COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Forest Division and Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) have organised a specialised one-day capacity-building program for forest frontline staff, focused on "Soil and Moisture Conservation (SMC) for Elephant Habitat Restoration and the Promotion of Unpalatable Alternative Crops at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University" (TNAU) on Thursday.
This initiative was conceived and received under the Tamil Nadu Innovative Initiatives scheme, with a dedicated focus on advancing elephant research and habitat management.
The event was coordinated by M Naveen, Scientist and Head of the Elephant Cell, who inaugurated the session by highlighting the critical link between habitat degradation and human-elephant conflict.
A distinguished panel of experts provided technical inputs throughout the day. Rajkumar, Dean of Soil and Water Conservation Engineering at TNAU.
The morning technical sessions included detailed presentations by Dr Aruna (Ecology Specialist) on habitat linkages, and Dr Balaji Kanna (Professor, TNAU), who detailed engineering techniques such as contour trenches, staggered trenches, and gully plugging designed to retain moisture and improve fodder availability within forest boundaries.
In the afternoon, the training transitioned to a practical field demonstration led by Dr Raj Kishor. Frontline staff, including forest range officers, foresters, and guards, received hands-on training in seed ball preparation and the strategic plantation of unpalatable crops like Lemongrass, Agave, and Vetiver.
These "buffer crops" are intended to create a biological barrier at the forest-fringe villages to reduce crop raiding and mitigate conflict.