The project comes under the 4th Operational Program which tries to address the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and land degradation and promote alternative measures of land use practices. Unnecessary burning of forest and free extraction of timber and fuels has decreased/stopped in many villages where this programme has been implemented. Resolutions like limitation of grazing field area for cattles, heavy penalty to those who trespass the forest area etc have been adopted in many villages for protection of the village forest.

The major component of this project was on capacity building. Capacity building of community and school children were done through workshops and awareness generation programs on the hazardous effects of land use practices like shifting cultivation. Pledges and pamphlets were prepared and distributed among the masses to spread the message of conservation. Similarly through churches the messages were conveyed to the people during Sunday masses. Shifting cultivation in the Northern side of Ukhrul is still at large. This area mainly, Kamjong Sub-division and Phungyar Sub-division have little or no wet-paddy field. Jhuming is the only way of cultivation. The lessons given to this area by this project has had little effect. In 5 (five) villages out of 18 villages where this programme had been implemented, only 35 cultivator families have started reusing their jhuming field by planting horticultural items.

This project is targeted to tribal people living in this region and implemented by the local people. The forest lands in this region is partly owned by private individuals and partly controlled by the village community. Jhuming remain the main cause of environmental degradation in this part of the country. Unless all section of development agencies particularly the government could demonstrate with systematic policy programme, the traditional type of cultivation will take a long time to stop or improve. However, the project has changed the mindset of a few sections of people to an extent, that they are now practicing horticultural farming in their jhum fields.

The component of co-financing was well reflected in the project. They had received grants amounting to USD 261 from Environment and Ecology Wing, Manipur for the NEAC programme. The agency also contributed an amount of USD 1120 to the programme.

After the successful implementation of the project, the community is keen to replicate the programme to other neighboring villages. The implementing agency has already taken the initiative to seek funds from other donor agencies for replicating the project to other areas. The agency was suggested for scaling up their project for the second phase of the GEF programme by developing a proposal and addressing livelihood sources so as to ascertain the component of sustainability.