
Development of research design and strategy: The following five villages were selected for the study,
their geographical location is shown in figure
i. Development of Methodology
Name of the Total Ethnic VISAKHAPATNAM DT
Development of research formats for documenting biodi- Sno
Village Population Composition
versity: 1 Gottivada 78 F + 62 M SC- 33 families INDIA
For this purpose, initially based on discussions, the chil-
2 Thadaparthy 65 F + 71 M SC- 32 families
dren developed draft formats. These draft formats were piloted
in one village, one forest patch and a stretch of a river. Based on 3 Chowduwada 101 F + 107 M SC- 47 families
the experiences gained the formats were finalized. 4 Allumiyapalem 75 F+ 82 M SC- 42 families
5 Yasidipalem 40 F + 39 M SC- 22 families ANDHRA PRADESH

For the documentation of biodiversity in the formats

developed, the following three methods were chosen.
iii. Selection of Forest Patch:
• Focus group discussions.
Based on the discussions with the communities and for- The above and below pictures de-
• Transact walk
est department and keeping in view logistic convenience a for- pict the length and the width view
• Interviews with knowledgeable persons.
est patch measuring about one hectare was selected. of Varaha river
ii. Selection of Villages
iv. Selection of Water body:
Keeping in view the time available with the children it
KOTAURATLA
was decided to undertake the study in
Based on the discussions with the communities and the
knowledgeable people, a 500 meters stretch of land that runs
Block – Kotauratla
along the river “Varaha”, that flows from the east to west in the
District – Visakhapatnam
area was selected. See the corresponding figure in the next GOTTIVADA

State – Andhra Pradesh.

page
“Scientists believe that according to the fossil records there Formation of Different teams:
have been five historical mass extinctions, and Earth is cur- Based on the capacities and the location, out of hundred
rently facing sixth mass extinction. Some recent studies sug- trained green ambassadors, forty of these were selected, out of
gest that 30% of all natural species will be extinct by 2050 if which were 21 Boys and 19 Girls; with their age ranging from 7to
current trend of biodiversity loss continues in the next few 15 years; and streamlined for carrying out the study.
decades.” See appendix 1.
16
Formation of Team for documenting village biodiversity: There are 4 aspects to be studied as shown in table below
For each village a separate team of 8 students balanc- therefore four teams were formed. Time frame:
ing their preference, gender and age were constituted. Out of Table below gives thedetails of the time frame developed by the research team. All aspects of the
hundred students 16 children formed a group Table below Gives the details of team formation study were to be completed in 12 months, starting from march 2010 and ending by march 2011
These children showed enormous interest in taking part
Sno Name of Activity 2010 2011
in the study. After detailed discussions, it was decided that these
children will document the ornamental plants reared by the res- Sno Component Team size Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
idents in Allumiyapalem village. The methodology used was a Seasonal Variation in availability of
pre tested format and FGDs. 1 20 Students Capacity Building
water 1
of Children
Formation of Team for documenting Forest Patch: Plant biodiversity on the banks of
2 6 Students Dev. of research
Out of 40 students, twenty were selected based on their the river 2
Methodology
preference for documentation of wild terrestrial biodiversity. Animal Biodiversity on the banks of
3 6 Students Formation of
There were three main components of the study i.e. documenta- the river 3
Child Study Teams
tion of plant biodiversity, documentation of animal biodiversity 4 Aquatic Biodiversity in the river bed 8 Children
and interface between wild biodiversity and local communities. Domesticated
4
Therefore 3 teams were formed as shown in Table 1 Biodiversity
5 Wild Biodiversity
Table below gives the details of the team formation
Campaigns on
6
Sno Component Team size Awaring people
1 Plant Biodiversity in the Forest 6 Students
2 Animal Biodiversity in the Forest 8 Students
Interface between wild and local
3 6 Students
communities

Formation of Team for Documenting Aquatic biodiversity:

Out of 40 students, twenty were selected based on their

preferences and interests to document the Aquatic biodiversity.
18

Table 1 Details of crops grown in the villages

Results of the Study:

The nation having one of the highest economic growth rates in the world and still 36%
“ Conceptualizing the Plight of Peasants”
In this section, we present the salient findings of the dif- Sno Name of the village Name of the crop Local/Hybrid Chemical pesticide
1. This part of the study was basically an integral team effort ferent components of the biodiversity that were documented in Cholam (jonnalu) Local No
on how the agricultural biodiversity has been affected gradu- the study. 1 Allumiyapalem Ragi (Cholu) Local No
ally by the shift of agriculture pattern from food cropping to Millets (Korralu) Local No
cash cropping. It also brought to light the affect that the level Documentation of local biodiversity in select villages:
Each team gathered a variety of information regarding Rice Local & Hybrid Endosulfan
of changes in climate has caused in this regard. 2 Yasidipalem
There have been enough observations made to prove that the domesticated biodiversity. The method used was primarily Ragi (Cholu) Local No
climate change was one among the major cause of change in conducting a series of Focus Group Discussions (FGD’s), Transact Rice Local & Hybrid Endosulfan
the mindsets and practice of the people and depleted soil nu- walk in the village and conducting interviews with knowledge- Ragi Local No

of World poor live in India.

