Distribution Of Life Saving Kits To Forest Frontline Workers
Distribution Of Life Saving Kits To Forest Frontline Workers (Forest Guards)
In Association With Department Of Forestry, Government Of Karnataka @ “ Kollegal Tiger Reserve
Forest
“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” – Mahatma Gandhi
PFWCK conducts verity of environmental related activities in the state of Karnataka with focus on
- To protect and conserve wildlife and biodiversity, Conduct research and development for long-term development, To study, analyze, and disseminate policies, programs, and legislation affecting the environment, health, safety, sanitation, etc, To operate plantation programs and protect and conserve old trees. To conduct programs for promoting awareness in the people in connection with the movements for forestation, plantation, and the development of wasteland.
- To make people aware of the activities damaging the environment and health.
- To manage social forestry, agro forestry, rainwater harvesting, wastewater treatment, and solid waste management projects.
- To encourage and develop all aspects of students’ inventive and research facilities and provide opportunities for research work in environmental science, safety and health, sanitation, energy conservation, energy auditing, and management.
- Working towards wellbeing of forest staff
- It’s tough life for Forest Staff who work on the frontline-both temporary and permanent. PFWCK helps frontline workers in several areas.
- Many of the frontline workers have no access to local medical facilities within 5 km. We conduct regular health camps and provide first aid medical kits and generic medications. We are also working towards providing health insurance.
- Frontline Forest staff also contend with “non-communicable diseases because of the tough lives and chronic health conditions coupled with poor facilities also leads to demoralized work force. We identify such cases and provide necessary assistance.
- Many temporary Forest guards who work are being targeted by their supervisors, PFWCK working with the higher level officers will fill several gaps by negotiate wages and other benefits.
- Apart from physical demands that are in the job
- Field staff patrolling officers should feel secure about their health and wellbeing if they have to give their hundred-percent.
- A frontline workers job involves high personal risk to life and a gamut of other challenges.
- There are few permanent posts, and temporary workers are often paid low and paid late.
- These Forest workers have been struggling for even basic needs, such as buying medicines or note books for their Children’s education.
- Apart from physical demands that there jobs extract, psychological health is also matter of concern. PFWCK provides year round counseling sessions to the families. PFWCK provides continuous Support for Forest Frontline Workers/ Watchers and Guards and beat officers.
- It’s tough life for Forest Staff who work on the frontline-both temporary and permanent. PFWCK helps frontline workers in several areas.
- Many of the frontline workers have no access to local medical facilities within 5 km. We conduct regular health camps and provide first aid medical kits and generic medications. We are also working towards providing health insurance.
- Frontline Forest staff also contend with “non-communicable diseases because of the tough lives and chronic health conditions coupled with poor facilities also leads to demoralized work force. We identify such cases and provide necessary assistance.
- Many temporary Forest guards who work are being targeted by their supervisors, PFWCK working with the higher level officers will fill several gaps by negotiate wages and other benefits.
- Apart from physical demands that are in the job
- Field staff patrolling officers should feel secure about their health and wellbeing if they have to give their hundred-percent.
- A frontline workers job involves high personal risk to life and a gamut of other challenges.
- There are few permanent posts, and temporary workers are often paid low and paid late.
- These Forest workers have been struggling for even basic needs, such as buying medicines or note books for their Children’s education.
Apart from physical demands that their jobs extract, psychological health is also matter of concern. PFWCK provides year round counseling sessions to the families.
PFWCK works on improving living conditions in five reserved tiger forests so that forest staff is safe and comfortable. On this objective PFWCK decided to meet the front line workers and conduct the research and survey among the forest staff in association with forest department govt. of Karnataka. Subsequently had discussion with forest higher officers and Shri.Ihswar Kandre, Minister for Forestry , Government of Karnataka and with the permission of the department, the Board of Directors of PFWCK have decided organize the program to distribute the safty kits to front line workers at Kollegal Reserved forest zone.
Our team had met Mr. Kumar Pushkar IFS, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Nodal officer along with Mr. Santhosh ACF BBMP Forest division (South). Had discussed our future project in terms of conservation and preservation of forest, maintaining ecology and wildlife along with upliftment of forest tribal communities .
Challenge analyzed by PFWCK expert team in Karnataka Forest Forests and the Frontline Workers.
