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DAMPA HMATHLIR - Thinking About the Future

The buffer zone around a part of Dampa Tiger Reserve is surrounded by palm oil plantations. Promoted by the government claiming assured economic viability, farmers took up these plantations only to realize that in a couple of years water availability was affected, the soil had lost its vitality, and the rich biodiversity of the area was under threat. Farmers are now looking at new options for cultivation in the hope of saving their lands and their livelihoods.

  • Gaurab Talukdar
    Director
  • Lalvohbika
    Director
  • Green Hub
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Wildlife, Nature, Forests, Environment
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 51 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 16, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Gaurab Talukdar, Lalvohbika

Gaurab Talukdar is a bird enthusiast from Assam. Lovingly called by friends as “Birdman”, Gaurab did his Masters in Economics from Assam University, Silchar while simultaneously being associated with Green Guard Nature Organization as a volunteer. Gaurab was working in human-elephant conflict mitigation programs with communities, providing awareness in schools and wildlife rescues. In 2018, Gaurab got enrolled into the Green Hub Fellowship program. During this period of 1 year, Gaurab worked on 4 major films that were screened at the Green Hub Festival, 2019. His films are “Devalsari- Abode of Deodars”, “Dampa Hmathlir_Thinking About the Future”, “Uttarakhand, a birding paradise” and “Biodiversity of Uttarakhand”. Gaurab is currently working on his organic farm in his village in Morigaon and is freelancing as a conservation filmmaker.

Lalvohbika is a member of the forest patrolling team at the Dampa Tiger Reserve in Mizoram, and a Green Hub Fellow from the batch of 2018-19. A natural with the camera and an aptitude for the creative, Lalvohbika has combined his strengths to capture both the beauty of Dampa and the threats oil palm plantations pose to the region, in his films made during the fellowship. Passionate about the protection of biodiversity, Lalvohbika has been working at Dampa since 2014. He is also a talented singer and guitarist.

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Director Statement

Dampa Tiger Reserve is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Mizoram. It is an area of rich biodiversity and beautiful green cover of pristine forests. We have seen huge lands converted into oil palm fields and most of the areas we visited are in the buffer zone of the sanctuary. We wanted to bring focus through this film on the buffer zone along with the core area of the sanctuary which is facing serious threat due to oil palm plantation. We are also trying to show the increasing animosity between human and animal in the oil palm fields and most importantly the water scarcity problem in villages which has become very common in many parts of the state. This is high time to act on this before it gets too late.