More than 70% of the northern Western Ghats landscape is open access without any legal protection. Especially in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts, forests are owned by local people and much of it lies in disrepair, subjected to logging for paltry sums of money as a result of the sole decision of the owner.  
Back in the year 2007, AERF's determination to save the threatened, privately owned forests of the northern Western Ghats gave rise to one of the most impactful incentive-based forest conservation strategy called the 'Conservation Agreement'. These agreements between forest owners and AERF legally secures the forest against logging over the long term (ranging from 5 to 15 years) in lieu of monetary compensation. The agreements enable us to carry out restoration activities, biodiversity studies, carbon surveys, as well as resource assessments in the forest in order to explore sustainable livelihood opportunities based on NTFP (Non-timber Forest Produce) - thus generating profits for the owner from standing forests! The Conservation Agreement ensures the land use as 'forest' for the period of the agreement and provides time to make the forest profitable without clear felling.
Working with communities to have real-time impact is one part of this approach, but engaging with the corporate sector and other stakeholders for long term support is equally important in order to mobilize this strategy.
The net impact is a perception change of the local community towards their forests and unequivocal protection to these open-access unprotected, biodiversity-rich forests!