26th Annual Report of the Palni Hills Conservation Council
						     (PHCC)

Introduction : 2011 has been one of facilitating change from a recipient perspective to self sustainability in
the activities of PHCC, (the council). The primary focus has been on increasing products that are in demand by
local communities and that are sustainable with respect to natural resources at the Palni Hills.

With the recession affected economy in the OECD, the availability of project grants has shrunk, with most
official donors closing the door on India especially for TamilNadu State which is considered a developed state.

As the state is reporting 40 percent of its workforce in the industrial sector of the council need to focus on
environment education based on biodiversity conservation. This is to be achieved by setting up a Butterfly Park
at the Fr. Matthew Environment Centre. Furthur to this objective the council has started a campaign to help
save the House Sparrow that is in decline in order to spread the message of conservation to the common man.

The Councils tree nurseries have been steadily using internal resources to produce and market seedlings as the
infrastructure built over the years has helped us to sustain the activities even with minimal resources. Thus
the Council has managed to produce and distribute over 175000 seedlings of trees comprising over 100 species.

Apart from tree seedlings the PHCC nurseries now focus on collection and production of shrubs and creepers that
are food plants for the native butterfly fauna. These plants are also sold as household ornamentals to be grown
in home gardens, thus promoting biodiversity of native species instead of exotics which in several cases tend
to invade and dominate over local native species.

Climate change induced weather events during the past couple of years have serendipitously favor higher
precipitation for most of the hill areas of South India. The rainfall last year has been very favorable
for cropping and anthropogenic activities in TamilNadu. But needless to say some events like the recent
Thane Cyclone that passed the North TamilNadu coast near Pondicherry and wrecked extensive damage to
lives and property point to the sign of the times. The damage is reported to be about
Rs.2500 crore (US $ Half a billion) and most of the trees in the forests of the Community of Aurovile
suffered extensive damage. The PHCC inspiration to grow trees came from Auroville's green cover which
was achieved over focus decades of hard work. It is with sadness that we note that 70% of the forests
that inspired two decades of PHCC work have been lost to a single cyclonic storm.

Future plans: The PHCC has been focusing on training would-be nursery managers from other parts of India;
it is heartening to note that we have inspired some 40 tree nurseries or tree-growing activities across
the country with varying measures of success.

We have at the time of writing this report secured a grant from the District Administration to fabricate
hives and train beekeepers at the hills to increase the pollination services and honey production by
keeping Apis cerana indica (hill variety) in five Upper Hills villages.

The PHCC Executive Committee met 9 times during the course of 2011 to discuss and conduct the activities
of the various tree growing centres. The outgoing Executive committee hereby submits its annual report
for the year 2010-11


The membership of the council stands as follows:

1. Life Membership	  	   186
2. Annual Membership	   	    32
3. Institutional Membership 	     4


The Executive Committee consisted of following members and office bearers

1.  Mr. R.Kannan 			President
2.  Mr. Madhu Ramnath			Vice President
3.  Mr. Natarajan			Treasurer
4.  Ms. Zareen Babu			Secretary
5.  Mrs. Girija Viraraghavan		Jt. Secretary
6.  Ms. Pippa Mukherjee			Executive Committee Member
7.  Mr. J.Nath				Executive Committee Member
8.  Mr. M.S.Viraraghavan		Executive Committee Member
9.  Mr. Rajagopal Durai Raja		Executive Committee Member
10. Mr. Vijay Kumar			Executive Committee Member
11. Mr. Arun Shankar			Executive Committee Member


Coopted Membership

1. Dr. Michael Lal
2. Ms. Rebecca Chacko
3. Mr. Mark Antrobus


A.Upper Hills Activities

1. Shola Nurseries: The nursery at Kodaikanal is at our office and multiplies some 36 species of shola
seedlings. The nursery now also stocks seedlings of ornamanetal plants and shrubs that yield volatile
oils such as Thyme and Rosemary.

The rainfall at Kodaikanal did not follow the usual pattern and even in July August there were water
shortages and our nursery required a new water source. An open well was dug at the nursery close to
the boundry of the Amarville premises and good amount of water was obtained at a depth of 20 feet.

This supply came late in the season so the nursery could raise only 12,000 plants belonging to twenty
species.


2. Human Wildlife Conflict: The ever-incresing population of Gaur has decimated out nursery twice in
the last year with almost no shola tree seedlings left over within a span of two months. We have now
erected a barbed wire fence around the nursery and since which time the nursery has been spared the
marauding gaur.


