Events

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Dr. S.K. Bajpayee, Joint Secretary, MoEFCC visited SACON on 25th and 26th August 2022 along with the other MOEFCC delegates Mr. Raghu Kumar Kodali, Director, Mr Manoj Shrivatsav, Director (IFD), Mr. S. P. Singh, Under Secretary (GA), Dr. C. Palpandi, Scientist – D, IRO. They discussed the activities of SACON with the faculty, staff, and research scholars and visited the campus buildings along with the facilities of SACON including Avian Center for Ecotoxicology, Avian Forensic Laboratory, GIS Laboratory, Wetland Ecology Laboratory and Library.

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The World Elephant Day Celebration 2022

Independence Day 2022

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One day Nature Programme- PSG Sarvajana School, Coimbatore. (29^th July 2022)

As a part of our nature programme today we had 63 students from the 6th to 8th grade of PSG Sarvajana School, Coimbatore. They had a talk about Salim Ali, birds and wildlife in general.

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International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem.

Mangrove ecosystem are on the coastal intertidal zones (the boundary between land and sea). Today marks the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. The General Conference in UNESCO adopted to celebrate this day on July 26^th, 2015.

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Three-day Nature Programme – Vel International Public School

On July 18, 19, and 21 a total of 109 students from the 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th grades of Vel International Public School visited SACON in three batches. The students had a brief discussion about the research activities of SACON with Dr. Aditi Mukherjee, Scientist. They went on the nature trails on the campus to learn about birds and nature around them with Ms. Sri Sowmiya, Nature Education Assistant, and research volunteers Ms. Harshitha, Mr. Arun George, and Ms. Santhoshini, Junior Research Biologists. A documentary about the institution  “SACON-Inservice of Nation” was also screened for awareness.

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Coimbatore Collector Visit to SACON Campus

On 16 July 2022, Coimbatore Collector Mr. G. S. Sameeran visited SACON with 48 Government Higher Secondary School students across the Coimbatore district. Dr. P. Pramod, Senior Principal Scientist, interacted with students about birds and created awareness on the topic “Siragai Virithu Vaanai Allakum Paravaigal”.

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International Yoga Day Celebration

SACON celebrated India’s 8^th International yoga Day 2022 with its faculty, staff, researchers, and students from different Schools. A yoga competition and a quiz on yoga were also conducted for school students of Coimbatore.

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Celebrating The World Environment Day & 32^nd Foundation Day of SACON

SACON jointly celebrated World Environment Day and its Foundation Day on June 5. A total of 180 people, including the general public, school children, faculty, staff, and researchers, participated in the programme. We conducted Nature walks led by Dr. Rajah Jayapal, Senior Principal Scientist, Dr. Mahendran, Senior Scientist, and Dr. C.R. Jaya Prakash, Professor, PSG College of Arts & Science along with the researchers of SACON. Followed by that a talk on SACON’s 32nd Foundation Day by Dr. Muralidharan, Director-in-charge, and a puppet show by Mr. J. Anandh Raj, a well-known ventriloquist and puppeteer, who teaches art at Government Higher Secondary School, Vilankurichi, Coimbatore, and his team performed for the audience with a message on the significance of celebrating the World Environment Day. This was followed by musicals by SACON researchers, a yoga awareness talk by Mr. Palani Kumar from the Isha foundation. To raise awareness and enthusiasm among the young participants, “Spot the Bird” competition was conducted for students under the age of 17.

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Celebrating World Fish Migration Day and International Day for Biological Diversity 2022

To commemorate World Fish Migration Day (May 21) and International Day for Biological Diversity (May 22), SACON organized an event on May 20 with the Eco club members and Students of Minerva Educational Institute, Coimbatore. Dr. Vidyadhar Atkore, Scientist, SACON, delivered a talk on “Fish Migration Stories.” A Plantation drive followed this under the guidance of Dr. P.V. Karunakaran, Senior Principal Scientist, SACON, who explained the medicinal values of the plant saplings (Neem, Tamarind, Jamun, Wild Guava, Pongamia). Students and faculty members of SACON and Minerva institute planted the samplings at the SACON campus. This was followed by a clean-up drive along the sides of the streams in and around the campus led by Dr. Mahendiran Mylswamy, Senior Scientist, SACON, and Dr. Vidyadhar Atkore. All the participants of the events received appreciation certificates. Parallelly, a photo contest related to one of the actions for biodiversity by the Convention on Biological Diversity, “Let’s take pictures, not samples”, was conducted online through social media handles.

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Yoga session at SACON ( 6^th May 2022)

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Smt. Manju Pandey, Joint Secretary, MoEFCC visit to SACON

Smt. Manju Pandey, Joint Secretary, MoEFCC visited SACON on March 03, 2022. She was also accompanied by Dr. Raghu Kumar Kodali, Director (Wetlands), MoEFCC and Dr Ritesh Kumar, Director, Wetland International South Asia, New Delhi. She discussed the activities of SACON with Faculty and Research Scholars, and visited the Ecotoxicology Lab, Avian Forensic Laboratories and other different facilities of SACON.

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Constitution Day 2021

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Memorial Lecture

SACON is celebrating 125th Birth Anniversary of the Bird Man of India, Dr. Sálim Ali on Nov 12. A memorial lecture by Dr. V.B. Mathur, Chairperson, National Biodiversity Authority, GoI is scheduled at 10am on Zoom. Join the session on https://bit.ly/salimali_sacon

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OBSERVANCE OF RASTHRIYA EKTA DIWAS

The Rasthriya Ekta Diwas was observed and a pledge taking ceremony was conducted at this centre at 11.00 a.m. on 31.10.2021.

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SACON’s INSPIRE Fellow, Mr. Asit Kumar Behera bags prestigious SERB-Purdue University Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellowship 2022 award

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On the occasion of Wildlife Week 2021, SACON is hosting an online series of Guest Lectures for public awareness through Zoom. The first talk in the series will be on the theme ‘Conflict between Birds and Humans in Aerospace’ by Wing Commander S Srinidhi, Joint Director, Aerospace Safety (Ornithology), Indian Air Force. For Advance Registration click https://bit.ly/saconsrinidhi		On the occasion of Wildlife Week 2021, SACON is hosting a series of Guest Lectures for public awareness. The second talk in the series is by Dr. Manchi Shirish S. (Principal Scientist, SACON). Do join the Zoom meeting for an interesting session on ‘Life in Dark’. For Advance Registration please click https://bit.ly/39HaHSf		On the occasion of Wildlife Week 2021, SACON is hosting an online series of Guest Lectures for public awareness through Zoom. The third talk in the series will be on the theme ‘Zoonotic Diseases with Focus on Birds’ by Dr. Farah Ishtiaq, Senior Scientist, Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), inStem New Building, NCBS (TIFR). For Advance Registration click https://bit.ly/saconfarah

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India Biodiversity Awards 2023  

The India Biodiversity Awards (IBA) is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, National Biodiversity Authority and the United Nations Development Programme – India. It is an innovative process to identify and recognize the efforts of individuals, communities and institutions including corporates (both public and private) working towards effective biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of biological resources, access and benefit sharing and biodiversity governance.

