- Increasing awareness has been effected through the
diverse publications workshops and training programs and the Anamalai Nature Information Centre.
- A number of articles have appeared in the media: available on
the internet as well as in English and Tamil newspapers. The website of the Nature
Conservation Foundation describing the project and containing publications is also
regularly visited. The CD-ROM documentary about the project and related conservation
issues (Fixing Fragmented Forests, in English and Tamil) has been widely screened locally for managers, Forest Department, as well as being aired on the local cable television
channel.
- Studying the nature and magnitude of human dependence on fuel wood and biomass from existing rain forest fragments in order to assess the needs and ecological impacts of local people on rain forests and incorporate this in future conservation planning.
Ecological restoration of degraded habitats isnow regarded as an effective response to reduce and reverse the negative effects of forest loss, degradation, and fragmentation on native plant and animal species. Within India, as elsewhere, there has been little effort at restoration of forest ecosystems in contrast to widespread and often large programmes of ?afforestation? and tree planting.
partnership with plantation companies has led to the description of restoration protocols and plant survival under varying site conditions. These results will be useful in restoring rainforests using mixed native species plantings in other regions, especially
in south and south-east Asia, which we believe is a lasting contribution of global significance.
- capacity was build in between both within the implementing NGO as well as among local stakeholders. In the former case, this involved increase in trained field staff (currently, six trained field staff.
- The Project including five from tribal communities, are employed on the project almost full time, besides hundreds of man-days of daily-wage employment to other trained tribal people annually), expansion and consolidation of office and library infrastructure including a library of educational and reference material for the conservation education program, and the establishment of a full-fledged Anamalai Nature Information Centre near Valparai.
- The project built capacity among local stakeholders through workshops and training on rainforest conservation and restoration issues. Around 70 field staff and officers of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department from the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary have participated in locally-conducted workshops and field visits to nursery and restoration sites.
- The engagement of local companies through formal MoUs and constant interaction with managers built awareness and fostered participation in these programmes.
This has led to the establishment of two other rainforest plant nurseries (with staff that underwent instruction/training from this project?s staff): one with the Forest Department in Manamboli Range and another with Tata Coffee Ltd.
Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples
- significant participation by indigenous people. Currently, five of the full-time field staff (one woman and four men) are indigenous kadar from the region. In addition, a large number of tribal people worked for shorter durations or as daily wage workers during project implementation. Tribal workers, being knowledgeable of at least some of the dominant plant and animal species in the region, provided invaluable assistance in nursery and restoration activities.
- These people were more skilled than local estate workers; the latter, being largely from the plains and engaged in plantation activities, were adept at some activities such as planting and fencing of restoration sites. Due to the larger impact (compared to some of the tribal people) of the population of estate workers (and their families) and their relative historical separation from the native tropical rainforest ecosystem, they have been identified as the foremost target of conservation education and outreach activities.
secondly indirect linkage is through the ecosystem benefits derived from protection/conservation/restoration of rain forest fragments including: availability of a wider array of forest resources and the potential to regenerate/restore key plant resources, protection and recharge of watersheds and water sources, reduction in human-wildlife conflict because species such as Asian elephants have habitat spaces to use while moving through the landscape between protected forest areas, and other likely (although hitherto unquantified) benefits through pollination/pest control services of local biodiversity due to the proximity of rainforest fragments.
Planning gef grant
A medium-sized GEF project on restoration of tropical rainforests in such areas can address major GEF thematic goals including, obviously, biodiversity conservation, climate change (through carbon sequestration in restored rainforests), while
leading to poverty alleviation through livelihood generation for local communities, including tribal and marginalized peoples. We have expressed interest in this to queries from GEF officers; no further progress has been made as on date.
Linkages gef projects
The GEF SGP support played a crucial role in sustaining project activities and in leveraging additional financial resources and support from other agencies and local collaborating partners. The project results have been reported to GEF and we participated in a meeting with the UNDP and other GEF partners at New Delhi where the results and experiences were shared and feedback provided. We hope this has contributed positively. We have not had any links (through GEF SGP) with other grantees.
Gender Focus
The Project does not have any specific gender focus. However, there was the involvement of women and men in all
aspects of project planning, implementation, and evaluation at all levels including the32 uploaded on 11/15/2007 principal scientists, research and conservation staff, full-time field staff, and daily wage workers.
Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods
The Project involving tribal communities and linking
their livelihoods with such biodiversity conservation initiatives.
Firstly, tribal people gain direct employment in restoration and habitat protection activities carried out (by NGO, plantation, or Forest Department)?their knowledge of local biodiversity makes them particularly suitable for employment in these activities. Estate workers too can be gainfully employed in some activities such as planting and monitoring
Inovative Financial Mechanisms
The co-financing supported some components shared with the UNDP-GEF SGP grant (as
indicated in our original proposal); in addition, these grants enabled the initiation and
implementation of additional components. Supported components included field expenses
such as travel, purchase of consumables and basic field equipment, field station rental,
salaries, daily wages, and consultation for resource persons, reporting, printing,
publications and outputs, and the conduct of workshops. The strategy to raise funds was
direct through submission of detailed proposals to the funding agencies indicating work to
33 uploaded on 11/15/2007
be accomplished. This enabled securing multi-year funding (Ford Foundation?institutional
grant to NCF for work across five different projects across India, including the present project) as well as annual funding. We submitted detailed reports and copies of outputs (publications) to all agencies and upon their approval were able to receive multi-year funding as well as continuation funding.