3. Increased demand for fire-wood: The past year has seen phenomenal rise in price of fuelwood at the
tourist town. As the price of the commercial LPG supplies have been hiked to match the price of LPG at
international markets (there is no subsidy for commercial cylinders) to about Rs.1350 per 19 kg cylinder.
This inturn has led to a steep rise in price of firewood from wattle and sholas as well. The price per
head load is about Rs.200 (a headload is about 30kg)

Thus there is every possibility of increased demand from all commercial enterprises that serve the
tourist industry at Kodaikanal. Hence a need for increasing the tree growing activities of the
Council at the Upper Hills.


4. Pallangi Tree Nursery: This nursery is engaged in multiplying trees and ornamental plants for sale
at Kodaikanal. Some of the shola species that germinate well at lower altitudes and higher temperatures
are grown in beds and transplanted at the Pallangi nursery and later transferred to Kodaikanal. Last
season this nursery facilitated the planting of 2800 seedlings. The current stock is 2000 plants and the
nursery is also home to three colonies of Apis cerana indica in Top Bar Hives.


5. Adukkam Tree Nursery: The nursery at the Southern Slopes of Palni Hills on the road to Periyakulam
mainly caters to the needs of small farmers who cultivate coffee as a mixed cropping venture.

Last year the nursery grew and facilitated growing of 2800 plants of coffee and 250 avocado plants. The
area around the nursery has good forage for bees and it is proposed to start an apiary here soon.


6. Plastic garbage along the Laws Ghat Road: We had noted in the last years' Annual Report that there is
increase in shola plastic litter left over by tourists whose number has shown a steady increase. This
year we have happily observed a new activity- RAGPICKERS of Kodaikanal, there are now a group of over 40
people whose livelihood comes from collecting rags and selling the same to recyclers at the plains. The
examination of the contents of one of them revealed a collection that includes plastic, metal, glass and
even some wooden articles.

We have also observed truckloads of plastic material being driven down the Ghat Road to the plains. This 
is a welcome development as far as pollution of shola forest is concerned but remains to be seen how 
the resource poor folks' health is affected.

7.Eutrophication of the Kodaikanal Lake Waters: Though our project to clear the floating macrovegetation
was completed two years back, one can observe that only now the plants are emerging again. That is at the
arm of the Star Shaped Lake where we had mechanicaly cleared the water Lilly (Nymphaea nouchali) twice
(Keezhbhoomi; Sterling Resort and sites have minimum spread of the weed.

It has been noted that of growing Acorus calamus around the lake periphery where water flows in to the
lake have now shown good results with A.calamus covering some of the areas densely thus filtering all
the phosphorus that flows in to the lake.

Unfortunately the horse dung that fertilises the Lake waters is still left uncollected and dissolves
in rainwater and enriches the water with nitrogen. We propose to start a local venture to sustain the
manure collection and manual removal of the Water Lilly (Nymphaea nouchali) this coming summer when the
water level receds thus facilitating the removal with rhizomes.


B. Middle Hills activities

1. SVK Kombai: The centre which was started in 1991 to conserve the beautiful Grizzled Giant Squirrel
and still serves as an educational venture at the forested slopes of Northern Palni Hills. The GGS is
now seen all around the Lower Palni Hills, this is primarily due to the conservation efforts of the PHCC
at this centre from where the small mammal has spread. Though we use the centre for collecting seeds of
important species like Ebony and Haldu (Adina cordifolia), the nursery has been closed and there is one
part time worker looking after the centre.

	It is proposed to use the site for educating school and college students about flora and fauna
of Palni Hills. There is a population of elephants resident at the Parappalar Dam site for the last two
years, which sometimes threatens the fields of tribes persons residing at the SVK enclave. Some of the
tribes are hostile to conservation efforts of PHCC as they feel that it is the PHCC which is responsible
for the arrival of elephants and gaur that are a real life threatening factors for them every day.

	This is a problem that defies immediate solutions but requires the efforts of all involved
(conservationists; landowners; Forest Department and communities) to find a lasting solution.
Apparently this will take several years and many experiments of trial and error.

2. Beekeeping centre-Patlankadu: One of our beekeepers Mr.Kariamal has been very active in his efforts
to propagate Apis cerana indica at the hills. He has also been awarded the Joke Waller Initiative
fellowship for environment. This has enabled him to revive the apairy that was closed after the
Danish Beekeeping project was completed.