The first India Biodiversity Awards were jointly announced by the MoEFCC and UNDP in 2012 at the high level segment of the Eleventh Meeting of Conference of Parties (CoP-11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Following its success, the second, third, fourth and fifth cycle of India Biodiversity Awards were given in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021. Over 750+ good cases of biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, access and benefit-sharing and biodiversity governance have been documented through the award process. The awards were institutionalized in the National Biodiversity Authority in 2017 and are given bi-annually. The 6^th cycle of India Biodiversity Awards was announced during the celebrations of International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) on 22^nd May 2021.

The application forms have been uploaded on the website of National Biodiversity Authority (http://nbaindia.org). Applications are being solicited under 4 categories:

1. Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Resources
2. Best Biodiversity Management Committee
3. Incentivizing Access and Benefit Sharing
4. Best Peoples Biodiversity Register

The applications shall be emailed to bdawards2023@nbaindia.in . The Award comprises of a memento, a certificate and cash prize of Rs. 5 lakhs each for winners under each category. Two certificates of appreciation will be given in each category along with a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh each.

The last date for receipt of applications is 30^th November 2021.

The Awards will be given in 2023.

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India’s 75th Independence Day celebration at SACON

On the occasion of India’s 75th Independence Day, the National Flag was hoisted at SACON by Dr. S. Muralidharan, Director in charge.

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Welcoming New Faculty!

SACON is pleased to welcome its the newest faculty members, Dr. Ashutosh Singh, Scientist  (Division of Avian Physiology and Genetics),  and Dr. Vidyadhar Atkore, Scientist (Division of Landscape Ecology).

                                                          

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WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY 2021

Every year, 31st May is observed as World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), highlighting the health and other risks associated with tobacco use, and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption. This year, the theme of World No Tobacco Day 2021 is “Commit to Quit”.

On this occasion, SACON organized “NO TOBACCO PLEDGE” and the Faculty, Staff and Housekeeping personnel of the institute took the pledge as below under the leadership of Dr. S. Muralidharan, Director in-charge to quit / desist from tobacco use;

“On this occasion of World No Tobacco Day, I take a pledge that I shall never smoke & consume any type of tobacco products in my life and motivate my family or acquaintances to not to smoke / use any tobacco products. I shall motivate my colleagues for the same”.

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Republic Day 2021

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SACON’s accomplishments at a Glance    

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National Avian Forensic Laboratory at SACON    

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Poisoning in Wildlife – Protocol for submission of samples for toxicological investigations     

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Best Practices for Mitigation of the Hazards posed by Birds to Aircraft 

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71^st Constitution Day – 26^th November 2020

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Republic Day Celebrations – 26^th January 2020

The 71^st Republic Day celebration was held at Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Coimbatore, on 26^th January, 2020. On this occasion, Dr. K. Sankar, Director of SACON, hoisted the tricolour flag, and delivered his Republic Day speech. He remembered the importance of the Republic Day, and highlighted the successful activities and endeavour of SACON. He said that SACON will soon setup an Avian Disease Laboratory, which would be special with modern equipment and trained manpower. He also highlighted the recent achievements of SACON viz., establishment of the Avian Ecotoxicology Laboratory, which was inaugurated by Shri. Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, successful completion of compulsory training and workshop on “Monitoring and Management of Wetlands” for IFS officers, and hosted the visiting Fulbright Scholar Dr. Ragupathy Kannan from University of Arkansas, Fort Smith, United States of America. He flagged off that SACON would soon be having MoU with University of Arkansas for student and faculty exchange programme for higher learning.

At the end, he invited Dr. P. Balasubramanian, Senior Principal Scientist, who would be superannuating this year, to share his personal thoughts and professional experiences. After the flag hoisting function, different sports activities viz., Tug of war, Volley Ball and limited overs Cricket match were conducted for the faculty, staff and researchers in the playground premises of SACON.

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National Ornithological Symposium

A Step towards developing National Red List for Indian Birds

January 17, 2020 

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species assesses the species’ extinction risk at the global level. However, the IUCN has also flagged concerns, wherein their global categorization used as such at regional or national levels could result in incorrect or misleading assessments. In view of this, IUCN has developed coherent guidelines for application of the IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels (also known as the “Regional Guidelines”).

India does not have any mechanism to classify the species to prioritize their conservation status. The existing Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 determines the protection provided to the species but does not provide any conservation status to any species in the country.

As an initial effort towards developing National Red List for Indian Birds, Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) will be conducting a one day “National Ornithological Symposium” on 17^th January 2020. This inter-institutional meeting will bring experts and stakeholders from across different government and non-government organizations through a brainstorming session to develop National Red List for the Indian Birds.

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Training of IFS officers on “Monitoring and Management of Wetlands”

Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) organised the compulsory training workshop on “Monitoring and Management of Wetlands” for Indian Forest Service Officers during 9^th and 10^th January 2020. The venue for the workshop was the Hotel Residency Towers, Coimbatore. The workshop was attended by 19 IFS officers representing 11 states. Nine lectures spread over two days were held along with a field visit to SACON campus where the participants interacted with the faculty and were introduced to the laboratory facilities.

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Visit of Shri Prakash Javadekar, Hon’ble Union Minister for MoEFCC, Govt. of India to SACON

The 27^th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) was held at 10.30 am on 24^th August 2019 under the chairmanship of Shri. Prakash Javadekar, Hon’ble Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC), Govt. of India.

The Hon’ble Minister also inaugurated the National Centre for Avian Ecotoxicology (NCAE), established by SACON with financial support of 4 crore from MoEFCC. The centre is established with a set of objectives to study the movement of environmental contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, poly chlorinated biphenyls and drugs through food chain, and their harmful effects on birds. The modernized facility at SACON is equipped with instruments, namely High Performance Liquid Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (LC-MS/MS), High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC), Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Gas Chromatograph (GC), Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS), Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) and UV / Visible Spectrometer.

Following the inauguration, Shri Prakash Javadekar keenly interacted with the SACON Research Fellows and M.Sc. Students and discussed their on-going research activities.

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Special Cover on SACON released on the World Environment Day

In recognition of SACON’s contribution in the field of Ornithological research in the country, India Postal Service has released a “Special Cover” along with the “Permanent Pictorial Cancellation Stamp” for its usage for cancellation of letters (both inward and outward posts) in Anaikatty Post Office, Coimbatore – 641 108. The special Cover was designed with photographs of birds and Late Dr. Salim Ali in the backdrop of SACON building. Postal department has also come up with a pack of Bird Post cards on the occasion.

The releasing function conducted at SACON campus at Anaikatty, today (6th June, 2019) as a part of World Environment Day celebration as well as SACON Foundation Day. Smt. Sheuli Burman, IPoS, Post Master General, Western Region, officially released the “Special Cover” in the programme presided over by Dr. K. Sankar, Director, SACON. Leading Philatelists of Coimbatore, all scientists and sectional heads of SACON and senior officials including Dr. Sudhir Gopal Jakhere, IPoS from the Department of Posts, Govt. of India attended the function. 

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Republic Day Celebrations – 2019

The 70^th Republic Day of India, was celebrated with great enthusiasm and dedication at Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON). The celebration started at 9:30 am with the hoisting of National Flag. To commemorate the sovereignty of our nation, Dr. K. Sankar, Director, SACON hoisted the National Flag and all in unison sang the National Anthem.

The occasion was  celebrated with different sports activities on the SACON campus. Volley ball, Cricket matches and Tug-of-War event were organized. The members of faculty and staff, research scholars and PG Students participated in these events.

