Applied
Environmental
Research
Foundation
Nature-based Solutions (NbS)
CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION & SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS THROUGH ECOSYSTEM CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION
AERF'S INTERVENTIONS & MILESTONES
9950+
Eco-chullahs distributed among forest-dependant communities
1st
project from Western Ghats registered with Gold Standard for carbon credits is AERF's Eco-chullah project
1st
Forest Carbon project from Northern Western Ghats implemented with ATE Group
5+
Sustainable Livelihood streams developed for forest and mangrove - dependant communities
PROGRAMME GOALS & ACTIVITIES
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Restore and protect natural habitats (terrestrial forests and mangroves) to strengthen ecosystem health and biodiversity while increasing their capacity to adapt to climate change.
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Increase carbon sequestration by protecting and restoring these ecosystems that naturally capture and store carbon.
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Support local communities through nature-based livelihoods (e.g., ecotourism, sustainable forestry or farming), improve access to clean water and air, and foster inclusive participation in environmental stewardship.
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Reduce vulnerability of these communities to climate-related hazards like floods, droughts etc. by using nature-based approaches.
Nature-based solutions (NbS) are strategies that protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural ecosystems to address societal challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and disaster risk. They leverage the power of nature to provide environmental, social, and economic benefits. They are grounded in the idea that healthy ecosystems are foundational to human well-being and sustainable development. Building on this idea, we implement strategies like restoring mangrove forests along coastlines which not only provides a natural barrier against storm surges and erosion but also supports fisheries, captures carbon, and protects biodiversity. Similarly, reforestation and afforestation projects in the Northern Western Ghats, Konkan improve air and water quality, sequester carbon dioxide, and create livelihoods for local communities.
#BLUE ECONOMY
Project Partner :
Apple Inc.
Project: Conserving the mangroves of Raigad district
Year: 2022 - present
Programme-specific Focus : Assessing the potential for implementing the first blue carbon project of Maharashtra in the mangroves of Raigad district
Milestones:
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Under our partnership with Apple Inc., we teamed up with Conservation International (CI) and Good Carbon, Germany to evaluate and assess the feasibility of setting up the first 'blue carbon' project in Maharashtra here.
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Their teams led by Dr. Jennifer Howard (VP Blue Carbon Programme at CI) and Dr. Nicola Rodewald (Director of NbS at Good Carbon) explored the mangroves and interacted with the communities to identify the possibility for setting up a blue carbon project.
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We together discussed methodologies for baseline data collection, definitions of degradation and essentials of Project Design Document (PDD) in the context of a blue carbon project.
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The team launched a study into the biomass accumulation and carbon sequestration dynamics of a mangrove ecosystem. Combining the vegetative carbon stock and soil carbon stock, the total ecosystem blue carbon stock of the selected mangrove ecosystem was estimated at 918.19 t C ha-1.
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Our team also assessed the species composition, density and carbon stock variability where Sonneratia apetala exhibited the highest biomass.
Project Partner :
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Project: Harnessing Forest Carbon for Climate and Community resilience
Year: 2023 - present
Programme-specific Focus : Implementing a forest carbon project in the Northern Western Ghats using conservation agreements approach and the ERS protocol.
Milestones:
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AERF, with the support of A.T.E. Industries and A.T.E.C.F., is implementing a forest-based carbon project in Vaibhavwadi and Rajapur blocks of Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts that are in the Northern Western Ghats. The project also will create carbon credits that will contribute to ATE Group’s NET Zero requirements.
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We started with a workshop on using NbS to reach net zero targets in India where all experts gave critical insights and created a common understanding between all key stakeholders.
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We have brought 1500 acres of private forests under Conservation Agreements which has secured the resource and we have also completed the stakeholder engagement process.
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Furthermore, we have finalised the carbon credits standard as ERS (Ecosystem Restoration Standard) after carefully study and have begun preparing the Project Design Document (PDD).
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We look forward to getting the carbon project certified by the end of year 2025, while we continuously work on enhancing the carbon sequestration capacity of these forests through eco-restoration and assisted natural regeneration (ANR).
#FOREST CARBON
#MANGROVE CONSERVATION
Project Partner :
Project: Saving mangroves for climate change mitigation and community livelihoods
Year: 2023 - 2024
Programme-specific Focus : Bringing mangroves under conservation agreements and implementing conservation initiatives on degraded mangroves of coastal Maharashtra
Milestones:
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LTIMindtree has partnered with AERF to reach their net-zero commitments through nature-based solutions (NBS). The chosen approach was the conservation of mangroves in the coastal areas of Maharashtra and subsequent carbon sequestration and livelihood enhancement of the local communities.
