Elephants By The Lake
Over decades, the dry deciduous forests of our country have been stripped and exploited for commercial use. As native forests receded to only higher elevations of hills, creatures of the forests have also lost their footing in the valley. EBTL lies in one of those valleys. In the foothills of a degraded forest.
These 70 acres now "belong" to us. How wonderful would it be if the other creatures also echoed the same thought? Our goal is to help the forest regain its rich biodiversity . The year we began work, a few elephants came to the land, something that had never happened in the last many decades. We decided to call this project Elephants by The Lake.
EBTL is a collective restoration effort in Tamil Nadu by Rainmatter Foundation. It spans 68 acres of undulating land between a forest and the CT Palli village near Veppanapalli town in Krishnagiri district. The land, home to an old elephant walkway and their waterhole, is surrounded by hills. Many of the valley's slopes and elevations had been flattened by agricultural terraces and bunds.
Objectives
- Preserve the Dry deciduous and Tropical dry deciduous species diversity. Our nursery is raised through seed collection from different forests of the eastern ghats to raise these forest saplings.
- Restore the valley to a healthy biodiversity through active planting in some areas and natural regeneration in some.
- EBTL aims to be a place for learning through hands on experience. The place is designed and built to accommodate people for learning sessions and workshops.
People
- Project lead: Varun Balakrishnan
- Ecological consultants: Aruna Gamuz & Aliston Taxeira
- Ground staff: Rajapa, Thimraj, Shivraj, Neelamma, Tulsi, Padma, Pavitra
- Emotional support: Ceasu, Pedro, Bonda
- Biome, who are designing habitats at EBTL for future human residents and visitors.
Project updates
Every quarter, the team publishes a newsletter on the work that has been happening at the site.
If you would like to know more about the project, please e-mail us.