Page 22 - Demo

Right: Valparai- Kalyan Varma
22
These alert beacons are visible from a distance of 1 km and helpful for people who have not availed SMS alert service. These beacons are equipped with a SIM card and can be operated remotely from a reg- istered mobile phone. At least two persons chosen by the communi- ty at each light locality, were involved in operating lights from their registered mobile phones, when elephants are noticed in the vicinity. During the past seven years, the local community involved in an av- erage of 98% of light operations, indicating their active participation in human-elephant conflict management.
4. Voice call alerts over mobile phones: Information about the pres- ence of elephants is disseminated using outbound voice call systems for people on their mobile phones. These voice recorded alerts are uploaded using a web-based interface are sent out in the form of an MP3# file. Approximately an average of 1500 voice alerts are being sent every day since its inception in 2015.
B. Rapid Response Teams and helpline from Tamil Nadu Forest De- partment The Anamalai Tiger Reserve has established Rapid Re- sponse Teams as a part of disaster management in the Valparai region. These teams are trained in tracking of elephants and crisis management techniques such as crowd control, alerting residents of elephants movements, and protection of property in tea and coffee estates. Emergency helpline number was established for people to seek help from the teams during critical times.
C. Proactive steps by the plantation companies
Tea and coffee companies have been conducting awareness pro- grammes for the estate workers with the help of research organisa- tions, deployed watchers to locate elephants, shifting of workforce from tea fields where elephants are located, and adoption of no ele- phant drive as a part of their management policy.
D. Public outreach programmes Awareness and sensitization pro- grammes for estate workers and street plays helped communicate the importance of elephants and precautionary steps to be taken to minimize chance encounters between people and elephants. Regu- lar interactions between Tamil Nadu Forest Department, plantation management, and scientific and conservation organsiations enabled the rapid response teams to quickly act to the needs of people in conflict prone areas and enhanced safety to people’s lives and their property on the plateau.