WHEN IT comes to conservation of tigers, the WWF-India (Worldwide Fund for Nature - India) is a name to reckon with. Working in tandem with wildlife departments around the country, the WWF-India is in the vanguard of the movement to save the big cat from extinction. Chennai may not have big cats but it has other "treasures of the wild" that need preservation. The Tamil Nadu State Office (TNSO) of the WWF-India has been attending to this task since its inception in 1980. Notable among the TNSO's achievements is a survey of the flora-fauna ecology of the Adyar estuary. When a proposal to set up a Port Management Training Institute at the estuary was mooted, the TNSO engaged in some smart environmental activism. It successfully impressed upon the State Government the estuary's significance as a major wetland that sustains diverse fauna and avifauna. The proposal was dropped and the estuary declared a protected area.

Further, the TNSO took up afforestation of the Adyar estuary. Mangrove seedlings, Pandanus cuttings and saplings of a variety of native species were planted on the northern bank and "islands" of this wetland. However, this programme has not been altogether successful, due to extraneous factors such as polluted water, vandalism and "developmental" activity.

In 1993, the Tamil Nadu University for Veterinary and Allied Sciences (TANUVAS) deepened the Madhavaram jheel so as to make it conducive for pisciculture (fish rearing). Before deepening, the sloping topography of the jheel proved an ideal habitat for the uncommon pheasant-tailed jacana. After deepening, the jacana population dwindled. Soon, the pisciculture project was abandoned, due to contradictions within itself. In the final analysis, it had achieved nothing more than destroying a bird habitat. The TNSO was trenchant in its criticism of the project. Another notable effort by the TNSO was the afforestation of the St. Thomas Mount. With the cooperation of the church and the orphanage there, the TNSO planted saplings, which were hedged in with barbed wire. Subsequently, 100 more saplings were planted in collaboration with the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and Sasakawa Peace Foundation. In 1997, 200 more saplings were planted with the assistance of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. The TNSO's survey of Nanmangalam, a scrub forest near Chennai, brought unusual birds and rarely seen vertebrates to the knowledge of naturalists.

The TNSO and other State chapters of the WWF-I run Nature Clubs of India (NCI). With over 2,000 members, the clubs organise film shows, slide shows, workshops and nature camps. The WWF-I regularly organises Nature Orientation Camps in wilderness areas and sanctuaries. These camps include activities such as trekking, discussions, nature games and screening of audio-visual programmes. To fund its various projects, the WWF-I sells greeting cards and calendars on wildlife and environmental themes. Office accessories, promotional articles and camping equipment are also sold. For more details, contact TNSO, 123/5 (New no. 297), TTK Road, Alwarpet, 24994827/ 24997107. WWF-India also plans to hold an "Exhibition on Wildlife Photography" in the city, coinciding with the "Wildlife Week celebrations.

PRINCE FREDERICK