Planning non gef grant
We have not had any links (through GEF SGP) with other grantees.
Notable Community Participation
We involved the participation of diverse local stakeholders (including tribal community, plantation companies, and Forest Department), it cannot be described as a community-driven project.
The contours of the project were formed keeping in mind the primary aim of biodiversity conservation. As explained under the section on lessons learned, many, though not all, local plantation companies are interested in engaging in 31 uploaded on 11/15/2007 conservation-related activities. As these are primarily businesses, it is important to provide business incentives/rationale to enable the adoption of rainforest conservation and restoration practices.
certification schemes for plantation produce from such estates, direct tax or customs duty benefits etc. Such incentives will enable the sustained adoption of conservation practices, leading to livelihood benefits for tribal and local people as outlined above.
Replication of project activities
Yes replication can be done in other communities and regions, especially in the tropical rainforest zone of southwest and northeastern India as well as other similar parts of tropical Asia.
- it needs creation of appropriate linkages between international donor and developmental agencies,governments.
- it needs the establishment of a transparent system of
business incentives that favour land-use practices aiding rainforest conservation and restoration while providing livelihood opportunities for local communities.
- A medium-sized GEF project on restoration of tropical rainforests in such areas can address major GEF thematic goals including, obviously, biodiversity conservation, climate change (through carbon sequestration in restored rainforests), while
leading to poverty alleviation through livelihood generation for local communities, including tribal and marginalized peoples. We have expressed interest in this to queries from GEF officers; no further progress has been made as on date.
Policy Influence
envisaged more in the nature of a pilot than an effort to change
government policy directly. However, we have tried to pro-actively propagate the findings and policy implications through publications, seminar presentations, and at meetings and workshops. The project results on the ground, publications, and some of the resulting media coverage has highlighted these policy implications.
One of the initiatives of this project was a workshop on Ecological Restoration of Threatened Ecosystems in Tamil Nadu: Planning and Implementation. Through a range of papers and discussions, the workshop highlighted land-use and forestry policy implications with the state of Tamil Nadu as a focus. Prepared abstracts, discussion minutes, and some suggested policy guidelines were submitted to the PCCF, Tamil Nadu.
Policy Impact
we have tried to pro-actively propagate the findings and policy implications through publications, seminar presentations, and at meetings and workshops. The project results on the ground, publications, and some of the resulting media coverage has highlighted these policy implications. One of the initiatives of this project was a workshop on Ecological Restoration of Threatened Ecosystems in Tamil Nadu: Planning and Implementation.
Project sustainability
worked towards enhancing sustainability of the project by leveraging additional support from co-financing grant agencies, by continuous interaction with local plantation company managements and the State Forest Department, and by developing local capacity (personnel and resources) to carry out rainforest restoration in the long-term. Although these will assist in continuing the activities in the short- to medium-term (next 2-3 years) beyond the UNDP GEF-SGP support, the project cannot under present conditions self sustain into the long-term. By this, we mean under the broader situation wherein few administrative or financial options exist to link plantation business practices in the threatened landscapes with local needs and national or international goals of conservation.
Project Results
- The restoration protocol developed is described in detail in peer-reviewed publications and reports that have emerged from the study (NCF & VCT 2006, Mudappa & Raman 2007, Raman et al. in press). In brief, it involves plot demarcation, followed by careful weed removal without disturbance to native plant regeneration (an activity that employs local tribal people), pitting, high diversity mixed-species planting including framework and mature forest species, followed by regular seedling survival monitoring, weeding and upkeep, and photographic documentation.
- The number of restoration sites in which planting of native rainforest tree and liana species was carried out increased from 9 sites in 3 fragments in 2004 to 21 sites in 6 fragments, currently covering an area of over 15 ha.
- An inventory of fragments on the Valparai landscape was produced with boundaries mapped of a majority. The full list of fragments, a map, and description of their conservation significance and priorities is provided in a publication that appeared recently (Mudappa & Raman 2007).
-Involved more areas and private landowners in restoring degraded rainforest fragments, in
tandem with rigorous scientific research and monitoring,
- Monitor restoration success, plant regeneration, and bird population recovery,
- Begin a programme to assess and monitor spider and terrestrial invertebrate populations, as these animals are good indicators of rainforest recovery and ecosystem health, and
- Studying the nature and magnitude of human dependence on fuel-wood and biomass from existing rainforest fragments in order to assess the needs and ecological impacts of local people on rainforests and incorporate this in future conservation planning.
5. To carry out conservation education programmes for the local community, particularly school children.