6.0.6 Base Camp: Kurangani Bio-Reserve Ecosystem
Background
Fayez is a multifaceted and multi dimensional champion of the wild life. He has secured a land parcel in Kurangani Forest with an intention to develop a nature nurtured food forest bio reserve sanctuary where wild animals are welcome to come in and eat to their heart’s desire.
Water available is sweet and flows on the slopy surface of the land itself. The land has black soil and you can find foods such as Coffee, Chillies, Curry Leaves, Jack-fruit, Guavas, Mangoes, Passion fruit, Figs, Pomegranate & Lemons, Pepper, Herbs, Lemon Grass, Wild Gooseberry, Amla, Figs, Jack-Fruit & Guavas, Ramphal, Sitaphal, Mangoes, Berries, Rambutan, Avacodo, Asparagus, Brussel Sprouts, Lettuce, and Cabbage. The modest built structures on the land have enough kitchen utensils, and farming tools such as Shovels, Trekking Sticks, Kadapara, Thoomba, Manvatty, Vakthy, and others.
The winters in this area range from September to February with temperature varying from 21 Deg C to 10 Deg C, with the summers season ranging from February to July with temperature from 35 Deg C – 17 Deg C. Winters span from July to August (Kerala Rain) & November to December (Tamil Nadu Rain).
There is one natural spring and a stream that flows from the top and they meet at the bottom of the land. Wild animals frequent the land including Monkeys and Apes (Lion-tailed macaque, grey langur, Slender Loris, bonnet macaque, nilagiri langur), Flying Squirrels and Giant Squirrels, Wild Bison, Wild Goat, Wild Hens, Sambar Deer, Barking Deer, Java Mouse Deer, Birds – Nilgiris Martin, Pythons, Monitor Lizard, and Bears.
The workshops that have been conducted so far on this land has been around forest de-weeding & cleaning. Other activities has been – making ponds, exploring the terrain, trekking, camping, full-moon treks, jamming, writing books, arts, painting, drawing, star gazing, bird watching, etc. You should visit this place if you wish to find peace, calm, unlearning, real learning, healing, exploring, experiencing, and reconnecting with nature. The tribals around can provide knowledge and skills. They can teach us how to chop and build houses using wood, mud, and hay.
Here is a travel dairy around this land during 2015.
Journey so far with Free Earth Alliance
Since Fayez came in touch with Free Earth Alliance, we have assisted a collaboration between Steve & Fayez around Sept 2022. Steve is from Miami, Florida who settled in India from 2010 and was trying to setup an off-grid base at Marayoor, Kerala but had Land Tenure problem. Fayez, had secured a land parcel at Kurangani Forest, Tamil Nadu which is on the other side of a hill from Steve’s place. They have found this collaboration to be rewarding as he now has Steve and Albert Y Zacharia along with him, who are experts in Permaculture. Since Fayez secured the land at Kurangani, Steve is charged about working on implementing his plans here without having to worry about land tenure-ship.
Together, for the Base Camp setup at Kurangani Forest, we have evolved clarity on:
- Mission & Vision
- Workshop design – To attract experts, work party, tribal support, and money to actualise the vision.
- Conceptual design for the Kurangani Base Camp
- Strategic Action & Resource Plan
- Plans to remove the applied ecological disturbances
- Mycelium & Compost re-generation
- Develop Wild Life Co-living guidelines
- Develop a model to integrate with the local bio-region
On the Housing front, we have explored & collated various possibilities for types of structures, naturally and locally available construction materials for:
- Housing that can sustain acclimate weather conditions
- Foundation & Drainage
- Roofing
- Walls
- Common Area
- Cooking & Washing Area
- Shower & Washrooms
On Farming front, we have identified combinations of Roots, Greens, Beans, Fruits, Vegetables, Building, Spices, Medicinal plants, millets, fruits, housekeeping material, flowers, cactus, grasses, fungi and pulses considering period of Maturity, Seasons, Crop Height etc.
While meeting requirements for setting up an off-grid base camp at Kurangani forest, we have planned to support a eco-centric frugal economy based business plan in future to remove the applied ecological disturbance caused here due to Lantana, an invasive plant. Also, the land being a steep terrain going from around 1047 metres above sea level to 1300 metres, the planning included overcoming challenges ranging from adverse winds and rains, and creation of flat lands for housing.
Gallery of the recent tour
10th September 2022 – Kurangani
11th September 2022 – Poopara (Near Kurangani)
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