Kongunadu Arts and Science College and the Prof. M. Aruchami Research Foundation, in association with the Coimbatore Forest Division, recently organised a hornbill conservation awareness programme at Baralikadu Forest, Karamadai Range, as part of the Wildlife Week celebrations.
The programme was jointly organised by the PG and Research Departments of Botany and Zoology, in association with the college’s Bird’s Club and Youth Red Cross.
Abdul Kaffoor and Venkitachalam coordinated the programme.
Selvakumar, Member of the Tamil Nadu State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, released an awareness pamphlet on hornbill conservation.
Thiyagu, Forester, Karamadai Range, facilitated the participation of tribal communities at the venue.
Pamphlets highlighting the importance of hornbill conservation were distributed among tribal communities and tourists to encourage their active involvement in wildlife protection.
Santhwana, Vijaya Kumar, Syed Ali Akbar and Arunkumar, Research scholars from the Departments of Zoology and Botany, respectively, highlighted the ecological importance of hornbills in forest regeneration through seed dispersal and emphasised the need to protect their habitats through community participation and awareness.
Approximately 100 tourists and 50 tribal people from various settlements participated in the programme.
The programme concluded with a call for collective responsibility among tribal communities, tourists and the public to conserve hornbills and preserve forest biodiversity for future generations.