Dr. K. Sankar, Director, SACON, in his Republic Day speech, emphasized on hard work and honesty to maintain the sovereignty and integrity of our country and importance of the celebration of Republic Day of India as the Constitution of India came into force on this Day, 26^th January, 1950.

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Visit of Shri C.K. Mishra, IAS, Secretary to the Govt. of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu on 28^th December, 2018

Shri. C.K. Mishra, IAS, Secretary to the Govt. of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, New Delhi (Chairman – Governing Council, SACON) visited Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) to chair the 71^st meeting of the Governing Council held on 28^th December, 2018.

On the occasion, Sh. C.K. Mishra, unveiled the Bust of Dr. Sálim Ali in the office block of SACON.

Sh. C.K. Mishra also released the following publications of SACON during his visit to SACON on 28^th December, 2018:

1. A Bibliography on “Wildlife Studies in Andaman and Nicobar Islands” – A joint publication of Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) & Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata.

Dr. P. M. Sureshan, Scientist-‘D’ Officer-in-Charge of the ZSI – Calicut represented ZSI during the release of the  bibliography on wildlife studies in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

2. A comprehensive study of the potential ecological impact of windmill farms on wildlife with special emphasis to avifauna in Karnataka.
3. Study on bird hazard and its mitigation measures required at the Multisector SEZ located near RGI Airport, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.

The Secretary, MoEFCC inaugurated the National Avian Forensic Laboratory, established by SACON with full financial support from the MoEFCC, at a cost of Rs. 8.00 Cr, with a set of objectives to develop a state-of-art avian forensic laboratory with infrastructure for bird body part analysis and having a repository of tissue/ blood an feather reference materials to help identify avian species from their remains, to facilitate Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Ports Authority of India  and other law enforcement agencies in controlling illegal trafficking. The Avian Forensic Laboratory is equipped with costly equipment viz. Horizontal and veridical gel electrophoresis, Centrifuge, Gel-Documentation system, Deep Freezer (-80^oC), Biosafety Cabinet, Next Generation DNA Sequencer, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) etc.

A GIS Laboratory, set up by SACON equipped with Work Station, Server, Q-GIS Software and Data Set (Topo sheets, satellite data and thematic layers) was also inaugurated by the Secretary, MoEFCC on the occasion. The main objective of setting up the lab on GIS is to enhance the capacity and capability of researchers and other user groups at the Centre to facilitate better interpretation of their field data.

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Annual Research Seminar

13^th  August 2018

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Independence Day Celebration 2018

Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History

Independence Day was celebrated with great enthusiasm and respect at Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON). The celebration started at 9:30 am with the hoisting of National Flag. To commemorate the sovereignty of our nation, Dr. K. Sankar, Director, SACON unfurled the Tricolour flag and all in unison sang the National Anthem to pay homage to the Nation. In his speech, Dr. K. Sankar, Director, SACON emphasized on hard work and honesty to maintain the sovereignty and integrity of our country. Sweets were distributed at the end of the speech.

After the formal function, the Independence Day was celebrated with different sports activities in the SACON campus. Volley ball matches were organized between research scholars and M.Sc. students/ faculty/ staff. Tug-of-war was organized between M.Sc. students and research scholars. At the end, a table tennis tournament was organized for research scholars and students.

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Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology & Natural History, Coimbatore
World Environment Day 2018
Venue: Vidya Vanam School, Anaikatty.
5th June 2018

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Inauguration of Post Graduate Students Hostel

During the 70^th meeting of the Governing Council of SACON that was held under the chairmanship of Shri C.K. Mishra, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Govt. of India on 23^rd March 2018 at SACON, Coimbatore, the Secretary, MoEFCC inaugurated the newly constructed Post Graduate (PG) Students Hostel on SACON campus.  The Secretary, MoEFCC appreciated the architecture of the new PG Hostel and impressed with its elegance and eco-friendly construction. The PG Hostel can accommodate 12 students of M.Sc. course on “Ornithology and Conservation Biology” which will be initiated during June 2018.

This new building was constructed by M/s Centre of Science and Technology for Rural Development, Thrissur, Kerala, a non-profit organization, recognized by the Kerala Government, with a total funding support from the MoEFCC, Govt. of India.

As part of the inaugural function, tree saplings were planted around the new building by C.K. Mishra, IAS, Secretary; Shri Praveen Garg, IAS, Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor and Advisor; and Dr. T. Chandini, Advisor, MoEFCC, Govt. of India.

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Republic Day Celebrations – 2018

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Training Programme on Ornithology and Wildlife Conservation

SACON has conducted a Training programme on “Ornithology and Wildlife Conservation” for wildlife enthusiasts between 15^th and 17^th June 2017. On 15^th morning Dr. K. Sankar, Director of SACON inaugurated the programme. Ten participants from Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andaman Nicobar Islands participated in the training programme. Programme included classroom sessions and field training.   The two days of class room sessions included 11 lectures on different topics such as Introduction to Indian wildlife and Ornithology, Bird migration, Plant-bird interactions, Wildlife study techniques, Contaminants in Nature,  Trends in conservation Practices, Bioacoustics, Conservation Photography and Human Elephant Conflict that were delivered by SACON faculty and invited experts from other institutions. On each day, bird watching programme session was conducted on campus along the nature trail. Wildlife films were screened in the evening hours.  On 16^th June evening after the class room sessions, Mr. I. Anwardeen, IFS, Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, distributed the certificates to the participants. On 17^th June, a field training was conducted in Silent Valley National Park, Kerala, wherein the course participants were exposed to various signs and tracks of wild animals/birds, behavioural observations of primates and forest management practices.                             

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Conservation Genetics Workshop

A Conservation Genetics Workshop was held at SACON from the 5^th to the 9^th of June 2017. Dr. K. Sankar, Director, SACON inaugurated the workshop in a function that was attended by the participants and staff and students of SACON. The coordinators of the workshop were Dr. Shomita Mukherjee, Principal Scientist and Dr. R. P. Singh, Scientist. Dr. Vishnupriya Kolipakam a population geneticist from the Wildlife Institute of India and Mr. Pankaj Koparde, PhD student from SACON served as resource persons for the course. Fourteen participants registered for the workshop hailing from various regions of India and from a wide range of backgrounds. Two participants were journalists from Hindustan Times and DNA, two from Sanctuary Asia (India’s first and leading environmental news and advocacy magazine), a biologist from Nandankanan Zoo in Orissa, a professional photographer who recently won the prestigious BBC award for photography in the field of wildlife conservation and several independent researchers in the field of biodiversity conservation in various stages of their career. The workshop included several interactive and hands-on sessions, covering theoretical and practical aspects of Conservation Genetics. Classroom sessions covered the fundamentals including discussions on the applications of genetics in conservation, the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, selection, speciation, measuring population structure and genetic distances, genetic markers and a hands-on introduction to various software used in analysis. Laboratory sessions included an introduction to instrumentation, hands-on introduction to DNA extraction, PCR and electrophoresis, a discussion on handling and collection of biological samples for genetic analysis and important field and laboratory ethics. Case studies were presented and discussed. By the end of the course, participants were acquainted with the procedures involved in conducting genetic analysis useful for conservation, the types of questions that could be asked and the interpretation of results. Dr. Uma Ramakrishnan from the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru was invited to deliver a talk during this period.Her talk was titled “Cutting Edge Genomics Technologies and Tiger Conservation”. The valedictory function for the workshop was held on the 9^th of June where Ms. R.V. Ramya Bharathi, IPS, Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore was the Chief Guest. The function began with a welcome address by Dr. K. Sankar, Director, SACON. The course report was presented by Dr. Shomita Mukherjee, Principal Scientist. This was followed by the Chief Guest’s address where she appreciated the effort by SACON for having the course and also praised the campus for its serene environs. The feedback from participants was positive and they expressed their appreciation of the course and stay on campus. The Chief Guest distributed Certificates to the participants. This was followed by a Vote of Thanks by Dr. R.P. Singh. A group photograph was taken at the end of the function.      

