Rationale
Loss of forest cover, depletion of bio diversity, soil erosion, land degradation, and climate change due to development activities and urbanization processes

Groups involved
Government officials, local government officials, school children and local communities have been identified as the target groups and stakeholders of the project.

Objectives
Create awareness among the identified groups, reforest the forest areas that are getting destroyed, introduce perennial crops, cultivate plants to meet the food, timber and medicinal needs of the community, establishment of forest gardens in selected locations, planting of trees along some selected roads and in public institutions, skill development programme to equip small holders to apply environmentally friendly agricultural practices, reduce chemical fertilizer and pesticide usage, community forestry to achieve sustainable development,

Conduct capacity building worikshops in 10 districts and present completed project proposals for NSC consideration. The project was approved at the initial stages of OP I to build capacities of NGOs & CBOS who were not familiar with GEF thematic areas and criteria. The NGO undertook to conduct the workshops in 10 districts out of the 20 targetted. The participants were selected with the concurrence of the District Secretariat where the NGO work is coordinated. Each workshop was to have less than 20 NGOs participating for effective communication and disucssion.