If you’ve grown up in a big
city, living in a rainforest for even a short while can be a vastly different
experience. Having lived in a bustling, noisy, and rushed city like Bombay,
I’ve become immune to the early morning roar of the BEST bus driving past my
house. At Agumbe Rainforest Research Station
(ARRS), situated in the midst of tropical moist evergreen forest adjoining Someshwara
Wildlife Sanctuary in Carnatic Western Ghats, I woke up blissfully to the sweet
whistles of the Malabar Whistling Thrush and the distant calls of langurs and
macaques. My volunteering for seventeen days at ARRS has been a thrilling
experience that has definitely pushed me out of my snug comfort-zone and has
helped me overcome phobias by the day.
The Western Ghats is known for
the diverse habitats and rich biodiversity. Agumbe is famous for its highest
annual rainfall in South India. The humid, tropical climate provides the
quintessential conditions for prolific forests consisting of many endemic as
well as migratory species of animals. Leopards, Wild dogs, Lion-tailed macaques,
Gaurs, Wild boars, Slender loris, Malabar Giant Squirrels, Indian Flying
Squirrels and Mouse-deer, are just few of the mammals that comprise the Ghats’
Megafauna. However, when it comes to the small critters that actually hold the
ecosystem together, Agumbe Rainforest has an extremely diverse variety of arthropods,
reptiles, amphibians, and birds. Prior to my experience at ARRS, I was horribly
afraid of insects, and terrified of venomous snakes. Post my experience, I
began to appreciate the intrinsic beauty of these animals. I learnt so much
about their magical ecology, and actually loved nature even more.
A typical day of a volunteer at
the Research Station is rather eventful. I woke up early every morning and went
for a walk as part of my field work for “Biodiversity Monitoring Program”. In a
nutshell, I walked on forest trails and through grasslands in order to spot
wildlife: beautiful birds, camouflaged skinks, hopping frogs, coiled-up snakes,
burrowed scorpions, and even timid mammals. Being a photographer, I have never
found it more challenging to take photos of animals. After a simple but
wholesome breakfast, I would assist with field work for amphibian survey or
maintenance of the extensive library. Every day I learnt many new things
through assisting on-station researchers with their work, as well as bonding
with fellow volunteers and visitors from all around the world. After basic but
tasty lunch, I’d do a variety of things: manual labor, maintenance work,
studying about wildlife, or just have “me time” to introspect and reflect upon
various aspects of my life and the world. Believe it or not, being in nature
really broadens one’s understanding of humanity and its impact on the world. A
typical evening could include assisting researchers during “human-snake conflict
mitigation”. This term does not simply mean catching venomous snakes from human
habitation but educating people about the ecology of these creatures and how to
live in harmony with them. It could be a baby Spectacled Cobra that has found a
cozy spot in a nearby school’s classroom, a massive 12 feet King Cobra stuck in
a well, or even a 10 feet Indian Rock Python threatening domestic animals.
‘Mitigating’ the conflict between humans and wildlife allows smoother
coexistence between mankind and the natural world - something that has rapidly
enervated in a burgeoning populace. The evenings could also include assisting
researchers to set up their complex apparatus, such as Light Trap to study
moths at night. Dinner could sometimes be followed by a night walk that could
be immersed in suspense: hearing a deep moan - potentially of a leopard - just
a few meters into the dense foliage on the side of the trail, or even waiting
for an eye-shine that gives away the refuge of a Slender Loris. On one of the
night, during a walk into the Myristica swamp - a critically endangered ecosystem
- I encountered a little Indian Black Turtle that was completely oblivious to
my presence. At night, I would edit my
photos, played-back my videos, reflect upon the day, used the internet to
identify the biodiversity that I see during the course of the day or read the herpetological
journals to learn about research and conservation.
Personally, I used the time away
and the geographical isolation from home as an opportunity to beat the stresses
and constrictions of my monotonous and insipid routine of life back home. It’s
not to say that I didn’t miss home, but it’s to elaborate that sometimes a
digression from the stagnant routine of city life can be a refreshing
experience that has numerous positive outcomes: a deeper understanding of
nature, a fresher perspective of mankind, and an appreciation of the efforts of
people trying to conserve nature. I found it so easy to bond with the people
working here even though some of them couldn’t speak English, and barely
understood Hindi. It was the common appreciation of a greater force - nature -
that enabled such harmonious coexistence. As I mentioned previously, I overcame
phobias by the day. I became less afraid of the insects that usually had me
dashing away from their random dive-bombs, and learnt to appreciate their
ecological value. Although basic, the facilities at ARRS enabled a hygienic as
well as environmentally sustainable lifestyle: appropriate waste-management,
solar-power generation, and hygienic sanitation (hot water, purified drinking
water etc.)
The instructors during my
‘volunteership’ were Ajay Giri and Dhiraj Bhaisare. The former’s expertise is human-snake
conflict mitigation and I accompanied him on quite a few of these ‘missions.’
His intense experiences with snakes and propensity to understand the behaviour
of snakes of all types makes him adept at carrying out his work with an ethical
and efficient approach that not only respects the snake but also the people who
often come in conflict with these animals. The latter supervises the internal
research and co-ordinates with all external researchers as well as
administrates volunteer and intern activities. His meticulous and professional
approach, compounded with his extensive knowledge over different domains of
ecology, be it taxonomy or behaviour of animals, makes him a very accomplished
conservationist. His ongoing conservation efforts - data collection both
qualitative and quantitative - have greatly inspired me.
As a whole, this experience was
monumental in my development as a person as it not only educated me, but also
helped me grow as an individual. I feel like I can adapt better to different
circumstances by just getting immersed in it. What those same circumstances can
offer: in this case, a beautiful, prosperous ecosystem.
Article by: Arjun
Doshi, Mumbai
Volunteer: 10th September to 9th October, 2014
Volunteer: 10th September to 9th October, 2014