trient standards. Climate change also happens to play a very able persons.
3 Tadaparthy Cholam (jonnalu) Local No
important role in the decrease of use of traditional crops.
The group first studied extensively on climate change and its 1. Agricultural Biodiversity: Maize (Corn) Local No
impact on basic food crops, which were normally being cul- The research teams gathered information on the vari- Millets (Korralu) Local No
tivated for consumption. The immediate observation of the ous crops that are grown in the village; which includes the area
group was the application of industrialized fertilizers. The under cultivation as well as the total productivity. Although de-
group also observed the way the corporates have taken over tailed information is available with the organization, here we re- Table 2: List of crops Discontinued
the seed market by introducing high yielding hybrid varie- port only key findings presented in Table 1 and 2:
ties. This is a very strategic step to again crush the peasant’s • In all the studied villages, people continued growing tra-
income mechanism, as the usage of the hybrid seed would ditional local varieties of various crops. Sno Name of the village Name of varieties Discontinued
encourage the farmers to enter the commercial market by • The tradition of using organic manure was observed in 1 Allumiyyapalem Sammalu
finding ways to double his current yield. This also has paral- all the villages (with some exceptions).
• In all the 4 villages, a crop by the name of “Sammalu” has Sammalu
lel constraints which mean more fertilizers to be used, and in 2 Yasidipalem
turn more water for the crops, exploitation of ground water been discontinued. Korralu
table and that means more income to the industrialized sec- • In 2 villages, crops by the name “Budamalu” and “Korralu” Sammalu
have also been discontinued. 3 Tadaparthy
tors and the subsequent need of farmers to be dependent on Budamalu
the government and the other industrial corporates in an un- • The main reason for the discontinuation of these crops
4 Chowduwada Sammalu
believable manner. was erratic rainfall.
20
2. Horticulture: Table 3a: Temporal changes in the trees grown in Yasidipalem
For all the villages, the data on various trees grown by
The photographs depict various horticulture plants being developed by children
the people were gathered. In addition to that, the number of Sno Name of the Trees Plants in their respective villages
trees present, as well as their numbers ten years back was also Present 10 Years before
gathered. The main findings in all the villages were that the
numbers of almost all the tree species and their numbers as is 1 Neem 3 12
evident from table 3.In the studied four villages the numbers 2 Banana 15 33
have reduced from 1136 to 503 during the last ten years. There- 3 Pomegranate 4 0
fore, instead of presenting the data for each of the village, we 4 Tamarind 6 13
give data pertaining to village Yasidipalem as an illustration to
5 Black berry 5 15
demonstrate the trend observed.
From Table 3a and Figure 1 it is observed 6 Coconut 3 8
7 Mango 6 6
• 9 tree species are grown in the village 8 Papaya 5 13
• 10 years back the total number of trees in the village was
9 Teak 4 0
about one hundred, this has now reduced to 51.
• Pomegranate and Teak were not grown in the village
earlier but have been recently introduced. Figure 1: Temporal changes in the trees grown in Yasidipalem
• In short, the population of horticultural plants in the
35
studied villages has reduced considerably, although the
number of species has more or less remained the same. 30 No. of Plants (10 Years before)

Table 3 : Temporal changes in the trees grown in select villages 25 No. of Plants (present)

20

Name of the No of tree species in total 15

village Present 10 years back 10
Tadaparthy 163 230
5
Allumiyapalem 211 239
0
chowduwada 129 667

e
at

ry
d

ut
a

a
er

go
in
em

ay
ra

k
n
kb
ar
na

a
an
co
TOTAL 503 1136 eg

Te
Ne

Pa
Ba

ac

Co

M
m

Ta

Bl
Po
22
3. Domesticated Animals: Table 4a: Temporal changes in the domesticated
Data on animals domesticated in the studied villages animals in Yasidipalem
were gathered. In addition to the number of animals presently
found; their numbers ten years back were also gathered. In all Sno Name No of animals
the villages it was observed that the number and species of most Present Before 10 years
of the animals has decreased during the last ten years. From the 1 Buffalos 25 39
table 4 it is observed that the total number of animals in four 2 Cows 0 15
villages has reduced from 3510 to 1561 similarly the number of
3 Goats 56 8
species has declined from 32 to 25 this is illustrated by giving
relevant data pertaining to village Yasidipalem as an illustration 4 Sheeps 0 11
to demonstrate the general trend observed. 5 Ox 0 24
From Table 4a and Figure 2 the following main features emerge 6 Dogs 6 8
• 9 animal species were domesticated in the village 10
7 poultry 150 270
years back and the total number of animals was 420. children assessing the domestic biodiversity Ducks – as a part of domestic biodiversity by
• Presently only 4 animal species are found in the village 8 Pigs 0 35
with an old woman development
and the total number of animals presently reduced to 241. 9 Cats 4 10
• The animals that are no more domesticated are cows,
Figure 2:Temporal changes in the trees grown in Yasidipalem
sheep, ox and pigs.
• There are multiple reasons for the discontinuation of 300
these animals. However, climate change might have Before 10 years
played a significant role in the present scenario. 250
Present
Table 4 : Temporal changes in domesticated animals 200
Numbers Species
Name of the 150
Village 10 years Pre- 10 years
Present
back sent back 100
Yasidipalem 241 420 6 8
50
Thadaparty 226 585 8 8
Chowduwada 560 1715 7 7 0
s