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Inauguration of Vehicle Parking facility at SACON

 A new vehicle parking facility on SACON campus was inaugurated by Dr. P. Balasubramanian, Senior Principal Scientist, today; 19^th April 2017, in a simple ceremony attended by faculty/staff and research personnel. The facility, with a total area of 2024 sq.ft., can accommodate cars, two-wheelers and staff bus. During the occasion, Lt. Col. (Retd) Shri N. Sundararaj, Site Engineer, SACON who was the architect of the parking facility, was felicitated with a certificate of appreciation by the Director, SACON. Necessary funding support for construction of this structure was given by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India.

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Training program on “Monitoring and Management of Wetlands”

The MoEF& CC sponsored training program on “Monitoring and management of wetlands” for the midlevel forest officers from southern states of India was conducted by SACON during 27th and 28th March, 2017. The officers from three southern states viz. Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka participated in the training program. The program was inaugurated by Dr. Rajeev K. Srivastava, IFS, Director, Tamil Nadu Forest Academy, Coimbatore in the presence of Mr. Chandan Singh, Dy. Director, MoEF&CC, Govt. of India, New Delhi and Dr. K. Sankar, Director SACON. The inaugural program was attended by the faculty, staff and researchers from SACON and TNFA. The program schedule included nine class room sessions, one laboratory session and two field visits. The deliberations in the classroom were given by eminent wetland scientist, policy and decision makers including Dr. E. J. James, Dr. Brij Gopal, Dr. Rithesh Kumar and Dr. S.A. Hussain. The SACON faculty also shared their expertise on wetlands during the training program. The topics  covered include Management of River Basins in relation to wise use of Wetlands; Population monitoring, census techniques of wetland birds; Vegetation profile of wetlands; Wetland habitat assessment and management practices; Ecotoxicological assessment of wetlands using birds as indicators; Environmental impact assessment in the context of wetland conservation; Integrated Wetland Management; What are wetlands and why manage them and how?; Ecology and management of Keibul Lamjao National Park, Manipur; case study with special reference to aquatic ecosystem. The participants were introduced to the mist netting and bird ringing techniques and were also taken to Ukkadam Lake and Perur Lake in Coimbatore city to understand the wetland characteristics in an urban setting where the bird census techniques were also explained. During the valedictory, the participants expressed their satisfaction on the course content while emphasizing on the need to have longer duration training programs.

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Wildlife painting exhibition by Dr. V. Gokula

An exhibition of wildlife paintings by Dr V Gokula, a well-known artist and alumnus of SACON, was conducted at SACON on 24^th March, 2017along with the Silver Jubilee valedictory function. Dr Gokula, currently working as the Associate Professor and Head of the PG and Research Department of Zoology of National College, Tiruchirappalliis an internationally known painter and cartoonist. Being a Wildlife researcher himself, with a Ph.D in Ornithology from SACON, and significant scientific publications in Ornithology and wildlife fields in general, most of his artistic works also revolves around the nature and wildlife themes.

The paintings on display mostly depicted Indian birds with few on other wildlife including big cats and an impressive portrait of Dr Sálim Ali, the Bird man of India.On the occasion, thirty-five original paintings (watercolour on canvas) done by Dr.Gokula were on display at a venue adjoining the main venue of the Silver Jubilee Valedictory function.

Dignitaries of the function, Shri. Ajay Narayan Jha, IAS, (Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India) along with Dr. T. Chandni, (Scientist-G and Advisor, MoEF&CC) and Dr. K. Sankar, Director, SACON were among the distinguished visitors along with other guests and school childrento visit the Painting exhibition.All appreciated the wildlife portrayals on canvas by the artist. The wildlife photo exhibition was a unique feat that inspired people to venture out to know more of our spectacular wildlife. The exhibition was well received and appreciated by all.

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Inauguration of National Ornithological Databank (NOD) Cell at SACON

The National Ornithological Databank (NOD) Cell, established as part of the SACON’s Silver Jubilee Celebrations, was formally inaugurated on 24^th March, 2017 by Shri. Ajay Narayan Jha, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India in the presence of Dr. T. Chandni, Scientist-G and Advisor, MoEF&CC and Dr. K. Sankar, Director, SACON.

It may be recalled here that establishing a national facility for housing ornithological databases was a long-pending mandate of SACON and it has finally come to fruition at a time, when SACON is celebrating its 25 years of service to the nation. The main objectives of the NOD Cell are:

1. To collate, organize, authenticate, curate, and make key information/data on Indian ornithology
2. To serve as a single-window clearing house on Indian ornithology and natural history
3. To publish a serial ‘Indian Ornithological Abstracts’ that would give a periodical abstracting service of all the publications on various aspects of Indian ornithology
4. To publish a quadrennial ‘State of Indian Birds’ report that would summarize the current conservation status of Indian birds and their habitats

Director, SACON is the Nodal Officer of the NOD Cell and he will be assisted by a team comprising Dr. Rajah Jayapal, Principal Scientist (Ornithology) & Coordinator-NOD Cell, Mr. Manoharan, Librarian In-charge, and Ms. R. K. Niveditha, Programme Fellow in executing the database work and administering the Cell.

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Closing Ceremony of Silver Jubilee Celebrations at SACON held on 24 March, 2017

The year-long Silver Jubilee celebrations of SACON were formally inaugurated by the Hon’ble  former Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri. Prakash Javadekar, in a solemn and grand function at SACON on 28th January 2016. The closing ceremony of SACON’s Silver Jubilee celebrations was conducted at SACON Campus on 24 March, 2017 with Shri. Ajay Narayan Jha, IAS, Secretary,  Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India as the Chief Guest. He commended  SACON’s contributions to the field of biodiversity conservation  in our country and reiterated MoEF&CC’s  continued support to SACON in the coming years.

The Secretary, MoEF&CC, laid the foundation stones for  Central Instrumentation Laboratory and  PG Students Hostel on the SACON campus. He also released a book on “State Birds of India”, being published by SACON to commemorate its Silver Jubilee year. On this august occasion, five information brochures on SACON’s Nature Trail and the campus biodiversity were also released by dignitaries. During the function, winners of Sálim Ali Nature Trophy Competitions held among the schools of Coimbatore district were awarded prizes in different categories by Dr. T. Chandni, Scientist-G & Advisor, MoEF&CC.

Another highlight of the function was the felicitation of Dr. P. Balasubramanian and Dr. S. Muralidharan, Sr. Principal Scientists, Mr. A. Devaraj, Office Attendant and Mr. R. Ravi, Driver who have completed 25 years of service in SACON. In recognition of their service, the Secretary, MoEF&CC presented mementoes to them.

