COIMBATORE: Clad in khaki, a forest officer stands tall in a green space surrounded by young trees and bushes. Facing the camera without a tint of hesitation, he explains about the significance of Western Ghats in lucid Tamil, catering to an audience spanning beyond age and boundaries. Thanks to the magic clicks of social media, the video reached its destination, sooner than expected, without any big trouble.
When S Sathish, Forest Range Officer (FRO) of Thalavadi forest range at Sathymangalam Tiger Reserve in Erode district, made up his mind to create awareness about wildlife among the common people three years back, his prime focus was on the younger generation, particularly school kids, who are the future of our nation.
Finding time off his busy schedule, this 38-year-old forest conservationist, who hails from the hilly region of Thalavady in the Western Ghats, started making short videos on the behaviour of wild animals, including sloth bears and elephants, snakebite remedies, among others, and shared them on social media in a bid to reduce the instances of man-animal conflicts.
“I started posting videos to make the youngsters realise the nuances of our land’s wildlife in a better way. They are the ones who shall bring the currently-lacking innovation into forest conservation. After my videos garnered attention, not only the people of Tamil Nadu, but also residents of other countries began extending support to my cause,” says Sathish, whose recent video on Western Ghats crossed 1.5 million views and 1.4 shares on Facebook, in mere four days.
Growing up in the mountains of Western Ghats, Sathish was introduced to the service of a forest ranger through one of his friends, during their higher secondary period. In 2010, he cracked the TNPSC exam through direct recruitment, and landed the job after a hiatus of four years due to some legal tangles.
After serving as a Forest Range officer trainee at the Hassanur forest division in Sathymangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), Sathish was posted as the FRO at the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park Mandapam wildlife range in 2016, after successfully completing an 18-month training session at the Telangana State Forest Academy, Hyderabad.
“During the period, our team detected over 70 cases of sea cucumber poaching, and released around 4,000 Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings after a safe incubation period of 50 to 70 days at a temporary hatchery in the seashore. We were also involved in the conservation of dolphins and sea turtles. Usually, sea turtles get entangled in fishing nets and dolphins get hurt after coming in contact with boat propellers. Once they reach the seashore, we examine their health condition and then release them back to the sea,” says Sathish, recipient of the ‘Earth Hero Award 2019’ instituted by the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Much to his credit and commitment, this forest officer also bagged the Union Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forests’ ‘India Biodiversity Award 2021’ under the category ‘Sustainable Use of Biological Resources’ for his contribution to establish ‘Kaarankaadu Community-based Marine Eco-tourism’, which aims to improve the lives of tribal people.
“With the marine tourism initiative at Kaarankaadu, the livelihoods of 150 tribal members of the region have significantly improved as they now make a living by facilitating boat rides and cooking food for tourists. At present, the Eco Development Committee (EDC), set up to ensure the welfare of the tribal community, generates around Rs 3.5 lakh per month, thanks to the state government’s initiative,” opined Sathish, thanking the forest department’s interest in carrying out measures to enhance tribal life.
After joining the Thalavadi range in 2021, Sathish and his team were more focused on bringing down man-animal conflict in the region. “As of now, we have implemented state government projects like Elephant Proof Trench (EPT) and solar fencing to prevent crop-raiding elephants from entering Iriyapuram and Malkuthipuram Thoddi villages. Ever since EPT and fencing measures were put up, elephant menace has sharply dropped by 90%. Yet, we keep on alerting farmers about wild animal movement via WhatsApp groups,” he pointed out.
Though many accolades adorn this forest officer’s service tenure, what he holds most close to heart is the ‘IUCN International Ranger Award 2021’ from Switzerland received for his efforts towards marine conservation. Equating the award to the Oscars, Sathish says, “While actors are on cloud nine after bagging the Academy Awards, as a forest range officer, clinching the International Ranger Award is nothing short of an Oscar for me.” Interestingly, he retained the certificate and memento, while contributing the cash prize of Rs 7 lakh for marine conservation efforts in Gulf of Mannar.
Though an FRO by profession, Sathish never fails to add more elements to his service and has even put on the shoes of a writer. In 2020, he authored ‘Roots of the Sea’, which describes various ways to conserve mangroves, and co-ordinated ‘Birds of Ramanthapuram’ (Ramanathapuram Mavatta Paravaikal), a book co-written by three authors.
“We have distributed copies of ‘Ramanathapuram Mavatta Paravaikal’ to over 1,000 government school students. It will enable them to recognise the sounds of various birds, including migratory and native species,” said Sathish, who is also an active presence in the conservation activities at Therthangal, Sakkarakottai and Chithirankudi regions of Ramanathapuram wildlife range. “I will be more than happy if my endeavours to spread awareness about wildlife species aid in making people coexist with animals peacefully. I hope that our future generations will also continue this path,” he adds.
(Edited by Arya AJ)