tr y
ps
lo

s
s

gs

ts
Allumiyapalem

s
534 790 4 9 at
w

Ox
ee
ffa

g
ul

Ca
Do
children recording domesticated animals
Co

Go

Pi
po
Sh
Bu

TOTAL 1561 3510 25 32

24
4. Ornamental Plants : Figure 3: Ornamental flowering plants and
The research team documented the ornamental flower- their usages in Gotivada
ing plants found in the households in the village Gotivada. For 10
Pictures depict the flowers found in the studied village
each of the species, information was also gathered regarding
their use. Results of the study are presented in Table 5 & Figure 3. 8
The main findings of the study are
• 9 different species of flowering plants were observed in 6
the village.
• The flowers from these plants were used for at least 7 4

different purposes.
2
• The flowers of 7 species are used for personal decora-
tion followed by 4 species of flowers which are used for
0
religious purpose.

e
p

l
y

es l
id

oi
dy ura
hi

od
t
au

tic

fu
s

ir
• In short, the ornamental flowering plants play a very im-

or

Fo
t

Ha
Be

r
s

Na
Pe
Pe
W
portant role in the cultural and spiritual life of the local Utility of Flowers

communities in the area.

Table 5: Names of the Ornamental flowering plants and their usages in Gotivada
Name of the Flower Beauty Worship Pesticides Perfume Natural Dyes Hair Oil Food Total
Marigold 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 4
Hibiscus 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 4
Rose 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 3
Lilly 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Jasmine 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Sampangi 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 3
Pumpkin flower 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2
Kankambaram 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Verajaji 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Chamanthi 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Total 9 4 1 3 4 1 1
26
II. Wild Biodiversity observed in a forest patch: future for studying the impact of climate change on flow-
Table 6 : Names of the flowering trees together with their usages found in the forest patch.
As noted above, a patch of forest was identified for ering trees.
documenting wild biodiversity. The research team documented • In short, it is evident that the wild plant biodiversity is Sno Name of the the species Part used Purpose Period of flowering
the biodiversity under the following categories: integrated with the livelihoods of the local communities,
1 Pedda tangedu (Telugu) Stem Agricultural implements April - May
especially the poor.
a. Documentation of Trees 2 Ankudu Stem Toy making June - July
b. Documentation of Medicinal plants 3 Billa Stem Beds June - July
c. Documentation of oil yielding plants 4 Pala kara Stem Beds July - August
d. Documentation of plants used as food by humans
5 Neem Stem Windows,Door frames May - April
e. Documentation of commercially valuable trees
f. Documentation of wild plants used by animals as food 6 Emasa Stem Beds May - June
g. Documentation of temporal changes in a select number 7 Gandra Stem Windows, Door frames June - July
of wild animals 8 Sovintha Stem Almirah,Beds June - July
h. Documentation of Birds marketed/consumed by humans.
9 Erudu java Stem Almirah,Beds July - August
For the sake of convenience, the results of the
study have been described separately for each of the categories 10 Burugu Stem Boat making July - August
mentioned above. The methods used for the study were transact 11 Piyapu tree Stem Boat making June - July
walk and interviews with knowledgeable persons including na- 12 Lolugu Stem Toy making June - July
tive doctors.
13 Soap nut Nut Shampoo November - December
a. Documentation of Trees : 14 Gumidi Stem Toy & cricket Bat Making June - July
From the data presented in Table 6 the following key
observations emerged,