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We set up a new field station in Mandangad in the year 2022 to explore and conserve the mangroves along river Savitri.
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We successfully brought 424 acres of private mangroves under conservation agreements.
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We also partnered with 9 previously dormant BMCs in 21 villages to build their capacity and accelerate mangrove conservation on landscape level, finally impacting more than 2485 acres of community-owned mangroves.
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We have further appointed 10 'Kandalvan Shiledar' or Mangrove warriors' from the community who carry out conservation activities on the ground through regular training. This puts the onus directly on the community and they are further incentivised to contribute directly to the mission.
Project Partner :
Project: Cooking shall not kill forests distribution of eco-chullahs
Year: 2023 - 2024
Programme-specific Focus : Distribution of improved cookstoves to reduce carbon emissions in forest-dependant households
Milestones:
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This is the first project from the Northern Western Ghats registered with Gold Standard
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Improved cookstoves have been distributed in 165 villages in 8 blocks in Maharashtra - Mandangad, Dapoli, Lanja, Sangameshwar, Chiplun in Ratnagiri district; and Pen, Uran and Alibaug blocks in Raigad district.
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The 'CCT or Controlled Cooking Test' has revealed that the cookstove reduces fuelwood use by 51% and cooking time by 31%
REGISTERED
#ECO-CHULLAH
DISTRIBUTION
COUNTER:
8050
24150
Tonnes of carbon sequestered per year
40000+
Beneficiaries
The legacy of the BIOSTOVE project...
'Cooking should not kill forests'
...a simple thought where AERF's Biostove project began in the year 2013. After much R&D and working through many iterations and community testing, this project has now reached scale with committed partners like Credit Suisse, Daikin, Apple Inc. Another partner LTIMindtree helped us take it up a notch by registering further cookstoves under Gold Standard to generate carbon credits. We will continue our mission of making rural kitchens 'climate-smart', one Biostove at a time!
1898
Biostoves distributed
*Please note that these are not Gold Standard registered
Project Partners:
Apple Inc.
#MANGROVE RESTORATION
Project Partner :
Project: Saving mangroves for climate change mitigation and community livelihoods
Year: 2023 - 2024
Programme-specific Focus : Using Agroforestry to restore degraded Mangroves
Milestones:
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The troubled relationship between communities and mangroves needs to be repaired and one way is to give new lease of life to their farmlands which have become fallows due to salt water ingress
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We explored salt-tolerant species which can be planted for their NTFPs (non-timber forest produce) and generate income streams for the landowners.
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We this launched the first 'Mangrove Agroforestry' initiative by planted more than 4300 Karanj (Pongamia pinnata) and Coconut (Cocos nucifera) saplings which are salt-tolerant and are economically important for their oil seeds and fruits respectively.
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The plantation was done on 67 acres of mangroves and benefited almost 400 households from 6 villages in Mandangad block.
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This has significantly changed the perspective of the landowners and they now believe that their farmlands can still generate sustainable income for them.
Project Partner :
Project: Saving mangroves for climate change mitigation and community livelihoods
Year: 2023 - 2024
Programme-specific Focus : Link mangrove conservation to sustainable livelihoods
Milestones:
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Due to salt water ingress, active farmlands have become fallows and a cause of hopelessness and despair for the communities. It was important to look at the issue of mangrove ingress holistically to identify the livelihood opportunities lying therein.
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One of them was bee-keeping of the Tetragonal iridipennis species of bees which play a pivotal role in pollination of mangrove and terrestrial forests both. We distributed 9 bee boxes in 6 villages in Mandangad and held regular training for the newly minted 'Bee Champions'.
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Another initiative was the set-up of a community-run wet-waste treatment plant in village Odhangi where wet waste from almost 2000 households is collected and treated, thus arresting waste accumulation in the Vashi stream and surrounding mangroves.
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Furthermore, we also delved into eco-tourism in Mangroves by building a boat with a Bamboo superstructure to run Mangrove tours by the local community members who have been trained for the task. This boat 'Ambika' has already taken several guests into the mangrove forests and has enhanced their understanding of this critical ecosystem. This contributes to the broader goal of fostering harmony between the communities and mangroves.
#SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS
