How Forest Guardians in Wayanad Are Using Water and Vigilance to Keep the Wild Alive

How Forest Guardians in Wayanad Are Using Water and Vigilance to Keep the Wild Alive

When the sun climbs over the Western Ghats, the forests of Wayanad turn from emerald havens into dry and dusty landscapes where every drop of water is precious. In Thariyode, deep within the Ladesmith Reserve Forest, the forest department has begun an intervention that merges care, strategy, and survival.  Here, amidst the heat, the shadows of towering trees, and the distant calls of hornbills and elephants, the work is both physical and patient…