• At least 14 flowering tree species were observed in the

forest. India’s wildlife is both rich and varied. More than 4% of In-
• All of these were used by the local communities for a dia’s land is under forest cover- there are at least 90 national
variety of purposes. parks and 482 wildlife sanctuaries. The country is one of the
• Most of the species yield timber. Stem and occasionally 12 mega diversity areas in the world, in terms of animals.”
thick branches are used.
• The flowering periods of each one of the species are also
noted; as this would serve as a baseline data to be used in
28
b. Documentation of Medicinal plants: Table 7 Names of the medicinal plants together with their
Relevant data regarding medicinal plants found in the usages found in the forest patch. The Pictures in the page depict the important medicinal species that were found
forest patch are presented in Table 7; the key findings of the
Name of the in the forest duing the documentation process.
study are, Sno Part Used Purpose
Medicinal plants
• At least 14 medicinal plant species were observed in the Cheematangidi Medicine
1 Bark
forest. (Telugu) (Cattles)
• All of these were used by the local communities for a 2 Erracherathalu Bark Arthrites
variety of medicinal purposes. 3 Manga tree Bark Head ache
• Different parts of the plant such as bark, roots, seed, sap,
4 Manchi bodda Sap Diarrhoea
fruit etc., are used for preparing medicines.
• It is evident that the wild plant biodiversity provides 5 Pedda nepali Oil Scabies
health security to the local communities, especially the Cold and
6 Nalleru kada Whole Plant
poor. cough
7 Pedda karakaya Fruits Skin disease
“Because of the problem of SAFETY with mod-
Cold and
ern system of medicine, there is increasing global interest 8 Cheema karakaya Fruits
cough
in traditional and herbal medicines. According to WHO’s
(WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION) report, over 80% of world Asthma,Cough,
9 Kondakasivindha Root
population relies on traditional medicines, largely plant scabies
based, for their primary health care needs. India, one among 10 Chavidi kada Sap Swelling
12. Swelling ( Cat-
Bio-diverse countries of the world, is abode of 11 Mayathiva Whole Plant
tles)
45000 floral species, out of which 15000 are those of Medici-
12 Thipateega Root Asthma
nal Plants. Approx. 85% to 90% of these come from the wild.
Department of ISM&H, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Giddiness, pesti-
13 Musiri tree Seeds
Govt. of India, has identified 1500 medicinal plants of which cides
500 are commonly used in the preparation of herbal drugs. Fruits,Bark Kidney prob-
14 Black berry
150 species have been categorized as endangered. &Leaves lems
Use of plants as a source of medicine has been inherited and
is an important component of the health care system in In-
dia. “
30
d.Documentation of plants used as food by Humans: e.Documentation of Commercially valuable trees:
Data regarding the wild plants found in forest patch and A number of trees found in the forest are used for making a variety of com- “ Understanding the importance of Trees,
consumed as food by local communities are presented in table mercial products. The names of the trees and the purpose for which they are used with reference to Climate change”.
c.Documentation of oil yielding plants 9, are given in Table 10. The following key features emerge from the table:
There are 4 oil yielding plants used by the local com- • 13 plant species were found in the forests that are used The group figured that the avian
munities, that are found in the forest ( Table 8). The oil of these as food by the local communities. • there are at least 9 species having enormous commercial value for the local populations were being reduced due to the
plants is used for three main purposes, which are medicinal, pes- • Mostly roots and fruits of these plants are consumed as communities depreciation of angiosperms and other tall
ticides and biodiesel. food. • The stem and the thick branches are used for making a variety of products trees where they usually build their nests.
• It is highly noteworthy that the wild plant biodiversity such as, cupboards, Beds, Boats, Toys etc…. Children, in the community discussions in
also provides food security to the local communities espe- • It is highly noteworthy that many of the wild plants found in the forest pro- their respective villages and child commit-
cially the poor. vide livelihood opportunities to the local communities, especially the poor. tees, emphasized the importance of pro-
tecting the tree population of the region,
Oils, oleoresins & extracts from plants are used in a wide va- Table 9: Names of the plants consumed as food by local so that it would enhance the avian popu-
riety of ways – in food, as medicine, in cosmetics & toiletry, communities. Table 10 : List of Commercially Valuable trees found in the Forest lation and also the possibility of pollina-
as ingredients for industrial products, as fuel, and more. By tion. In some of the meetings it was really
Sno Name of the Species Part used Purpose eye-opening to see these kids talk about
the term “plant oils”, it is referrred to oils that are derived
from one or more parts of a plant, shrub or tree. Hence the 1 Arri dumpalu (Telugu) Roots Food Period of the greed that human population needs to
Sno Plants Part used Purpose audit and respond quickly before the next
oil could be from the root, stem/bark, leaves, flowers, seeds, 2 Pala dumpalu Roots Food Flowering Time
fruits and whatever else could be a part of the plant! 1 Ankudu (telugu) Stem Toy making July - August generations suffer an irreversible change in
3 Vaka tree Fruits Food
the environment. Green house gases and
4 Alli tree Fruits Food Almirah,beds, trapped heat in the atmosphere was a ma-
2 Gummidi Stem July - August
5 Pithigina tree Fruits Food cricket bats jor concern.
6 Golimi Fruits Food Windows, Undoubtedly commercialization
3 Neem Stem April - May
door frames has hit the lives of many indigenous com-
7 Pala tree Fruits Food
Table 8 : Names of oil yielding plants in the forest patch. Almirah,beds, munities and also the forest dwellers. Chil-
8 Black barry Fruits Food 4 Errudu java Stem July - August
door frames dren when they speak, make it very clear
9 Custard apple Fruits Food 5 Burugu tree Stem Boats making July - August that there has been a clear linkage of the
Sno Plants Part used Purpose
10 Pagada Fruits Food forests to global warming issues. This oc-
1 Wild Jatropha Nuts Medicine 6 Piyapu tree Stem Boats making July - August
11 Nalla geedi Fruits Medicine currence saw the emergence of the Green
2 Neem Nuts Pesticide 7 Billa Stem Beds July - August Ambassadors, who pose certain valid ques-
12 Jujube (Regu) Fruits Food
3 Nepali Nuts Bio-Diesel 8 Emasa Stem Beds, door frames July - August tions on their livelihood sustenance and
13 Parigi tree Fruits Food also the survival of Human race in future.
4 Pedda Jatropha Nuts Bio-Diesel 9 Lolugu Stem Toy making July - August
32
f. Documentation of wild plants used by animals as food g. Documentation of temporal changes in a select number
In table 11 are listed 15 species of wild trees which are of wild animals The following pictures depict wildlife species
used by different wild animals as food. The parts used as food Table 12 shows that all the 5 species for which data on
are Roots, Leaves, Nuts etc… Since these species provide food to temporal changes were gathered, show that the population of
the wild animals, it requires a careful management practice that all of them has decreased compared to the past.
would ensure the prudent use of the species by humans.
Table 12 :Temporal changes in select number of wild animals

Table 11: List of wild plants used by animals for food. Sno Species Increased/Decreased
1 Wild boar Decreased
Sno Name of the Species Part used 2 Kanusu Decreased
1 Manga tree (telugu) Root 3 Wild Sheep Decreased
2 Sugandapala Root 4 Rabbit Decreased
3 Pala Root 5 Fox Decreased
4 Thunga Root
h.Documentation of Birds marketed/consumed by humans
5 Bamboo Leaves Data presented in table 13 shows that at least 5 species
6 Konda relli Leaves of birds found in the forest patch are hunted by the local com-
7 Pula gaddi Leaves munities, except for the peacock which is not marketed; the rest
8 Erra gangli Nuts are both consumed as well as marketed.
9 Nala thumma Nuts, leaves Table 13 Birds marketed/consumed by humans found in forest
10 Bolusu Fruits, leaves Season Commercial
11 Parigi Fruits, leaves Sno Species Usage
hunted Values
12 Chamanthi Fruits, leaves 1 Peacock Food Winter No
13 Lolugu Fruits, leaves 2 Wild hen Food Winter Marketed
14 Neem Fruits, leaves 3 Patridge Food Winter Marketed
15 Pitta marri Leaves 4 Raven Food Winter Marketed
5 Dove Food Winter Marketed
34
C. Wild Aquatic Biodiversity: Table 14 a Seasonal variation in the width of the water in the river
As mentioned above for the study of wild aquatic biodi-
versity, the river Varaha was chosen. The following dimensions Location Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
were studied 1 0 0 0 0 0 15 18 35 35 25 18 0
2 0 0 0 0 0 16 17 37 37 28 20 0
a. Seasonal Variation in the availability of water in the river 3 0 0 0 0 0 14 15 32 31 22 16 0
b. Plant biodiversity found on the banks of the river.
Average 0 0 0 0 0 15 16.67 34.67 34.33 25 18 0
c. Birds found on the banks of the river consumed by
humans. Table 14 b Seasonal variation in the Depth of the water in the river
d. Seasonal variation in availability of wild animal biodiver
sity on the banks of the river Location Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
e. Aquatic animals found in the river bed. 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.5 1 3 3.5 3 1.5 0
2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1.5 4 4 3.5 2 0
3 0 0 0 0 0 0.5 1 2.5 2 2 1 0
a.Seasonal Variation in the availability of water in the river:
Average 0 0 0 0 0 0.67 1.17 3.17 3.17 2.83 1.5 0
The team studied two parameters of the water in the
river, namely the width of the water and the depth of the water. Figure 4 Seasonal variation in Width and Depth of the water
The observations were made on a 500 meter stretch of the river.
The width and depth of the water was recorded at three loca-
tions separately for the past 12 months. The results of the study 35
are given in table 14a and 14b and Figure 4 30 WIDTH
DEPTH
25
• The water in the river is available from June to Novem-
ber . 20
• The water starts declining from October onwards, and 15
the river more or less becomes dry during December.
10
• The width of the river in the studied stretch varied from
15 meters in June to 34 meters in August- September. 5
• The depth of the river in the studied stretch varied from 0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
0.6 in June to 3.6 in August- September.
36
b. Plant biodiversity found on the banks of the river are used as food. A few of those are also used for medicinal pur-
The plant diversity was observed on the banks of the poses. Table 17 Seasonal variation in availability of wild animal biodiversity on the banks of the river
river over a 500 meter stretch. In table 15, are summarized the
list of plants observed on the banks of the river, where 10 differ- Table 16 : List of Birds found on the banks of river consumed by Winter Season Summer Sea-
ent species of plants that included trees and shrubs were found. humans Sno Species Rainy Season ( July - Sep)
(Oct- Feb) son (Mar- Jun)
The local communities used all of these 10 species for a variety
of purposes. Sno Name of the Birds Purpose Crane,Thithuk
Crane,Thithuka,Gorinka,G
1 Pala pitta (telugu) Food a,Gorinka,Guv
uvva,Sparrow,Dove,Raven.
Table 15 :Plants found on the banks of the river 1 Birds va,Sparrow,Do No
2 Gorinka Food Crow,Gorapitta,Parrots,Pala
ve,Raven,Gora
3 Guva Food pitta, Kamsulu,
Name of the pitta,Crow,Parrots,
Sno Part used Purpose 4 Raven Back pain, piles
plant Caterpillars.Grass-
2 Insects No No
Leaf plate 5 Crane Food woper.Ants,
1 Bodda Leaves
making 6 Gorapitta Food Less than
3 Ant Hills Yes No
Stem, 7 Dove Food, medicine Winter
2 Palm tree Roofing
leaves Butter- Less than
4 Yes Yes
3 Uttika Stem Beds flies Winter
d.Seasonal variation in availability of wild animal biodiver-
4 Musidi Seed Pesticide sity on the banks of the river 5 Frogs Yes No Yes
5 Black berry Fruit,stem Dyes,medicine The river banks are very rich in wild biodiversity. A large
Palm tree Leaves, Making mats, number of birds are often sighted on the banks. The other taxa
6 that are found include insects, butterflies and frogs. Often a
(eetha) fruits food
number of ant hills are also observed. In table 17 are given the
7 Custard apple Fruits Food, pesticide
details of wild biodiversity observed during the three seasons –
8 Golimi Fruits Food winter, summer and Monsoon. As expected there are seasonal
9 Balusu Fruits Food variations in the availability of different species of animals.
10 Pittamarri Leaves Cattle feed
“For hundreds of years man has got rid of his waste into rivers
c. Birds found on the banks of the river consumed by humans and streams, but it was the growth of the industrial revolu-
Table 16 gives the names of the birds as well as their tion during the nineteenth century that resulted in the rivers
interface with the local communities. 7 bird species were often suffering the greatest pollution they have ever known.”
sighted during the study. A majority of these birds, as expected
38
f.Aquatic animals found in the river bed : Chapter Three
Information at a species level of aquatic animal’s diversity could
not be gathered dude to constrain of time and resources. Instead Awareness Campaigns and advocacy:
information was gathered at taxa level. In the river bed a diversity
of aquatic biodiversity includes Fish, snakes, frogs, crabs, prawns In this chapter are given the various campaigns organ-
etc… In table 18 are given details of these, together with their ized by the school children in particular green ambassadors col-
seasonal variability. As expected, except during summer season laboration with other agencies, to generate awareness regard-
where some of the aquatic biodiversity like fish, crabs, snails etc. ing the depletion of biodiversity and impact of climate change
reduces drastically; in other seasons all the animals listed in the on biodiversity and the overall impact of these changes on the
table are abundantly found. livelihood of the people. The campaigns shared the various
measures that need to be undertaken to mitigate the negative
impact of climate change. The campaigns also included strate-
gies to be adopted by the people to adopt to consequences of
climate change.