The quote above was a lament by a frontline forest worker from many Tiger Reserve in south India, specifically in our state of Karnataka the above quote is from the experience of the PFWCK workers from fieldwork. Such perceptions about the realities of ranger work remain invisible in popular narratives about rangers working in biodiversity conservation.
Ongoing research and conversations with frontline forest workers on Forest watchers and guards highlights the importance of frontline workers as the primary actors in doing the work of conservation in protected areas. Such work thus positions frontline workers as both the most important as well as the most vulnerable actors in addressing wildlife crime, including but not limited to illegal hunting and poaching, illicit logging and collection of non-timber forest products. Frontline workers more broadly are on the ground, engaged in protecting and conserving wildlife, forests, and achieving intertwined social and ecological objectives of conservation and human development. Yet, despite the multifaceted nature of frontline work and the political economic and socio-cultural contexts they operate in, frontline warriors and their work are often portrayed in simplistic terms.
Health Assessment from PFWCK @ Kollegal forest area
Forest guards make up the frontline defense to safeguard the natural habitat of the tigers and work in extremely remote environments where access to healthcare facilities is poor. Hearing the Voices of the field the overarching goal of the PFWCK project is to explore the impact of health of frontline staff living and working in rural areas on conservation efforts in tiger reserves across Karnataka. PFWCK has taken up initiative to train trained 1000 frontline workers in 10 tiger reserves in basic life support (BLS), management of malaria, seizures, snake bites as well as major trauma from either human or wildlife conflict.
During PFWCKs interviews many frontline workers revealed that they work in dangerous conditions with low pay, poor facilities, and spend long durations away from their families. The survey collectively by PFWCK refers to all frontline conservation staff which includes forest guards, foresters, wildlife wardens, scouts, and watchers. It has been noticed that the frontline workers particularly in the South work under rigid social hierarchies, often shaped by caste, class, gender, and race. For example, during our fieldwork across several national parks in Karnataka,we found that indigenous and lower caste persons were usually employed as daily wage workers with little job security. They have also been conceptualised as “vulnerable chowkidars” as well as forest watchers working in precarious working conditions without fixed term contracts. In our research with rangers in India, we find systemic caste discrimination and exploitation in frontline forest work, where upper caste forest guards coerce lower caste daily wage forest watchers to do chores associated with their caste occupation, such as clean toilets and wash clothes.
Findings of PFWCK team
PFWCK realizes that we are in a key moment for the future of biodiversity conservation. The establishment of protected areas for biodiversity conservation is set for major growth in the coming decade with the passage of 30×30 targets. This is positioned as a lynchpin of integrated and global environmental action and finance that aims to protect species, respond to climate change and achieve a ‘green’ post-pandemic economic recovery. Conservation workers will play a frontline role in implementing these highly ambitious, controversial and conflict-laden goals. Understanding who works in conservation, in what capacities, how this is changing with and responding to shifts in conservation policy and practice is vital. A stronger understanding of the changing role and nature of labour in conservation is thus crucial for advancing a theoretically relevant and socially just conservation science, design, practice and implementation. To this end, a transdisciplinary approach is necessary, combining conservation social science with labour studies from but not limited to geography, sociology and economics. Our expert team also met with Ms.Tara, Cini Artist and Environmentalist and National award winning Indian actress, known for her work in Kannada cinema and politics. She joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2009 and is currently a nominated member of the Karnataka Legislative Council also discussed about our proposal and research on social and economic conditions of frontline workers in forest in the state of Karnataka.
PFWCKs: A Health Needs Assessment Analysis Of Frontline Staff Working In Tiger Reserves Across Karnataka, India
PFWCK provides continuous Support for Forest Frontline Workers/ Watchers and Guards and beat officers.
- It’s tough life for Forest Staff who work on the frontline-both temporary and permanent.
PFWCK helps frontline workers in several areas. - Many of the frontline workers have no access to local medical facilities within 5 km. We conduct regular health camps and provide first aid medical kits and generic medications. We are also working towards providing health insurance.
- Frontline Forest staff also contends with “non-communicable diseases because of the tough lives and chronic health conditions coupled with poor facilities also leads to demoralized work force. We identify such cases and provide necessary assistance.
- Many temporary Forest guards who work are being targeted by their supervisors, PFWCK working with the higher level officers will fill several gaps by negotiate wages and other benefits.
- Apart from physical demands that are in the job .
