October 6th
My final days at
Rainforest Rescue International have been occupied by collection
and identification of plant samples, completing the tropical
forest register for plots on the Hiniduma lands and report
writing. Through detailed examination and documentation of the
flora we have laid the foundations for further monitoring. Due to
the short duration of my stay there has been a focus on
successional planning and the responsibilites of people into the
future. I have held GIS workshops to pass on some of my knowledge
and increase the capacity of employees in the use of computers and
digital mapping programs.
Rainforest Rescue
International also begun their extension work with the local
community through a seminar on the benefits of the rainforest ,
the need for conservation to ensure that these values continue for
all people to enjoy and the programs
that RRI offer to schools. I gave a brief presentation on my work
at Hiniduma and introduced some of the scientific concepts and the
hypotheses we aim to test.
After saying goodbye
to my new collegues, I set out on a study tour of some of
the forestry sites of interest in Sri Lanka's hill
country. I have been able to observe a variety of forest
mangement techniques targeting a number of end uses. This
includes homegarden plantings in tsunami affected areas, untouched
rainforest of the Sinharaja, 20 year old analogue forestry plots
of the hill country and the pine and eucalypt plantations of
Nuwara Eliya.
At times human
manipulation of the natural environment seems to me to be all
encompassing. Even lowland montane forest areas that are included
in the forest reserve system and excluded from timber or
non-timber forest product harvesting still show signs of
encroachment by humans in terms of species mix remaining and weeds
present. This highlights that there is an ongoing need to limit
edge effects and provide resources to ensure adequate protection.
Analogue forestry
continues to make sense in countries where subsistence living is
common, and is able to provide an alternative land use to high
input agriculture. For the uninitiated, analogue forestry has its
foundations in permaculture. It can be likened to polyculture
forestry but also gives considerable attention to ecosystem
structure and function and species selection for maximum
benefit for the grower (e.g. medicinal and food species). It aims
to restore ecosystem function but is still largely untested in
terms of whether it achieves this - however we did see a cobra in
one of the plots!
As for the insights
I will take away from this experience they are both in the
personal and professional field. This type of investigation
aims to better facilitate environmental restoration whilst
fulfilling all economic, environmental and social objectives. I
have come away with a positive feeling of contributing to long
term research and encouraging change in environmental thinking
and practices. I like to think that my time in Sri Lanka has
broadened my appreciation of other cultures and increased my
levels of tolerance and acceptance. I have been able to make a
temporary truce with the heat and the leeches and other
interesting animals that come with working in one of the most
beautiful and diverse areas of the world.
I would like to
thank the staff at RRI that helped to make my time as
interesting and productive as possible. I feel that there has
been great exchange of ideas and only regret that I cannot stay
longer. I am happy with the work achieved to date and know that
RRI will continue to grow and work to help the people and
environment of the area.
September 16
Sorry
for the delay on this update. I have either been traveling the countryside
and away from a computer or stuck in the office doing computer work with
nothing too interesting to report. Feels like the time is flying by now and
my list of things to do before I depart continues to grow. I have accepted
the fact that I will do some work on my return. In reality there are some
things, like a literature review, which would be made much easier when I have
access to more resources back in Australia. I have had a few humorous
moments (either laugh or cry situations really) in my travels and was even
enticed to sing when surrounded by a group of curious women.
The past 10 days have given me
a good overview of extension and education methods in operation in Sri
Lanka. I have attended inspections of new nursery sites, taken a role in
the communication and organization of a distribution of home garden plants
to tsunami affected families and met many interesting people more than
willing to share their story. It seems that most people have a general
knowledge of the culinary or medicinal plants such as gotu kola, spinach,
rampe and lemon grass, but may still benefit from some more information
about cultivation and composting.
There are multiple benefits to the
homegarden program as towns are revegetated, plant recipients are able to
supplement there diet or income with the plant products and RRI has a starting
point from which to provide the community with more training and resources.
Over the years there has been the realization that a handout of plants is not
enough to promote ongoing care for the environment; somehow people need to
feel a sense of ownership for the plants and the program. This program helps
to make that link. A large number of plants are now ready for distribution in
the Kalmunai region. It is just a matter of reaching appropriate community
members and waiting for the first rains of the monsoon.