The Secretary, MoEF&CC, inaugurated the National Ornithological Databank Cell and a Nature Trail which are the new initiatives of SACON launched during the Silver Jubilee Year. He visited other facilities on campus after interacting with the faculty and staff of SACON.

To mark the year-long Silver Jubilee celebrations, SACON, under the leadership of Dr. K. Sankar, Director, has conducted various events. The Silver Jubilee publications of SACON include compendiums of SACON’s research works in both Andaman & Nicobar Islands and the Western Ghats of Kerala, a comprehensive monograph on flora and fauna of SACON campus, information brochures on the newly established SACON Nature Trail and its biodiversity, and an illustrated book on State Birds of India. In addition, a two-day Silver Jubilee seminar was organized at Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands in November 2016 to showcase SACON’s research projects on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

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TRAINING PROGRAMME ON “INSTRUMENTATION AND ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES”

A training programme on “Instrumentation and Analytical Techniques” was organized between 13^th  and 17^th  March 2017 by the Division of Ecotoxicology at SACON. Professor M G Sethuraman, Head,   Department of Chemistry, Gandhigram Rural Institute-Deemed University, Dindigul inaugurated the programme in a function presided over by Dr K Sankar, Director, SACON. 23 candidates from different streams such as chemistry, environmental sciences, environmental management, and wildlife biology from institutions, namely GITAM University (Vishakapatnam and Bengaluru), Periyar University (Salem), Defense Research Development Organization – Bharathiar University (Coimbatore), Avinashilingam University (Coimbatore) and AVC College (Mayiladuthurai) participated in the said training course. During the five-day-long programme, participants were exposed to the basic principles and working mechanism of analytical instruments, namely Gas Chromatograph, High Performance Liquid Chromatograph, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, UV Spectrophotometer and Ultracentrifuge. Experts in the field of Analytical chemistry, namely Professor Avudainayagam, Head, Department of Environmental Sciences, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Mr. K Chandrasekar, Application Scientist, Agilent Technologies, Dr R Jayakumar, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Studies, GITAM University (Bengaluru) delivered lectures as resource persons to highlight the applications of the instruments in ecotoxicological research. Dr Rajah Jayapal, Principal Scientist, SACON, delivered a special lecture on statistics at the programme. Director, SACON distributed certificates to the participants at the valedictory function.

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ECO Award for SACON for the year 2016-17

SACON received ECO Award for the year 2016-17 in appreciation of its efforts in encouraging and motivating students towards nature conservation. The said award was presented by the District Collector, Shri T. N. Hariharan, Coimbatore during the function organized by Nature Conservation Society, Coimbatore.

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Release of book titled ‘A bibliography on SACON’s research work in Kerala State’

A book titled “A bibliography on SACON’s research work in Kerala State” was released by Dr. Balakrishna Pisupati, Vice-Chancellor, Trans Disciplinary University, Bangalore, during the inaugural session of the 3^rd National Biodiversity Conference organized by Kerala State Biodiversity Board held at Thiruvananthapuram on 23^rd February 2017. The same was received by Dr. M. Chandra Dattan, Scientific Advisor to Chief Minister, Govt. of Kerala. Dr. Amita Prasad IAS, Addl. Secy. MoEF & CC, Govt. of India inaugurated the function on 23.02.2017. The publication was compiled by M. Manoharan, R.K. Niveditha, & M. Jayageetha.  Mr. M. Manoharan, Librarian in charge and Dr. P. Pramod, Principal Scientist participated in the book release function on behalf of SACON.

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National Nature Camping Programme at SACON

SACON has conducted first National Nature Camping Programme for this year (2017) between 1^st and 3^rd February 2017. This residential Nature camp is a programme supported by Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India.  Thirty children from Helix Open School, Salem, Tamil Nadu, (which is working for the support of children with dyslexia) along with their teachers participated in the camp.   Scientists and research scholars of SACON interacted with the children all three days. We conducted many activity based programme to introduce the concepts of nature to  the children  such as camouflage and mimicry in nature, identification of indirect and direct signs of wildlife in forests, communication among animals through scent and sounds in nature and the importance of biodiversity.  Most of the teaching was through various games and activities. The programme was planned to develop their observation skills, curiosity and to engage them with nature and natural elements.  The participants were taken on nature walks at dawn and dusk every day and they enjoyed learning to watch and identify birds and butterflies.  During the camp, participants expressed understanding they got on environment through their creativity in drawing and skits.  It is planned that the first two nature camps are targeted for special children and the rest three camps will be conducted for the children from two aided schools in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, during February 2017.

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Inauguration of ‘Conservation Genetics Laboratory’ at SACON by Dr. Amita Prasad, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India

Dr. Amita Prasad, Additional Secretary, MoEFCC, Government of India visited SACON on 27^th January 2017. She was welcomed to SACON by the Director, Faculty and Staff of SACON and presented with a bouquet by Dr. Shomita Mukherjee. After a brief introduction of Faculty and Sectional Heads, Dr. K. Sankar, Director made a presentation on the activities of SACON. Following this, Dr. Amita Prasad inaugurated the `Conservation Genetics Laboratory’ at SACON and Dr. Shomita Mukherjee showed the facilities within the Laboratory. A short discussion on the future prospects of training and research through the Conservation Genetics Laboratory were discussed. This was followed by a visit to the Ecotoxicology Laboratory where Dr. Muralidharan explained the importance of the research and training conducted here and its contribution towards conservation issues.

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Republic Day Celebrations – 2017

Sixty eighth Republic Day of India was celebrated on 26^th January 2017 at SACON with aplomb. Dr. K. Sankar, Director, SACON hoisted the flag and delivered the Republic Day speech. He exhorted the faculty and staff of SACON to strive to uphold the ideals of the constitution by working towards achieving the goal of environmental conservation.  Volleyball matches and tug of war competitions were conducted among the Faculty, Administrative Staff and Research Scholars of SACON as part of the celebrations.

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A report on the Activity “Digital Payment” for Commemoration of National Youth Day-2017, conducted at

Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu  on 12^th January, 2017

SACON conducted an activity to mobilize youth group in and around Anaikatty Hills, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, on “Digital Payments” on 12.01.2017 at 2 PM at our campus. In Total around 40 participants attended the said event. Central Bank of India, Nanjundapuram branch, Coimbatore officials were invited to give training on Digital Payment system available in India.

At the outset a brief introduction was given by Dr. K Sankar, Director, SACON on the origination of the Activity. The Director SACON informed that the Activity was actually proposed in a Review meeting of Youth Organization Chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister during April 2016. Further The Central Bank’s Assistant Manager Ms. Priya N, made a detailed presentation on available digital payment mode,  the importance of holding bank account in present system and also about the available Digital Payment systems like Debit Card, Prepaid Card, Mobile Banking, E- Wallet, Mobile Apps like UPI, BHIM and other applications available with various banks. She also demonstrated how the Central Bank App called “Cent UPI” operates in a smart phone and how payment can be made through the App. The officials advised all the participants to reduce hard cash transaction and to shift to digital payment system. The training programme ended with an interaction session between the participants and bank officials, which was followed by vote of thanks by Director, SACON.

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Workshop on ‘Ecology and Conservation of Andaman & Nicobar Biodiversity’   

in Port Blair, Andaman (24^th & 25^th November 2016)

Andaman & Nicobar Islands are known for its extraordinary geological features, exceptional range of rich biodiversity, endemic flora and fauna, threatened species and species which are restricted to these islands. SACON is one of the Indian scientific institutions to work in Andaman and Nicobar Islands with a special focus on this unique island for the past 20 years.