- Field staff patrolling officers should feel secure about their health and wellbeing if they have to give their hundred-percent.
- A frontline workers job involves high personal risk to life and a gamut of other challenges.
- There are few permanent posts, and temporary workers are often paid low and paid late.
- These Forest workers have been struggling for even basic needs, such as buying medicines or note books for their Children’s education.
- Apart from physical demands that their jobs extract, psychological health is also matter of concern. PFWCK provides year round counseling sessions to the families.
Forest guards make up the frontline defense to safeguard the natural habitat of the tigers and work in extremely remote environments where access to healthcare facilities is poor.
Hearing the Voices of the field the overarching goal of the PFWCK project is to explore the impact of health of frontline staff living and working in rural areas on conservation efforts in tiger reserves across Karnataka. PFWCK has taken up initiative to train trained 1000 frontline workers in 10 tiger reserves in basic life support (BLS), management of malaria, seizures, snake bites as well as major trauma from either human or wildlife conflict.
Report Submitted by PFWCK to Forest officials and to Mr.Ishwar Kandre, Forest Minister of Karnataka seeking permission to jointly organize program to distribute the life saving materials
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS DESIDED TO celebrate PFWCK’s third anniversary by distribution of life saving equipment’s and materials to forest warriors and forest guards in the reserved wild life sanctuaries in Karnataka ,mainly in “ Tiger Reserved Forests” extended to all forests zones in Karnataka. In this regard PFWCK have decided to initiate this from Kaveri Wild life sanctuary Kollegeal and kabini zone later extended to all reserved forest zone throughout Karnataka.
Celebration of Third Anniversary of PFWCK”
& Distribution of life saving equipment’s and materials at “Mahadeswar Reserved Forest”, Kollegal
Life Saving Kits distributed to 250 front line workers- Shoes, Winter Jackets, Rain coat, First aid box
Date:-09-01-2024
Inaugurated by:-Mr. M.R.Krishnamurty,MLA, Kollegal
Chief Guest:-Shri.Santhosh Kumar,DFO ,kollegal Reserved Forest
Presided by:- Mr.Naveen Nichal, CEO, PFWCK
Guest of Honor:-
Shri.Chandrashekar Naik, Chief Conservator of Forest, Chamarajanagar District
Shri.Nanjund Swamy, Director, JAMUL, Mysore
Shri.John Peter,Director,PFWCK
Shri.Datta Saraf,Director-Projects,PFWCK
Program description:-
The program was inaugurated by Shri.M.R.Krishnamurty MLA, Kollegal by watering of plant. In his inaugural speech he said he would put forward the findings made by PFWCK research team to government and ready to work with PFWCK. He also said he will work with government to get more sophisticated safety materials to forest personnel. He said he wil extend his support and cooperation to all the forest and environmental activities to PFWCK.
In his presidential address Mr.Naveen Nichal ,CEO ,PFWCK briefed about the importance of the need and protect our forest Gandadagudi and preserve to the next generation. He said he and his team is working towards improvement of social and economic conditions of family and children of forest warriors. Mr.Naveen also proposed the plan of action for 2024-24 and about various activities conducted and planned environmental. He also brought to notice of government ,the need for forest education from school to university level.
More than 250 kits were distributed to forest personals.
Shri. Chandrashekar Naik, Chief Conservator of Forest, Chamarajanagar District, Shri. Nanjund Swamy, Director, JAMUL, Mysore, Shri. John Peter, Director, PFWCK, Shri. Datta Saraf, Director-Projects, PFWCK were also present.
Around 500 personalities from various back ground were graced the occasion
Mr. Shrishail of PFWCK proposed the vote of thanks
Gallery
PFWCK in Press
Conclusion & Findings
- It is found that after discussions with Honorable Member of Legislative Assembly that there is huge need and participation of Environmental NGO’s in conservation forest, Empowerment of forest skills and PFWCK can take up vertical and horizontal activities in various domain of forest.
- PFWCK identified the area to conduct skill development programs to Children of forest staff
- Based on the findings of the research team and the successful implementation of this program ,PFWCK would extend similar programs across all the reserved forest areas of the Karnataka
- PFWCK planning to place one fire brigade vehicle for every 10 Km of the forest area in future
- PFWCK found that “ JAN Bhagidhari” is highly effective tool in implementing environmental programs to ground level
- PFWCK could identified similar programs for tribes under private and public partnership initiative