Table 18 :Names of the aquatic species foun in the river bed 3.1 Children Movement for Climate Justice:
On 31st October, 2009 Twenty children from Kotauratla
Winter Summer Rainy have participated in a mega rally at Chennai which focused on
Sno Species Season Season Season justice issues. More than thousand children represented com-
(Oct- Feb) (Mar- Jun) ( July - Sep) munities of different areas. The children voiced out their opin-
1 Fish Yes No Yes ions and questioned the current development ideology. That
was the beginning and the children from then on went on to
2 Snakes Yes Yes Yes
organize and strengthen their own networks.
3 Frogs Yes Yes Yes
4 Crabs Yes No Yes 3.2 Children Representing the issues of Communities and
5 Prawns Yes No Yes presenting a memorandum to the Collector:
6 Snails Yes No Yes Green Ambassadors took the initiative of awareness to
a new perspective; the children of the group have made their
voices heard in the communities where they live in. 11 children
of the group also submitted a memorandum to the district col-
lector representing the children as victims of climate chaos.
40
“Memorandum for “Ecological Child Rights – Children‘s Voic- ing world}. • Proper Health & Nutrition standards. Green Ambassadors Child Network Members
es for Climate Justice” • Priority to be given in view of Climatic Changes with • Car Pooling. Kotauratla Mandal,Visakhapatnam,AndhraPradesh,India.
In the Past Present and Future there have been a lot of respect to child perspective. • Bio Fuels (Signed by 800 children)”
hue and cry on the subject “CLIMATE” and its pattern of change. • Global geography would be disturbed ultimately affect- • Communicating the Hazards of Adverse Climatic Chang-
As Human beings are we Responsible? For the adverse impacts ing the progress of children. es.
that the climate has transformed into, for the enormous health • Food security in terms of calorific food value needs to be • Biomagnifications and Bio Remediation
vindications, for the tremendous increase in the rate of Pover- addressed. • Incorporation of Climate change Impacts/Subject in the
ty and ultimately the irreparable deterioration of the climate. • Increasing health hazards due to improper nutritional School Syllabus
This has been the hot topic in the international arena be it the requirements.
Conference of Parties, be it the Kyoto Protocol or even be it the • Fluctuating Market Prices to play a major role in procure- We Condemn
summit of Group 20 countries. Where are we heading to? – A ment of grain, vegetables etc.. • Green house Gas Emissions and Pollutants
terribly unsafe, unclean and unlivable Environment for Children. • Depreciation of Reserve Food stock is another issue. • Man made Global Warming
It’s high time that we the Children on the Globe join our hands • Population increase would affect directly on Food Avail- • Deforestation.
together and oppose the complication that have been complied ability, Land availability, • Economic Crisis
on us by the so called “intellectual adults”. • Dependency of developing nations on Developed • Genetically Modified Food
The Process of combating this global crisis on Climate nations would mean “People are at mercy of somebody”. • Corporate Level Exploitation of Natural Resources
is as always been challenging and as children we need to • Fertility of soil would decrease and production of crops • Usage of Non-Renewable sources of Energy
Persevere hard enough so that we do not repeat the same mis- would be that much of an issue. • Usage of Non Renewable Wastes.
takes again. • The wheat produce has already been lowered by a mar- • Encouragement of Tourism
Voices of Children (Green Ambassadors) From Kotaurat- gin of 30% which is enormous when we talk in terms of We the Children of Kotauratla Mandal submit the above
la, Visakhapatnam, (AP) nutritive conditions of children. Memorandum to the Government and the Leaders of the state&
The following are the few points that we thought to Country to look seriously on the above matters and think about
share with our counterparts to face the threat of Climate change We stand For the future of the children of the country, to commit to action on
and phase out the “Threat” out of our Lives • Cleaner, Safer and a Livable Environment for Future. climate change and demand the rich countries should commit
• Depletion of Poverty. to
Facts that have Risen in Recent Past • Sustained Food security. • Making deep and urgent cuts in their own carbon emis-
• Irregular climate has had a direct impact on the nutri- • Protection of Forest sions in line with keeping Global warming with in 2 ° C
tional status of Children. • Sustained Agricultural Practices • Assisting and helping to pay for developing countries
• Increase of child Poverty issues in the near future – This • Decentralized Energy Options to reduce their emissions, develop cleanly and adapt to
issue has to be addressed as early as possible. {Source: The • Organic food clmate change.
Hindu- 25 million more children will go hungry by 2050- • Safe Drinking Water Let us unite!!!
Global warming set to bring back Malnutrition in develop- • Climate Change Awareness In Solidarity,
42
3.3 Networking with other Organisations: 3.6 Seed Festival:
Green Ambassadors also are a part of larger network CeFHA with the partnership of Green Ambassadors have Pictures below depict Green ambassadors taking part in
formed at a National level, which is called as “Children Move- organized a seed festival at the public library of Visakhapatnam.
ment for Climate Justice.” These meetings were held at different The main aim of organizing such an event was to educate peo-
climate justice campaigns
places and children from many areas have participated sharing ple on the importance of conserving biodiversity. The seed festi-
their problems and issues. It was a very good initiative that KNH val has seen a display of materials more than one could imagine.
has supported as the children have come up with newer ideas The representatives of indigenous communities have displayed
to save earth by collective efforts. Children have represented the more than 40 varieties of traditional Paddy and Ragi.
voices of their respective communities in many meetings and In the festival a workshop was organized on different as-
gatherings. It was very inspiring to see the children speak about pects of climate change. Eminent scholars like Mr. J.B. Rathnam,
the destruction of environment and ecosystems. The children a renowned climate activist and also a popular journalist, Dr.
group has blamed the dominant development measures of to- Venkaiah Professor of Botany, Andhra University, and Dr. P.S. Raja
day’s era for this kind of extensive destruction. Sekhar, Professor of environmental sciences, Andhra university
participated and shared their use on the topic.
3.4 Children Rally in Kotauratla:
The children have organized a mass rally to aware com- Mr. Rathnam highlighted the following
mon public on environment friendly approaches. The children • Ongoing development projects ultimately destroy the
collected the plastic bags, shouting slogans and addressing balance of existing ecosystems.
the common public on the deteriorating status of our environ- • The importance of maintaining optimum balance be-
ment. The children in detail brought about the facts and reasons tween animals, insects, birds and the microorganisms is
behind the difficulties in livelihood sustenance. The children necessary for the environment to maintain its stable na-
shared their experiences during the study on Biodiversity status, ture.
and helped many people to compare the present to the past. • He shared many case studies depicting the negative im-
pact of climate change on the poor.
3.5 Children Voice their opinions on climate to the Radio and • He urges the Green Ambassadors to take this struggle
Television: for survival to a different level
The group was extensively capacitated with many train-
ing programs. The children ably faced the digital media and Dr. P.S. Rajasekhar shared about various aspects of agro eco-
shared their vows both in the local visual and audio media. The systems and their importance in livelihood security.
children were covered in almost all the leading News channels
were also invited by the popular Radio channel, FM and had an Dr. Venkaiah gave an idea about different plant species found
interview done. in the forests of Visakhapatnam district.
44
Chapter Four

