32
Sarus Cranes, 2026 census
In Gondia, down from 45 in 2020 — the reason the work continues
Navegaon–Nagzira landscape · since 2014
Protecting Gondia's tiger corridors and Sarus wetlands
SEWA — Sustaining Environment and Wildlife Assemblage — works across the forests, wetlands and villages where wildlife movement and community life meet.
Where we work
Gondia · Bhandara · Balaghat
Open the full corridor mapLoading the map…
01 / 06
Nagzira core
Nagzira & New Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuaries
8 field team, round the clock
- Daily patrols
- Camera trapping
- Anti-poaching
- Fire watch
Supported & recognised by
- IUCN
- WWF-India
- KfW Development Bank
- German Cooperation (GIZ)
- Maharashtra Forest Dept
- Satpuda Foundation
- VNCS
Zone 1 of 6
Nagzira core
Nagzira & New Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuaries
8
field team, round the clock
What we do here
- Daily patrols
- Camera trapping
- Anti-poaching
- Fire watch
Poaching, timber and bamboo extraction, forest fire
Our impact
People, Wildlife, Landscapes — In Balance
Long-term monitoring. On-ground action.
Measurable change.
2004
Sarus monitoring since
An unbroken annual census, 2004-05 to today
2011
Dispersal research since
Wildlife movement across NNTR, Kanha, Pench and Umred-Karhandla
6
Landscape projects delivered
With IUCN, KfW, WWF-India and the Maharashtra Forest Department
What we do
Eight thematic areas, run continuously rather than in campaigns
A team of eight monitors the corridors and the periphery of adjoining villages continuously — early morning through midnight — with threats and observations reported, collated and forwarded daily. Water bodies, villages and dense forest patches are covered on a fixed schedule, and the area around Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary is walked daily for carnivore movement, other wildlife crossings and human presence.
- Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation
- Ecological Restoration and Management
- Wildlife Habitats and Species Conservation
- Awareness and Sensitisation
- Sustainable Livelihood Initiatives
- Research and Study
- Advocacy and Policies
- Training & Workshops
Wildlife Habitats & Species Conservation
Long-run monitoring of tigers, Sarus Cranes, blackbuck and wolves, and the habitat each depends on.
How it runs
Ecological Restoration & Management
Restoring the water infrastructure that holds this landscape together, starting with its historical Malguzari tanks.
How it runs
Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation
A 24x7 response line for injured, displaced and conflict-affected animals across the Gondia landscape.
How it runsWhat it produced
Forty-five Sarus Cranes in 2020. Thirty-two in 2026.
Two decades of census work is what makes that sentence possible to write at all. The population recovered from a low of four birds in 2003-04, and it is falling again — which is the case for the work rather than an argument against it.
IUCN / KfW Development Bank
Integrated habitat conservation & eco-development in the Vidarbha tiger landscape
An integrated conservation and eco-development approach across forest-fringe and wildlife-sensitive villages, addressing habitat degradation, human-wildlife conflict, livelihood dependency and limited community access to government programmes together rather than separately.
- Baseline socio-economic and human-wildlife conflict mapping across sensitive buffer villages, identifying conflict hotspots and resource dependencies
- Village awareness programmes, workshops, youth activities and street plays on wildlife and coexistence
- Women-led Self-Help Groups formed and strengthened, with vocational skills and alternative livelihoods
- Local youth trained and mobilised as community Primary Response Teams for wildlife emergencies
Maharashtra Forest Department, WWF-India and conservation partners
Sarus Crane monitoring, wetland protection & community conservation
SEWA has worked on Sarus Crane conservation in the Gondia landscape since 2004-05. Gondia supports the southernmost breeding population of the species in India, which makes this landscape disproportionately important to its survival.
- Systematic annual population surveys across Gondia and adjoining landscapes with trained teams and community volunteers
- Active nesting sites, breeding pairs, chicks and nesting outcomes identified and monitored
- The Sarus Mitra network developed, enabling farmers and youth to protect nests directly
- Sarus Friendly Rice promoted, reducing harmful chemical inputs in breeding landscapes
Murdoli-Jambdhi landscape, Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve
Habitat restoration & water security in the NNTR landscape
Habitat and water conservation in critical wildlife habitats and corridors, improving water availability, restoring degraded micro-habitats and strengthening ecological connectivity. Water now holds later into the summer months, supporting wildlife movement across the landscape.
- Nala desilting and water flow improvement
- Small water-retention structures constructed and strengthened
- Check dams and earthen bunds
- Seasonal water bodies restored
Navegaon-Nagzira and adjoining Central Indian landscapes
Wildlife corridor monitoring & dispersal research
Long-term field research into wildlife movement, tiger dispersal, habitat connectivity and corridor functionality — combining scientific field data with local ecological knowledge to support landscape-level planning.
- Camera trapping and wildlife monitoring
- Tiger and large carnivore documentation
- Dispersal and movement studies
- Important wildlife corridors identified
WWF-India
Landscape Partnership Initiative: breeding populations of the Sarus Crane
The current programme, reported on in March 2026. It works the agricultural side of Sarus conservation — the farmers whose fields hold the nests — and pushes toward a certified Sarus Friendly Rice that pays them for it.
- Post-nesting monitoring completed across the breeding sites, tracking chick survival and breeding success
- Farmer meetings run across all four project clusters, with nests now reported by farmers themselves
- Hazardous pesticides in use across the landscape identified and documented, with safer alternatives and IPM promoted
- Block-wise meetings with the Agriculture Department; coordination with ATMA begun to form Farmer Producer Groups
Schools, youth, farmers and frontline stakeholders
Conservation education & capacity building
Education treated as a long-term conservation investment: building awareness and practical capacity among the people who live alongside wildlife, so conservation action continues beyond any individual project.
- School-based nature education
- Village conservation awareness programmes
- Youth engagement and leadership
- Farmer awareness programmes
Why here
A reserve split in two, with villages in between
The Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve sits on the easternmost tip of Maharashtra in Gondia district, with prominent connectivity to Kanha National Park in the north and Umred-Karhandla in the south. Tiger migration from NNTR to Pench has been recorded repeatedly, which makes this landscape an active element of the meta-population in tiger ecology.
Unlike other tiger reserves, the NNTR core is split into two islands, separated by a large stretch of forest densely settled with villages. Managing the reserve over the long term therefore means working with the people inside it.
Gondia District, Maharashtra
Bhandara District, Maharashtra
Balaghat District, Madhya Pradesh
See the corridor map
If you want to join hands
There are three ways in, and none of them start with money
Most of SEWA's network began as students, farmers and neighbours who reported something they had seen. Whatever you can offer, the first step is the same conversation.
Volunteer or inform
Students, farmers and residents across Gondia and neighbouring districts already form SEWA's informer and volunteer network. Report a sighting, a nest, or a threat — or ask to walk with the field team.
Join the networkPartner institutionally
Corporate CSR under Schedule VII, research collaborations, and forest department or NGO alliances. Ready-to-submit briefs with itemised budgets and field-verified reporting.
See partnership briefsSupport the work
Camera traps, Sarus Mitra stipends and waterhole restoration are costed per unit. Tell us what you would like to back and we will tell you what it covers this season.
Talk to us