It is great to see so many members
of the community keen to access utility plants but as with extension programs
worldwide there is an ongoing issue with maintaining community involvement. I
have gained a new understanding of community consultation through observing
the process in its initial, tentative stages. It starts as a brief meeting
between council officers, school teachers and other people with positions of
respect within the community. It can be a low key event that takes on more
significance weeks afterwards but is essential for the success of long-term
projects.
I have also had a chance to make
many comparisons between Sri Lanka and Australia. In taking photos of nursery
techniques for the graphics component of a new extension training manual, I
have seen differences in nursery techniques of a pine and eucalypt nursery in
Australia and a rainforest and homegarden species nursery here. I have become
acquainted with the wet, intermediate and dry zone ecosystems. There is a
stark contrast between the two sides of the island, in terms of the extent of
tsunami damage, plant species, forest structure and religious influences.
As for the field work at Hiniduma…….The
fauna and litter layer sampling component has now been finalized with students
at the University of Ruhunu. Unfortunately access to the permanent plots at
Hiniduma has been temporarily halted by heavy rains in the mountains and
flooding of the river. I have spent some time sorting and identifying plant
samples in the office and finalizing the map. It looks like the skies are
clearing now and all is ready for next week.
August 31
This
week has really taken me to some of the more remote locations of Sri Lanka. I
am constantly the subject of many stares, smiles, ponting fingers and double
takes as the locals become accustomed to my presence in Hiniduma. We are
staying with a couple in town and I am feeling well fed and looked after. On
Friday some of the children
even waited at the river for more than an hour (we usually swim during
lunchtime but today we were a little late) just to try and talk in English and
offer my co-worker and myself the juice of the young
king coconut.
Assessing site
suitability for research has gained new meaning as any movement off the
current beaten path is fraught with difficulty. We attempted to trample
through the understorey to run a tape out and set up a 25m by 25m plot.
After
some time of stabbing the lianes and other creepers with the corner post I was
set to get in the ground,
pushing through with my
whole body weight and periodically checking my boots and pants for
leeches I politely requested
the use of a machete. Much to my surprise and gratitude the tool and someone
to help us wield it
appeared. A considerable time latter we had established a narrow path through
the understorey and closed the plot with only small error. It is with
fascination that I await our encounters with
untouched rainforest as the site we have been working on is only long
abandoned tea land that has developed secondary forest characteristics.
Much of the time has been spent
learning new species and collecting plant samples for identification when we
return to the office. I feel as if I am on my way towards rapid assessment of
tropical forest environments. Site mapping is proceeding apace and this
coming week I will devote to office work with ArcGIS.
August 22
The first week was spent
familiarizing myself with many of the RRI activities and projects and visiting
the lands at the Baddegama nursery site and Hiniduma. I have traversed the
extent of the first site (with only a few minor leech encounters) and I am
working to obtain base data for mapping and looking to train some of the staff
in the many uses of GIS.
It seems that there is much
potential in terms of eco-tourism, education, research and community
development at Hiniduma. It is a tropical paradise surrounded by rivers on
three sides and accessible only by boat. The house on the site is still
being developed so we will be staying with a local family in town in the
initial stages of the research. The permanent plots to be established will
aim to compare the soils, plant structure and cover and biodiversity over time
for montane forest, analogue forest, riverine areas, pinus and tea
plantation.
As for my first impressions, Sri
Lanka seems to be a land of contrasts. There is little town planning so that
you can see random run down shacks next to air-conditioned four storey office
buildings. Things tend to happen a little more slowly than in Australia and I
seem to be adjusting to the pace and the temperature with ease. Driving any
distance has a new dimension in this largely pedestrian country. I have
quickly learnt that a blast of the car horn can mean “hello, thankyou, I am
behind you, I am overtaking or watch out”. There have been many moments of
wishing I had a greater grasp of the Sinhalese language but I have been
enjoying the practicality of eating with my fingers, taking my shoes off
whenever entering rooms, and of course consuming copious amounts of tea.
I will try to get some photos for
the next installment. Otherwise all is well at Rainforest Rescue
International in Galle.
Back to Young Forester Award
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The CFA Young
Foresters Award is supported by
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The Worshipful
Company of Builders Merchants |
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The Commonwealth Foundation |
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