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Over the past decade, it has become clear for the scientific community that the linkages between Community, Climate Change and Conservation are deeper than they appear to be. In most parts of rural landscapes, the communities too have begun to form a collective understanding about climate change and livelihoods. In Northern Western Ghats the communities are interacting with the impacts of Climate change through these indicators:
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Changing monsoon cycle for last few years |
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Delayed onset of monsoon |
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Flash floods and increasing cycles of droughts |
For the farmers, choice of crops and varieties are highly dependent on the Climate. Since the climate is changing, so is the cropping seasons and choices made by the farmers. Due to these changes, some areas are experiencing torrential rains and flash floods while other regions have been deserted by rains for a long time. This is a direct impact of climate change is becoming frequent and is closely experienced by the people. This is because such changes on local and regional levels certainly affect the livelihoods and food security. Therefore there is a need to develop mechanisms of adaptations among these communities who are at the frontline to experience the change in the climate. The first step is to create awareness among the community about climate change and the need of local level adaptations. AERF has been working with communities to generate such awareness about climate change by designing and testing new livelihood options in response to changing climatic conditions. AERF has been in a process of building resilience within the ecosystems as well as among local communities to prepare the landscapes for adaptation.
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Some of the projects within last five years are :
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The most important issue of the medicinal plants sector; is that of information, knowledge and overall awareness among local people. There is a need to facilitate the process of providing knowledge and technical know-how as well as market support to improve medicinal plants based livelihoods in the region. The proposed development of community based medicinal plants resource centres at block level is one such effort. The centres proposed will be providing one window service to local people engaged in and or interested in medicinal plants in a decentralized manner. These centres will provide information, knowledge, capacity and most importantly they will facilitate the process of market access and will try to link the communities involved in medicinal plants to market. The programme is being implemented in Rudraprayag and Chamoli Districts of Uttarakhand.
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| AERF has been engaged in working for biodiversity conservation in the Himalayan region especially Garhwal Himalayas. The main purpose of the project is to raise awareness among the communities to look at medicinal plants sector not in the exploitative manner but to use and develop the medicinal plant resources on a sustainable basis, both achieving conservation and livelihood support. Plant Life International, UK has supported this project through its Allachy Award for Medicinal Plants Conservation programme. |
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| Integrating conservation and livelihoods has proved to be viable strategy in ensuring sustainable development, poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation. Local livelihoods, land use and resource use are often at conflict with protected area management. The Applied Environment Research Foundation (AERF) believes that a balance between conservation objectives and local livelihoods should be attained. The Bhimashankar Sanctuary is placed in the Western Ghats and is recognized as an Important Bird Area. Since its demarcation as a wildlife sanctuary, forest resources traditionally used by tribal communities have largely been restricted to the forests surrounding the sanctuary resulting in an acute shortage of resources turning the sanctuary into an isolated patch of forest within a degrading landscape. This project aims to initiate a process for participatory community action for the restoration of forests on community lands and within existing agricultural systems surrounding the protected area using forest assessments participatory techniques. |
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| Conservation is about working with people. Conservation requires active participation of local people who often depend on biodiversity and natural resources for survival and livelihood. The lack of economic opportunities for forest dependant communities often tips the balance towards destructive practices or over-consumption.
The AERF embarks on using innovative models of community-based conservation to ensure conservation outcomes. In the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary - a protected area placed in the northern spur of the Western Ghats, the AERF will be first in India to test and implement the conservation agreement model. Through this model, AERF will provide incentives for local communities to conserve and manage their natural resources. |
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| Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary (NWS) lies in the Vidarbha region of central India encompassing an area of 150 sq km. The sanctuary is home for charismatic species like Tigers and Leopards. The sanctuary is surrounded by 40 villages which are mostly inhabited by Gond tribals. For long, the Gonds lived in peace with the wildlife until the waterholes in the sanctuary started drying up leaving little choice for the wild animals other than venturing out of the wild in search of water. At NWS there are more than 40 waterholes, half of which have gone dry due to mismanagement, erosion, changing climatic patterns and erratic rainfall. Most water holes are outside the boundaries of the PA (21 identified) thus forcing wildlife to venture out of the PA to seek water. Consequently, wildlife and people aggregate to few remaining water holes, intensifying conflict, poaching, species competition and increased predation.
Along with Kiran Purandare who is a well known wildlife activist from Maharashtra, a team of experts from Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF) an NGO involved in community based conservation for 14 years will be assessing the situation and reviving 6 waterholes within the PA with community support to resolve the water crisis both for people and wildlife.
For further information see http://www.ruffordsmallgrants.org/rsg/projects/kiran_purandare |
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The Ghat landscape we see today and the biodiversity it still supports is a result of hundreds of years of management by the local communities however the situation is drastically changing in the recent times. Traditional systems, indigenous knowledge and beliefs are being further pushed away from the collective memory. This is creating an adverse impact on natural resource and therefore driving communities further in deprivation and poverty. In the Western Ghats, the young generation is migrating towards cities and therefore agriculture labour is declining. High yielding varieties and the use of chemical fertilizers is making paddy cultivation more intensive. However, per capita income from agriculture is now lower than ever. Land use practices and cropping patterns are drastically changing in this region. The diversity of crop varieties and traditional knowledge linked to them is being lost. Since 2004, the need to revert back to traditional systems is becoming starkly apparent. The effects of climate change are now being experienced in this region. Rainfall patterns have changed- the onset of monsoon is late, causing draught during cropping period and heavy rains and flooding later on in the year are damaging the harvest. Farmers are losing greatly and cases of farmer suicides are on the rise.
Climate change and adaptations in Northern Western Ghats-a scoping study being carried out by AERF |
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In such a scenario, traditional farming systems and crop varieties suited to a range of climates present themselves as a viable solution.
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Given this situation in the north Western Ghats, the current project aims to research and develop solutions for local communities to adapt to the changing climate. Some of the strategies that have been incorporated into the programme are:
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Resilience and Vulnerability Assessment of current land use patterns and practices |
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Ethnobiology- documentation and study of traditional knowledge and practices and its relevance as a strategy for adaptation |
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Ecosystem services- a study of linkages between forests- climate- water –soil and agro-systems and the need for a revised land management system |
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Mainstreaming biodiversity- to promote biodiversity within existing land use as a solution towards adaptation |
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