	Now Mr.Kariamal maintains about 25 colonies of the Hill Ecotype of the Apis cerana variety in
Newton and Top Bar Hives. The successive above average North East Monsoon of 2010 and 2011 have now
paved the way for revival of the project to breed more queens and supply colonies to the farmers and
beekeepers at the hills.
	As part of his fellowship Mr.Kariamal has been travelling extensively to neighboring state of
Karnataka where on the outskirts of Bangalore, he has set up five colonies of Apis cerana indica in top
bar hives. He has visited Northern Karnataka in the district of Mangalore, at Batkal, where he has set
up three top bar hives as well.
	Further Mr.Kariamal visits an apiary at Coimbatore set up in 2005 at a farmer's field where 10
colonies are functioning well and producing honey. Recently the PHCC has a new project sanctioned by the
Dindigul District Collector to help farmers with constructing hives and colonies to improve pollination
service and honey production. The target is to set up 500 hives and as many colonies as possible.


3. Bird watching activies in cooperation with PEC-Kongapatti: Our member Mr.Arun Shanker and Mr.C.R Jayaprakash
from Coimbatore have been actively teaching college students Birdwatching at the Middle elevations in
cooperation with Perumbarai Environment Centre. During the year they have taken five groups of students from
various colleges at Coimbatore to visit the forests at Thadiyan Kudisai and have activly participated in
Bir watching exercise for two days each session thus imparting basic Bird Watching Skills to about 150
students.
	They have participated in a Tiger Census-cum-workshop at Anamalai Tiger Reerve and attended the
Chennai Bird Race.

C. Plains Tree growing centres

1. Fr Matthew Environment Centre: The tree nursery at the Fr.Matthew Environment Centre has been active
in seed collection as well as tree growing. As the availability of manual labor to manage the nursery
has diminished, it has to make do with two workers but despite the handicap has managed to produce and
distribute 19750 seedlings to farmers. The centre now has a stock of 23000 tree seedlings, with a species
compostion of about sixty.

	Our patron the late Dr.Rachel Reuben has bequeathed PHCC a grant to make a Butterfly Garden at the
Reuben Arboretum which is part of the Centre. The nursery manager here Mr.Jayaram has been actively collecting
food plants; nectar plants and alkaloid plants for the setting up of the Butterfly Garden.

	Now we have a collection of food plants for thirty species of Butterflies that inhabit the forest
adjoining the centre. Once these are planted with irrigation facilities we will be in a position to help
breeding of these beautiful winged visitors to the garden.

	It is proposed to name the garden Rachel Reuben Butterfly Garden and open the same for visitors
in June 2012.

	Butterflies pollinate wild specie of plants and cultivated crops as well thus are important to
human food security. Some palatable specie of butterfly is food for bird's ants and lizards thus are
important part of the food web of many forms of life wild and domesticated.

	Several larval food plants are important medicinal plants for alternative systems of medicine
as well.


2. Kudhirayar Tree Growing Centre: This centre has managed to facilitate growing of 3500 tree seedlings
in farmer's fields, from a stock of 8500 seedlings. As there is no project support for production of
seedlings, the centre has managed just to keep the past production alive to distribute the seedlings
to growers.

	Since the area around the centre is forest and food plants of Butterfly species are found
theret, he centre has been collecting seeds of specie like Aristalochia bracteata; Aristalochia
indica; Crotalaria verucosa and Asclepias curasavica. Work is in progress to propagate creepers
like Wattakaka volubilis and Tinaspora cordifolia that serve as food plant for the Blue Tiger
butterflies.

	At the dam site the centre manager Mr.Kumar has located a good patch of Heliotropium
indicum from where seeds are sourced for the Reuben Butterfly Garden.

	This centre in February 2011 also served as one of the sites for a new project to revive
the declining population of House Sparrow. The House Sparrow has only about 20 % of its population
when comapred to the past flocks of the early 90's. The reasons for this decline are

	1. Increased use of farm chemicals
	2. Cultivation of maize instead of minor cereals
	3. Toxic fumes from unleaded petrol (containing MTBE-Methyltert-butylether)
	4. Decline of hedges that provided worms and insects which is essential for young hatchings
of sparrows for first two weeks.

	The wood available in mature trees of Acacia auriculiformis has been used to make 100 nest
boxes for the House Sparrow, these have been distributed to three rice growing villages at the
Kudirayar Watershed where some measure of success in colonising the nest boxes are reported.

	The House Sparrow is an important consumer of Ants; Houseflies; Mosquitoes; and Aphids thus
helping keep a balance between man and nature.


3. Rediappati Tree Nursery(formerly known as Oddukkam): Congratulations and all honor to Mr.Nagamuthu,
our project manager at this nursery.

	It has been twenty five years since he started and he has not looked back. Thus far he has
produced about 2.5 million tree seedlings with a diversity component of 90 species.