 As part of Silver Jubilee Celebrations, SACON  organized a two-day workshop on ‘Ecology and Conservation of Andaman & Nicobar Biodiversity’  in Port Blair on 24^th and 25^th November 2016. The workshop deliberated upon various aspects of ecology and conservation of A&N biodiversity. SACON has invited researchers / scientists from all over the country who have worked or have been working on A&N biodiversity to this workshop and they shared the rich experience of their valuable research work.

The programme conducted in the auditorium of Regional Medical Research Centre, Indian Council of Research, Dolly Gunj, Port Blair. Dr. Alok Saxena, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Andaman Nicobar Islands has lauded the positive role SACON played in conservation of Andaman Nicobar Ecology while inaugurating the workshop. Shri. M. S. Negi, Chief Wildlife Warden and PCCF of A& N islands, Guest of Honour, has pointed out many SACON projects and highlighted the importance in natural resource conservation of Islands and invited all scientists to take proactive role. While Dr. K.Sankar, Director of SACON welcomed the gathering and delivered a talk on “Research activities and accomplishments (1990-2016) in Andaman & Nicobar Islands by SACON”, Dr. Vijayachari, Director, Regional Medical Research Centre gave the felicitation address.

During the inaugural session of the workshop SACON released two publications namely,

1. Social organization, behaviour and phylogeography of Macaca fascicularis umbrosa on the Nicobar Islands, India.
2. A Compendium on SACON’s research work in Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Total of 18 papers were presented in four technical sessions [viz 1) Conservation and Management of Forests and Wildlife in A&N Islands, 2) Conservation of Birds in the A&N Islands 3) Coastal and Marine Ecosystems and 4) Conservation Education] by scientists from SACON and nine other organizations, NGOs and attended by over 100 deligates and participants.. The workshop discussed a wide range of wildlife and conservation issues related to A& N islands. After the technical sessions a discussion meeting of participants highlighted the major research gaps and conservation and education issues in the islands. Director, SACON informed that he will send the minutes of the meeting as recommendation of the workshop to forest officials of A & N islands.

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Salim Ali Rolling Trophy for Nature Awareness 2016

 SACON conducted “Salim Ali Rolling Trophy Nature Competitions – 2016” on 20^th November 2016 in G D Mat. Hr. Sec. School  Coimbatore. More than 2500 students from 50 schools participated in the competitions. Results of all the competitions will be declared on 7^th December 2016.

SACON has been conducting these competitions for more than two decades.  Over this period of time, this event has become very popular in and around schools of Coimbatore and nearby districts. Every year two to three thousand students from 50-80 schools participate in various categories of competitions such as Elocution, Essay writing, poetry writing, story writing (both in English and Tamil), painting and pencil drawing and nature quiz. One unique competition in this event is the bird watching or spot the bird contest to identify the young bird watcher of the year. Uniqueness of all these competitions is that the topics will be given only on the spot, to test the spontaneity, the real knowledge and skill of the student as opposed to the trained / or prepared competitions. First three positions in each of the competition will fetch points for the school and the school with highest point will become the Champion of the year and the rightful owner of the Rolling Trophy for the next one year. The following schools have crowned the position of champion in the previous years.

1. Chinmaya Vidyalaya Mat. Hr. Sec. School, Coimbatore
2. R.G. Mat. Hr. Sec. Peelamedu, Coimbatore
3. K.D. Mat. Hr. Sec. School, Peiyanaikeen Palayam, Coimbatore
4. B.O.A. Mat. Hr. Sec. School Coimbatore (4 Years)
5. Kadri Mills Hr. Sec. School, Ondiputhur
6. D. Mat. Hr. Sec. School ( 6 years in two series)
7. Kongu Vellalar Mat. Hr. Sec.School, Karumathampatti (3 Years).

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Inauguration of water hole for wild elephants

Shri K. Chandra Prakash, Senior Regional Manager, Central Bank of India, Coimbatore inaugurated a ‘Water Hole’ constructed exclusively for wild elephants on the SACON campus on 18^th November 2016. The present water hole, sponsored by Central Bank of India, is the third one on the campus for providing water for wild elephants.

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Workshop cum seminar on the ‘Significance and Conservation of Traditional Rice Varieties’ on 5 September 2016

A workshop cum seminar  on the ‘Significance and Conservation of Traditional Rice Varieties’ was  held on 5 September 2016 at Abhayam, Koppam,  Pattambi, Palakkad, Kerala  on 5^th September 2016 which was jointly organized by SACON and ‘Abhayam’,  an NGO committed to organic farming and conservation of the traditional rice varieties.

Shri. V.S. Sunilkumar, Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture, Govt. of Kerala inaugurated the programme in a function presided over by Shri. Mohammed Muhsin, MLA, Pattambi. The message by Dr. K. Sankar, Director, and SACON was read by Dr.R.Jayapal, Principal Scientist, SACON. Faculty of Kerala Agricultural University, Senior Officials of Dept. of Agriculture, Govt. of Kerala, representative of NGO’s and  farmers involved in the conservation of traditional rice varieties from different parts of Kerala and representative of Local Self Government Bodies participated in the event.

In the morning session Dr. Mathew K. Sebastian presented an overview of the status of the cultivation of traditional varieties in south India with special reference to Western Ghats. Few of the participants who are prominent in the cultivation and conservation of traditional rice varieties shared their experiences.  Faculty of Kerala Agricultural University viz. Prof. M.C. Narayanankutty, Prof. C.R. Elsy and Prof. Israel Thomas, and  Dr. Shaji James and Dr. P.V. Karunakaran and Dr. P.R. Arun Principal Scientists, SACON delivered talks on different aspects of the conservation of traditional rice varieties.

In the afternoon session group discussions were held on the following topics:

1. Problems faced by the cultivators of traditional rice varieties and remedial measures
2. Issues related with the ownership of traditional rice varieties
3. Conservation of traditional rice varieties
4. Marketing of traditional rice varieties

Results of the group discussions were consolidated and presented in the concluding session.

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Training Workshop on MobileGIS

A training workshop on MobileGIS was conducted on Thursday 14 July 2016 in the Board Room of SACON. The workshop was attended by 7 faculty members and 17 PhD scholars/Interns/Research Fellows. The participants were welcomed by Dr. P.V. Karunakaran, Principle Scientist and coordinator of training workshop and Dr. K. Sankar, Director, SACON made brief introductory remarks. The workshop focussed on two mobile applications, EpiCollect and OsmAnd, the former one for collecting geotagged field data while the second one helps in digitising the transect or area covered during the field work. The workshop started with a presentation on introduction to MobileGIS and EpiCollect and proceeded through giving hands on training in developing ‘PROJECT’ and ‘DATA COLLECTION FORMS’. Later the participants developed separate ‘PROJECT’ and ‘DATA COLLECTION FORMS’ for conducting the field work in SACON Campus. Two formats were prepared, viz., (i) on birds and (ii) trees. The participants spent almost an hour in the field and collected data pertaining to birds and trees of the campus. Later they uploaded (synchronised) the data, projected and saved as vector model (point) format usingqGIStools. A session on OsmAnd, another GPS based applicationwas conducted in the afternoon which enabled the user to digitise the field tracks or area covered during the field study. A demonstration was also with mobile handset. The workshop was concluded with feed-back from participants.

