Blue Economy Alliance is a new way of designing business

 Buckwheat is one of the most efficient producers of plant protein, unmatched by any other grain (even though it is classified as a fruit due to its pyramidical shape). The human body can digest 74 percent of buckwheat’s protein content which includes 8 essential amino acids, Vitamin E and nearly the entire spectrum of B-complex which helps the body to respond to insulin needs. Honey from buckwheat flowers has up to 20 times more anti-oxidants than any other honey, offering a prime quality by-product. The hulls are used as packaging material, as base material for heating pads, as raw material for mattresses, and as the filler for hypo-allergenic pillows that offer excellent neck support. However, advertising has shifted the image of buckwheat and the local population increasingly prefers imported white rice


Blue Economy Alliance is a new way of designing business

Giving life in death too......

This picture was taken in the year 2006, when the flaming glory vines climbed all the way and bloomed on our boundary wall.   The beautiful flaming glory bower is a common and popular vine in the NCR region, but is an exotic from Africa. 

Rewind to 2012, the vines are on the decline, a couple of them are just dead woody branches.

Slowly, a bracket fungus appeared on the dead branch.  As it kept growing and looked interesting, I looked up the Internet to see what these growths on dead tree branches meant.  The results opened up a whole new world of fungi, where researchers are unearthing new  uses for them.   Here is what I learnt.

The growth is called  bracket fungus. These fungi are usually found on the sides of trees and on fallen logs.  Fungi were once classed as plants, but they do not photosynthesise, but instead obtain nourishment from preformed organic materials, in much the same way that animals do. Many are saprotrophic - feeding off decomposing organic remains, such as dead wood. The saprotrophic polypore Microporus xanthopus is one of the commonest fungi in tropical areas from Australia through to Africa, but is not found in the American tropics. It can be found on rotting wood of numerous tree species in the wet, forested areas. As a whole the genus Microporus is found in Australia, many parts of Asia and tropical to south-temperate Africa. 

The value of dead wood

Dead wood (coarse woody debris or CWD) is extremely important to the health of the forest, and this is being increasingly recognised by conservationists. Not only is it an aspect of the process of nutrient cycling, providing a steady, slow-release source of nitrogen, but it is also thought to play a significant role in carbon storage. Fallen logs can also increase soil stability within a woodland.  The role of fungi in breaking down dead wood is especially crucial. Lignin is the substance that makes wood stiff, and it is so tough that animals cannot digest it. However, certain fungi are able to biodegrade this substance using particular enzymes, thus allowing the vast amounts of dead wood in a natural forest to be broken down.

Microhabitats

Standing dead trees (snags) and fallen debris provide a fantastic array of 'microhabitats'. There is a breathtaking range of saproxylic (deadwood-dependent) organisms including fungi, lichens, invertebrates, mosses and birds, many of them having very specific
requirements, and some specialising exclusively on one particular microhabitat. A remarkable 40% of woodland wildlife is dependent on this aspect of the forest ecosystem.

Here is a link to a website which gives more info

http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/forest/ecological/fungi.html

Tiger Tourism

Scene in Ranthambhore when a tiger is sighted
Pic by Susan Sharma (2005)

On 24th July, 2012 The Supreme Court  banned tourism in the core areas of India’s tiger reserves till further orders, fuelling fears among tour operators and some conservationists that people would lose the chance to watch the animals in the wild, local economies would bleed and poaching would increase.

As the first step towards eco-tourism, the top court today said that all states must notify the core and buffer areas of Parks under them.

Conservationists estimate that up to 150,000 tourists visit the Ramthambore park each year, contributing to its business revenue of Rs 60 crore.  How much of this actually trickles down to the local community is the moot issue, though.  Voices of the people living around the Park tell otherwise. ( See our film "Living with the Park").

Tour operators around the Jim Corbett Park estimate that nearly half the 90-odd hotels outside the park would shut down and hundreds of safari operators and nature guides would lose jobs if the interim order becomes the final one.

“The debate on wildllife tourism has less to do with conservation and more and more to do with issues of equity,” said M.D. Madhusudan, a wildlife biologist and director of the Nature Conservation Foundation in Mysore.

The archives of IndianWilldlifeclub contain many articles which are worth reading for those interested in a ringside view of tiger tourism.

Just write "tiger tourism" in our search button on top right hand side of http://www.Indianwildlifeclub.com and you will see  blogs, articles and chat transcripts devoted to the tiger. 

See our video on three tigers of Corbett- what do two young tigers find when they go looking for water at a water hole?
https://youtu.be/rkea2m2gJow