The Way Forward 4.2. Focus of Green Ambassadors and CeFHA team on the Green ambassadors to take forward ...
Communities:
The Green Ambassadors look forward to carry out and Both the organization as well as the Green Ambassadors
consolidate good work they have been doing. They would try have essentially worked out steps, and would try to focus on the
and build networks amongst the other children, institutions and following
government agencies in the region, to spread awareness on cli- • To propose an eco syllabus for the children in schools
mate change and preservation of biodiversity to people at large. and introduce environment education in schools.
• To create awareness among children and communities
regarding conservation of water resources and adopting
prudent practices related to use of water.
4.1 Focus of CeFHA on Green Ambassadors: • To create awareness on adapting Sustainable agriculture
CeFHA and the Director, Dr. Sasi Prabha Stanley envisage through organic fertilizers and pesticides.
that the “Green Ambassadors” move forward strategizing their • To help people understand the importance of protect-
goals and utilize their ability of conducting research. ing the forests and aquatic biodiversity,would sensitise to
• To help the group carry out research based activities, do so.
confining to Domestic biodiversity in view of time and • To help the farmers understand the importance of In-
distance constraints. digenous seeds and make them aware of protecting and
• To further empower the group and help them address multiplying them.
issues related to biodiversity preservation in the commu- • To reduce the usage of plastics by self and awaking oth-
nities involving PRI institutions. ers on the harsh effects of it.
• To empower the group and make them child resource • To help the communities understand the importance of
persons to campaign in different villages spreading the biodiversity and sensitise people on it.
message of climate change and biodiversity preservation. • To help the communities understand the unsustainable
• To further empower the children to take up advocacy growth concepts by current development strategies and
with PRIs, administration and government agencies. urge the people to take up more sustainable develop-
ment methods and chose the later over the former.
46