	During the last year the tree nursery has facilitated growing of 115000 seedlings and still has
a stock of 90000 seedlings. The nursery has catered to over 200 tree growers last year, which is almost
one third of the peak of 600 customer's way back in 2001.

	The nursery has provided employment for workers for growing seedlings; filling bags watering
them and watching the seedlings. Thus the job generated is about 1570 woman days and 470 mandays.
	
	We wish him Mr.Nagamuthu many more seasons of successful tree growing at the centre.


4. Viruveedu Tree Nursery and PHCC Honey Processing centre: The centre has been improving upon
production of seedlings with the availability of water from new borewell. The current years distribution
to growers is 21650 tree seedlings and the present stock is about 22000 seedlings.
	
	The honey processing work has progressed well and during the last year we have procured 1100kg
honey and sold 649kg of bottled honey after processing. The current honey stock is about 500kg of raw
honey.

	As part of income earning efforts a plot of two acres has been planted with grafted acid lime
seedlings which will be irrigated with water from the new borewell with agricultural electricity
connection.


D. Coastal Afforestation Activities


The Coastal Project works based at Tranquebar due to paucity of funds has been reduced to two part time
workers collecting data on past work in three areas. The nursery manager has identified excellent mature
trees and mangroves in about six demonstartion plots that are now five years old.

Among the timber trees Gmelina arborea-KUMUL has performed well in garden lands. The planting of Screw
Pine in tank bunds and Dalbergia sissoo has been remarkable as well. With the results for all to see at
Kattucherry in the fields and homesteads we can now market more seedlings in the coastal belt.

The planting of mangroves at Palayar estuaries has survived two seasons and the growing of secondary
mangroves like Pandanus has been a success against grazing goats. Thus we now can focus on the species
that can survive as well as emerge as sustainable altenatives to Casaurina equisetifolia.


E. Training Nursery workers from Other States

A training program was organised by Mr.Madhu Ramnath for 30 workers often NGOs from three states,
Chhattisgarh, Maharastra and Odisha in nursery raising with multiple species. The program was conducted
for three days at Rediapatti; Viruveedu and Fr.Matthew Environment Centre during June 17-20. The
programme was supportedby Non Timber Forest Produce Network, South Asia.

This is the third in a series of training programs organised by NTFP Network. This has inspired
some forty tree nurseries across the three states from which NGO.s have taken the training program.


F. Field Biology study

Three students from St.Olaf College, Minnesota did their field biology studies on the following
subjects, Organic farming, Honey production and Water Quality.


G. Scholarship and Research activities

We were fortunate to get two nominations sanctioned for the Joke Waller Initiative for Environment,
namely Mr.Kamal Kant at the coastal project and Kariamal working with bees were each given a fellowship
to continue their work to preserve the environment.


H. Project for House Sparrow Conservation

A small step has been taken to conserve the dwindling numbers of House Sparrow. With the leadership of
our new member Mr.Satheesh Balasubramanian a one day workshop was organised at Palani on Feb 22, World
Sparrow Day. During which Nest Boxes were distrubuted for ehtusiasts with access to existing populations
of House Sparrow. There has been some initial hesitation on the part of the sparrows to build nests in
wooden boxes. But we now have atleast two pairs in three sites each occupying and multiplying in the
boxes provided.

I Conclusion

There has been good progress in making the projects and tree growing centres self sustaining. A good
example has been set by Reddiapatti nursery manager Mr.Nagamuthu. We plan to train others to emulate
his model and produce more diverse seedlings in an era of dwindling grants.

Our sincere thanks to staff members who have put up with delays and funding hurdles to produce more
seedlings this year. Also we thank the following institutional and individual donors for their
contribution to the cause of conservation.

Our sincere thanks for the cooperation to the Forest Department of Dindigul and Revenue department
of Dindigul for assistance to the bee project.


We thank the following donors for their assistance to projects:

	1. Both Ends, Netherlands
	2. ATREE CEPF, Bangalore
	3. Wetlands International Amsterdam, Netherlands
	4. St.Olaf College, USA
	5. Forgotten Children, USA


Our Patrons
	Dr.Rachel Reuben
	Ms.Betty Reuben
	Ms.Ira Reuben

Individual donors who supported us
	1. Mr.Jan Stevens
	2. Mr.Joachim
	3. Mr.Jayan Raman
	4. Mr.Ashwin Shah
	5. Mr.Vijay Athreye
	6. Mr.Sunil Nanda
	7. Mr.Pradeep Viswanathan
	8. Mr.K.Vinod Kumar




Kodaikanal										R.Kannan
12th January 2012									President