Listening for the songs of the amphibians

Girish Janney is a pioneer in researching nocturnal frogs. His work has given life to a new wave of citizen scientists in Sharavathi Valley

“The male Kumbara night frog is the ideal partner that every woman looks for,” jokes Girish Janney, standing ankle-deep in the waters of a perennial stream, in one of the thickest and darkest stretches of the central Western Ghats —  Kattale Kaanu — near the famous Jog Falls.

“The female Kumbara night frog hops off, laying hundreds of eggs at suitable locations. It is the male that ‘looks after’ and protects the eggs from predators by ‘packing’ them with mud. Thus, it gets its name — Kumbara or potter,” says the 41-year-old researcher about the endemic frog species. 

Two decades ago, research on amphibians was all but absent. It was then that Girish started on his mission to document indigenous species of frogs under the guidance of S V Krishnamurthy, a scientist. “One could find a large number of scientists working on bigger mammals and avians. I wanted to take up research work on a species that indicates environmental health and highlights the ill effects of degradation of forests, streams and nature,” says Girish.

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Frogs are micro-habitat indicators and even slight changes in their surroundings will result in lifecycle alterations. For instance, a decrease in the population of frogs in a particular area means the flow of the stream has been altered or that the canopy cover has been tampered with.

Research

The Kumbara night frog (Nyctibatrachus kumbara) is among several amphibians that Girish, an environment science guest lecturer at Indira Gandhi Government First Grade College for Women, Sagar, has been studying for the last 20 years in and around the Western Ghats. 

Even though Janney graduated with a degree in Electronics, Mathematics and Computer Science, he found that his true calling was environmental science. He went on to complete his Master’s degree in this subject from Kuvempu University. For his PhD thesis, he opted for the Kumbara night frog.

Credit: DH Photo

His work has exposed the rich life of nocturnal frogs in the Malnad region. “As I started studying the habitat, population, and other aspects of the Kumbara night frog, we came to learn about various night frogs here,” he says. 

Girish’s research work has not only enriched the scientific world with grassroots-level data from one of 36 bio-hotspots in the world but has also helped documentary makers produce award-winning films. His biggest contribution, as a teacher, has been encouraging students and local communities to participate in research and become citizen scientists.

Batrachologist Gururaj K V says there are very few researchers in India who are conducting such extensive studies on frogs.

“Girish, over the years, has taken up the herculean task of ecological study of frogs. His research features the population of frogs in particular streams, factors that affect their life cycles, the impact of a decrease in canopy cover or water availability that would disturb the breeding habitat of these frogs,” he adds. Such research can be instrumental in preventing development work in sensitive areas in the region. 

Prashanth Nayaka, the director of ‘Kappe Raaga’, which won several national and international awards, credits Girish for introducing the Kumbara frog to him. 

“It was Girish who helped us understand the behaviour, habitat and life cycle of the frog. Sitting next to a small stream in the dense jungle, Girish braved leeches, torrential rain and venomous snakes to help complete the documentary. The tiny Kumbara frog is hard to identify as it can easily camouflage itself,” he says. 

The filmmakers made the documentary in Kannada as they intended to educate locals about the species. Apart from ‘Kappe Raaga’, Girish's inputs have also helped documentary makers of 'Wild Karnataka', 'Little Planet' and 'The Last Hope'. 

Science for the masses 

This is in line with Girish’s belief that no conservation efforts can be successful unless locals understand the importance. For him, children are the best influencers. This is why the researcher has been taking students to the heart of the forest to explain the connection between flora, fauna and humans through an initiative he co-founded — the Panchavati Research Academy for Nature (Prana).  

The group usually frequents sacred groves, community forest areas and with the help of the forest department, even protected areas. More than 1,000 students of schools and colleges have benefited from Prana. 

During field visits, Girish elaborates on the link between various organisms in the ecosystem. The classes are a hit among the students as they get live demonstrations on mushrooms, lichens, orchids, insects, birds, mammals and other organisms dwelling in the forest.

Credit: DH Photo

His initiative, ‘Aaduva Makkalige Kaadupaata’, has helped cultivate a new crop of citizen scientists in the Sharavathi valley. 

Another popular effort is the ‘Hakki Habba’, through which Girish and his friends Pradeep Kallalli and Puneeth teach students about the different species of birds, their features and habitats through games and activities.

Bhuvanamitra S (28), a geospatial manager currently working with a private company in Bengaluru, is an ecology enthusiast inspired by Girish. “Just 300 m from my grandfather’s house in Kanive Bagilu in Hosanagar, a perennial stream flows. Though I knew a few frogs lived here, I had never gone to check on them. It was only when Girish sir came to our village for his research that I started following him. I learnt about the amazing world of the amphibian in my backyard. He sowed the seeds of curiosity in me (at 11 years old) and today wherever I see a water body, I look for frogs,” he says.

Another major part of his environmental outreach is with tribal communities. Ganapathi K T, a member of Hasala Haddi community in Kalamanji village says it was Girish’s efforts that helped them save the Arichatige plants (Memecylon umbellatum/talbotianum) in the area. These trees are used as brooms in paddy fields. 

Extensive extraction had resulted in a temporary extinction of these plants in a section of Siddapur taluk of Uttara Kannada district. “Girish spoke to us about the sustainable utilisation of forest products. We have realised now that we should not destroy our surroundings as that could affect our future,” he says. 

Forestry 

Girish also closely works with educational institutes to improve green cover on their campus. Over the last three years, his organisation has helped develop ‘Kyasadavi’ forests. A tweaked form of the Japanese model of Miyawaki forestry, under the Kyasadavi method, Girish and his students have planted 150 species of local forest plants at three sites in Sagar taluk. To strike a chord with locals, the forestry method is named after the Malabar Giant Squirrel, which the term Kyasadavi means. 

The researcher is still observing the survival rates of the mini-forest planted three years ago, among other parameters.

In the Miyawaki method, the focus is on tree species. In Kyasadevi, creepers are also considered, says Savinaya Malve, a botany lecturer who works with Girish.