Annexure 1: 23 C. Laxminarasimha M Thadaparthy

24 M. Lova Jyothi F Thadaparthy
S.no Name of the Child Sex Name of the village 25 C. Lavakusulu M Thadaparthy
1 T. Ananthalaxmi F Panduru 26 G. Lovaraju M Thadaparthy
2 P. Durga F Panduru 27 S. Sivakumar M Thadaparthy
3 T. Anjali F Panduru 28 G. Marinithalli F Allumiyyapalem
4 Y. Venkatalaxmi F Panduru 29 M. Papa F Allumiyyapalem
5 B. Kumari F Panduru 30 D. Ramalaxmi M Allumiyyapalem
6 P.Chinni F Panduru 31 V. Satyavathi F Allumiyyapalem
7 B. Gopi M Panduru 32 G. Gavararaju M Allumiyyapalem
8 P. Nagendra M Chowduwada 33 S. Srinu M Allumiyyapalem
9 G.R.Vamsi M Chowduwada 34 V Satya Sravani F Allumiyyapalem
10 M. Padma F Chowduwada 35 D. Durgaprasad M Allumiyyapalem
11 M. Demudu M Chowduwada 36 M. Satyanarayana M Allumiyyapalem
12 P. Kumari F Chowduwada 37 M. Joginaidu M Allumiyyapalem
13 Marthi Sai Ganesh M Chowduwada 38 V. Srinivas M Allumiyyapalem
14 G.Sirisha F Gottivada 39 M. Rajyalaxmi F Allumiyyapalem
15 G. Hemalatha F Gottivada 40 D. Srinu M Allumiyyapalem
16 G. Sravani F Gottivada
17 P. Nanaji M Gottivada List of staff participated :
18 M. Anand M Gottivada
Sno Name part of
19 G. Poorna F Gottivada
1 Mr Murthy Wild biodiverity
20 K. Anandabharathi F Gottivada
2 Mr Gopal Aquatic biodiversity
21 M. Chinna Babu M Thadaparthy
3 Mr Srinivas Domesticated biodiversity
22 G. Durgaprasad M Thadaparthy
4 Mr Suresh Agriculture biodiversity Climate justice is children’s responsibility now,
Green ambassadors would lead the way
48