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BIOSTATISTICS COURSE

 (8^th to 10^th & 13 to 14^th June 2016)

A module on `Biostatistics’ was conducted for the research personnel and Ph.D. scholars between 8^th and 14^th June 2016 at SACON. In total, 34 research personnel/Ph.D. scholars, interns and faculty members attended the course. The major objective of the course was to expose the research personnel to the principles and assumptions of basic and advanced statistics used in the field of ecology and conservation biology. Dr. K. Thiyagesan, Former Principal of A.V.C. College, Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu conducted the said course. First three days (8 -10^th June, 2016) were devoted for learning various sampling methods and its design and uni-variate Statistics (parametric and non-parametric) using SPSS package. Last two days (13-14^th June, 2016) were spent on learning about advanced statistics such as ordination techniques, regression models and reliability analysis. Students and scholars were also given the opportunity to discuss with Dr. K. Thiyagesan regarding the data analysis pertaining to their respective projects in the evening hours. On the concluding day, Dr. Thiyagesan distributed the course certificates to all participants.

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29^th Meeting of the Research, Monitoring and Advisory Committee (RMAC)

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Annual Research Seminar 2016. SACON’s Annual Research Seminar (ARS) was conducted on the 25^rd of May 2016 at the Conference Hall of the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy (TNFA), Forest Campus, R.S. Puram, Coimbatore.   Ms. Sharada Balasubramanian compèred the event. Dr. Shomita Mukherjee, Principal Scientist, SACON, welcomed the Chief Guest Dr. N. Krishnakumar, IFS, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of the Forest Force of Tamil Nadu, the Chair of the ARS, Dr. Ramakrishna, Director (Retd), Zoological Survey of India and Chairman of the SACON Research Monitoring and Advisory Committee (RMAC),other dignitaries, SACON Alumni, SACON Faculty, students and scientists and individuals from various other organisations who attended the event.  SACON Director, Dr. K. Sankar presented the Opening Remarks after which Dr.Krishnakumar delivered the Inaugural Address and Dr. Rajiv Shrivastava, IFS, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Director, TNFA, delivered the Special Address. This was followed by the release of SACON publications by dignitaries and included four technical reports, two current newsletters and six posters and a documentary video. The releases were as follows: Technical reports:

1. Impact of Hara Wind Power Project on Wildlife including Migratory birds and Raptors at Harapanahalli, Davangere, Karnataka released by D Rajiv Srivastava.
2. Assessment of conflicts between peafowl and farmers in Coimbatore, released by Shri Raghuram Singh, Addl. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Tamil Nadu.
3. Population status of Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta) in Himachal Pradesh, India, released by Dr.Prasanth, Director, Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, Coimbatore.
4. National Nature Camping Programme at SACON, released by V.S. Vijayan, Founder Director, SACON.

Newsletters:

1. SACON NEWS, released by Ramakrishna.
2. SAROVAR SAURAB released by Dr. S.N. Prasad,former faculty, SACON

Posters:

1. Poster on Impacts of Wind turbines; A comparison of case studies from Gujarat & Karnataka, released by Dr.Lalitha Vijayan, former faculty, SACON.
2. Poster on Owls of Andaman Islands, released by Ravichandran, Chief Conservator of Forests, Andaman and Nicobar islands.
3. Four species posters released by Raghuram Singh:
   1. Lesser Flamingo
   2. Smooth Coated Otter
   3. Greater Adjutant Stork
   4. Edible Nest Swiftlet

Video CD:

1. “A Day in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve: A Lifescape to Experience”, released by Dr. A.J.T. Johnsingh Dean(Retd.), Wildlife Institute of India.

The video was screened for the gathering. Following this, Dr.Sankar introduced Dr. Sushil Kumar Dutta who delivered the Dr. Bhupathy Memorial Lecture. Dr. Dutta is a Visiting Professor at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore and member of the RMAC, SACON. His talk addressed current trends in taxonomy of amphibians in the Indian Sub-continent. After the inaugural session there was a Group Photography session and tea followed by the Technical Sessions of the Seminar. There were a total of 14 presentations in four thematic sessions, Ecological Studies, Ecological Studies-Islands, Conservation Studies and Environmental Impacts and Monitoring. Three presentations were made by SACON Faculty and 11 by researchers. Each session was presided over by a panel consisting of a Chair and two Co-chairs. The student presentations were graded by a panel of judges who were members of the RMAC. The Director, SACON invited some dignitaries to share their opinions and remarks on the ARS in the Concluding Session. Dr. Y.V. Jhala, Scientist-G, Wildlife Institute of India, commented on the high quality of the presentations and congratulated SACON on the wide range of topics studied. He advised researchers to understand the statistical tests they utilise in their analysis and explain these in a simple manner in presentations. Dr.Geetha, Professor, University of Delhi & Member, RMAC-SACON expressed her satisfaction with the arrangements and also the high quality of research and presentations. Dr. A.J.T. Johnsingh commended SACON for the quality of research and researchers and urged all at SACON to take up long-term monitoring of the diversity on SACON’s Campus. He also urged researchers to use the invaluable resources in SACON’s library. Dr. Sushil Kumar Dutta lauded SACON for the wide range of research topics and modern analysis used in research and expressed his appreciation on the organisation and arrangements for the seminar. Dr. A. B. Shanbhag, Professor & Head (Retd), Dept. of Zoology, Goa University & Member, RMAC-SACON appreciated the efforts put in by the researchers for their high-quality presentations. Dr. Mathew K. Sebastian, Principal Scientist, SACON announced the winners of the Photographic Competition that was held alongside the ARS. Students and Faculty of SACON were invited to send in their photographs and a panel of judges viewed the photographs and picked the best ones under specific themes for the awards. There were approximately 250 photographs sent by researchers and 40 by faculty. The list of winners is provided below. Faculty

Scholars

Dr.Karunakaran, Principal Scientist, SACON, announced the three best presentations of the ARS and the IARS, that was held on the 23^rd of May 2016. The winners of the best presentations for the ARS were:

The three best presentations from the IARS were:

