With ATREE completing 20 years of work in the areas of conservation science and sustainable development, a two-day international conference is being organised on 24 and 25 January, 2017 in Bengaluru. For more information and to register, visit www.atree.org/atree@20
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ACCOLADES

ATREE researcher nominated to Karnataka Government's
adivasi board
ATREE's Dr C Madegowda has been nominated as a member of the Karnataka Adivasi Abhivrudhi Mandali by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Government of Karnataka. This board will implement self-employment and economic development schemes for 19 forest-based tribal groups in the state.
Dr Madegowda is a social scientist and tribal rights activist from Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve in Karnataka. 
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EVENTS

Open data for field research
ATREE conducted a workshop on Open Data Kit (ODK) for field researchers. ODK is an open source application for the android platform. The workshop introduced participants to the principles, structure of the app and how to create customised forms for field data collection.
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Waste-water reuse in Bengaluru
ATREE held a dissemination meeting on “Apartment-level wastewater treatment and reuse in Bengaluru” on November 5, 2016. The participants included representatives of resident welfare associations from 30 apartment complexes, and officials of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).  Read more
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PERSPECTIVES

Invasive species management in India-
By Prakriti Prajapati and Divya Solomon
“Invasive species can act as a force-multiplier by adapting rapidly to changing environments which then exacerbates the scarcity of essential resources, such as groundwater."
 Read more
Authors are researchers at ATREE
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Bats reduce cost of labour but are still touted pests
By Kadambari Deshpande and Nachiket Kelkar
“Local perceptions about fruit bats were far more positive than negative. About 17% of the respondents did believe that fruit bats caused damage to standing crops...but the majority (53%) stated that fruit bats had more to give than take away"
Authors are PhD scholars at ATREE
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IN THE NEWS

“New vital bird habitat identified in India” Birdlife International,
18 November 2016
Papikonda National Park in Andhra Pradesh was identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) following a bird survey and site assessment by ATREE. However, this fledgeling IBA is threatened by mining, hunting, forest fires, dam construction, etc. Read more
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“In Tamil Nadu, fishermen protest a four-month fishing ban aimed at protecting sea turtles” Scroll.in, 17 November 2016
The Tamil Nadu government imposed a ban on fisheries across 100 coastlines that are nesting sites for Olive Ridley turtles. While the move is aimed at conserving turtles that get caught in the vast nets of fishing trawlers, it disproportionately affects small-scale artisanal fishers. Read more
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“Pulp paper trees may take over 1000 acres of grasslands in Paruthipadu” Times of India, 8 November 2016
The Tamil Nadu Government’s decision to lease out 1000 acres of grassland in Paruthipadu for the cultivation of pulp paper trees like eucalyptus threatens more than 100 species of birds, animals and reptiles, many of them unique and endangered. Read more
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE),
Website: www.atree.org