Dr. Ramakrishna delivered the Concluding Remarks and congratulated SACON on the success of the event. He praised SACON for achieving the targets of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) that India is signatory to. He also appreciated SACON’s contribution in conservation especially in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. The ARS was concluded by the Vote of Thanks conveyed by Dr. P. Balasubramanian, Senior Principal Scientist& Research Coordinator, SACON. The first Alumni Meeting of SACON students was conducted alongside the ARS. Dr. V.S. Vijayan, Founder Director of SACON presided over the meeting. Approximately fifty former students of SACON met and discussed ways to network and strengthen the Alumni and collaboratively contribute towards the goals of their Alma Mater.         ********************************************************************************************** Alumni Meet In order to bring together and build up a well-knit alumni network, SACON organized its first Alumni Meet on 25^th May 2016 as a part of its Silver jubilee celebrations. In total, 50 Ph.D. scholars who have completed their doctorates from SACON and research personnel who had worked in various research projects at SACON attended the said meet. The event was held in the Conference Room of GIS Building at TNFA Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu on 25^th May 2016 with a welcome address by Dr. K. Sankar, Director, SACON. The meet was inaugurated by the founder Director of SACON, Dr. V S Vijayan, who stressed the need for researchers to be socially committed and scientifically sound. The meet was also attended by some of the former faculty members of SACON namely, Dr Lalitha Vijayan, Dr. S. N. Prasad and Dr. N. Sivaganesan.  The participants recounted their nostalgic memories and expressed their willingness to collaborate with SACON in coming years. The nostalgic reconnect with their prestigious ‘alma mater’ was appreciated and well received by the alumni community.  The modalities of taking the SCON Alumni network forward was the major agenda for discussion and responsibilities were assigned to select members of the alumni for starting an `e-newsletter’ and also updating Alumni database. On this occasion SACON also brought out the ‘SACON Alumni Profile’, comprising of 68 individual profile pages and a list of 126 people so far registered with SACON alumni data base. The Alumni meet proceedings ended with vote of thanks by Dr. P.R. Arun, Principal Scientist and Alumni Meet Coordinator. The meet was dovetailed with campus visit to SACON on the following day.   *********************************************************************************************** SACON’s Internal Annual Research Seminar (IARS) was conducted on the 23^rd of May 2016 at the Conference Room, GIS Building of the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy (TNFA), Forest Campus, R.S. Puram, Coimbatore. Dr. P.V. Karunakaran welcomed the Chief Guest and Chairman of the IARS, Sh. Qamar Qureshi, Scientist G, Wildlife Institute of India and the gathering. SACON Director, Dr. K. Sankar introduced the IARS after which Sh. Qureshi delivered Opening Remarks.There were a total of 15 presentations in three thematic sessions, Avifauna Habitats, Ecological Studies and Assessment Studies. Three presentations were made by SACON Faculty and 12 by researchers. The event was concluded by the Chairman with a very eloquent speech in which he appreciated the effort put in by the researchers and faculty to make this a very successful occasion. He remarked on the high quality of presentations and the importance of the research done at SACON in the context of current conservation issues. Dr. Goldin Quadros presented the Vote of Thanks.               

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Dr. S. Bhupathy Memorial Lecture on “Amphibians of India – Rapidly changing taxonomy and how many species?” by Dr. Sushil Kumar Dutta, Member, RMAC, SACON. Wednesday, 25 th May 2016  – 1000-1045 hrs Venue: Conference Hall, Tamil Nadu Forest Academy (TNFA) Forest Campus, R. S. Puram, Coimbatore

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Dr André Dhondt’s visit to SACON during 3-8 May, 2016

Dr. André Dhondt, Director of Bird Population Studies, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, USA visited SACON during 3-8 May, 2016. Holding the position of Edwin H. Morgens Professor of Ornithology at Cornell, Dr. Dhondt is a world-renowned avian biologist with varied research interests ranging from bird population studies, avian behavior, evolutionary ecology, conservation biology, and disease ecology of wild birds. During his stay at SACON, Dr. Dhondt visited different facilities at SACON including the Ecotoxicology Lab, ENVIS Centre, and Library followed by interactions with the faculty members and research scholars. Earlier, a detailed presentation on SACON and its key activities and achievements was made to Dr Dhondt. He, later, participated in a couple of brainstorming sessions convened by the Director, SACON regarding the proposed post-graduate programme in Ornithology & Natural History at SACON, and offered many suggestions and comments over the coursework, curriculum, and other academic matters. The Director, SACON also had detailed discussions with him over possible collaboration between SACON and Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in conducting the proposed MSc programme and in various field research activities of SACON.

Dr. Dhondt delivered two talks at the Centre as part of SACON’s ongoing Silver Jubilee Lecture series; the first talk was on ‘Mycoplasma gallisepticum in House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus: the study of an emerging wildlife disease’ and the second one was on ‘Interspecific competition between Great and Blue Tits’. The talks were well received and were followed by lively discussions with the audience. At the end of the session, Dr. Dhondt donated a copy of his much acclaimed book “Interspecific Competition in Birds” [2012, Oxford Avian Biology Series, Oxford University Press, UK, pp.282] to SACON Library. He was also honoured by SACON with a memento of a bird painting, which was one     of the prize-winning entries in the Sálim Ali Nature Trophy Competitions conducted by SACON every year among the school children in Coimbatore.

Dr. Dhondt also visited Silent Valley National Park, Kerala for the last two days of his programme, after which he left SACON on 8 May 2016.

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Internal Annual Research Seminar on Monday, 23rd May, 2016 Annual Reserach Seminar on Wednesday, 25th May 2016 SACON Alumni Meet on Wednesday, 25th May 2016

Thursday, 26^th May 2016

 1000 – 1300 hrs         Meeting of the Research Monitoring & Advisory Committee (RMAC)

(Venue: Board Room, SACON – RMAC Members only)

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Sálim Ali Trophy Nature Competition Awards 2015-16

            Sálim Ali Trophy Nature Competitions 2015-16 prize distribution ceremony was held at Champion Hall, Central Academy of State Forest Servces, Forest College Campus, R. S. Puram, Coimbatore on Sunday, 20th March 2016 at 10:00 AM. Dr. K. Sankar, Director, SACON presided over the function and Dr. P. Pramod, Principal Scientist, presented the background information and report of the Sálim Ali Trophy Nature Competitions. Dr. K. Ravichandran, IFS, Conservator of Forests, A&N Islands, the Chief Guest, gave away the prizes and trophies to the winners. In total, 120 students from 17 schools received the prizes. Kongu Vellalar Mat. Hr. Sec School, Karumathampatti won the overall Champions Trophy and honoured with the Sálim Ali Trophy for the Sálim Ali Trophy Nature Competitions 2015-16. Bharathi Mat. Hr. Sec. School, Thadagam Road, Coimbatore received the first runner-up title, whereas G.D. Mat. Hr. Sec School, Coimbatore received the second runner-up title. http://www.saconeducation.org/ ************************************************************************************************************** Inauguration of Silver Jubilee Celebrations of SACON by Shri. Prakash Javadekar, Hon’ble Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India. Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) was inaugurated on 28 January 2016 in a function conducted at SACON campus, Anaikatty, Coimbatore by Shri. Prakash Javadekar, Hon’ble Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India. The function was presided over by Shri. Ashok Lavasa, IAS, Secretary to the Government, MoEF & CC. Shri. P.K.Das, IAS, Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, MoEF & CC and Ms. Manju P Pillai, IPoS, , Post Master General, Western Region, Tamil Nadu graced the occasion by their presence and also offered felicitations. Dr. A.B. Harappanahalli, Advisor, MoEF &CC offered the vote of thanks. A special postal cover was released to commemorate the silver jubilee of SACON. Two books entitled ‘‘Flowering plants of SACON campus in the Anaikatty hills, Western Ghats’ authored by P. Balasubramanian, L. Prakash & C. Anbarasu and ‘Glimpses to the biodiversity of Ramsar sites in India by Goldin Quadros, B. Hemambika, A. Julffia Begam, A. Srinivasan and P. A. Azeez were also released. The function was attended by several dignitaries such as Senior Forest Department Officials, Scientists from different research organizations, nature lovers and alumni of SACON.        

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Flowering plants of SACON campus in the Anaikatty hills, Western Ghats. Authors : Balasubramanian, P., Manikandan, P., Prakash, L. and Anbarasu, C. 220 pages, 402 photos with descriptions Price: Rs.560/-.  20% discount for students on production of student ID Published by :  Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore. For purchase of book  contact saconadmin@gmail.com admin@sacon.in Mobile No: 9442069453