Nestled in the lap of the mighty Himalayas is Uttarakhand, a landscape of snow-capped mountains and flowing waterfalls. Here, we have a unique opportunity to work with mountain community adaptation using high-altitude afforestation. Van Panchayats or community forest bodies present us with collectives helping us plant native Himalayan species and create linkages for non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Unlike traditional Gram Panchayats (Village Councils), Van Panchayats have exclusive rights over managing forest resources within their jurisdiction, allowing local communities to participate in decision-making and benefit from the economic value of their cover. We leverage this network to plant and create product linkages at scale.
Uttarakhand, India
Project Location: Uttarakhand, India
Methodology: Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR)
Standard: Verified Carbon Standard
Plantation Area: 4,000 HA
Current Plantation: 4 million trees
Mountain people who must urgently adapt to the changing climate need sustainable models for livelihood diversification and disaster resilience. By integrating carbon finance into these value chains, we have enabled communities to cultivate native species for ecosystem restoration and offer economic benefits to these collectives in the form of artisanal consumer product linkages.
More than 3,000 women form these collectives. From planting to working in the product processing units, they take leadership in all disciplines and aspects. The program has a mountain products portfolio, which is run and maintained solely by the amazing women of Kumaon. The collectives operate a brand called ‘Thed Pahari,’ which sells products like essential oils, cosmetics, food, and other products in urban markets using digital sales channels.
Uttarakhand faces difficulty due to changes in seasonal patterns that have thrown the region into a spiral of socio-economic stresses. The program works extensively with market linkages for mountain products, allowing for significant economic activity within these regions. Also, the thousands of local community members manage and implement project activities, resulting in direct monetary benefits through service payments for nursery management, planting, maintenance, and monitoring. Additionally, this program directly reverses rural migration by enabling localized economic activities while also affecting social security for the aging.
The program is a clear case of landscape adaptation. Reintroducing native species in a predominantly pine ecosystem is crucial for disaster resilience, reducing the frequency of landslides and flash floods. The project focuses on indigenous people, using their traditional knowledge for forest rebuilding and conservation while relying on modern technologies for forest product development. This leads to a harmonized co-existence between people and forests, a crucial element to climate action.
The Himalayas are home to a large number of endemic species. Forest cover loss and resulting landslides have led to the displacement of the precious wildlife in the region. The project has a landscape-based approach and will contribute to enabling the restoration of crucial wildlife habitats and corridors. Its conservation element, under the collective action plans adopted by the ‘Van Panchayats,’ will aid regeneration around the areas beyond the planted sites. And that will lead to a significant forest cover increase in the future.
‘The Banj Collective’ program enables community action through convergence. Convergence of public resources into the program is crucial for its success. The local government is heavily engaged and involved in promoting it, which leads to increased Van Panchayat participation. A very elaborate FPIC process leads us to have one-of-a-kind multi-tiered institutional mechanisms. That includes governments for local policy-level interventions, academia for indigenous knowledge management, civil society organizations for training and promoting forest supply chains, grower federations for organizing the planting and product collection drives, and, lastly, the participation of the local village councils. A partnership for one common goal–resurrect the Himalayas.
More than 3,000 women form these collectives. From planting to working in the product processing units, they take leadership in all disciplines and aspects. The program has a mountain products portfolio, which is run and maintained solely by the amazing women of Kumaon. The collectives operate a brand called ‘Thed Pahari,’ which sells products like essential oils, cosmetics, food, and other products in urban markets using digital sales channels.
Uttarakhand faces difficulty due to changes in seasonal patterns that have thrown the region into a spiral of socio-economic stresses. The program works extensively with market linkages for mountain products, allowing for significant economic activity within these regions. Also, the thousands of local community members manage and implement project activities, resulting in direct monetary benefits through service payments for nursery management, planting, maintenance, and monitoring. Additionally, this program directly reverses rural migration by enabling localized economic activities while also affecting social security for the aging.
The program is a clear case of landscape adaptation. Reintroducing native species in a predominantly pine ecosystem is crucial for disaster resilience, reducing the frequency of landslides and flash floods. The project focuses on indigenous people, using their traditional knowledge for forest rebuilding and conservation while relying on modern technologies for forest product development. This leads to a harmonized co-existence between people and forests, a crucial element to climate action.
The Himalayas are home to a large number of endemic species. Forest cover loss and resulting landslides have led to the displacement of the precious wildlife in the region. The project has a landscape-based approach and will contribute to enabling the restoration of crucial wildlife habitats and corridors. Its conservation element, under the collective action plans adopted by the ‘Van Panchayats,’ will aid regeneration around the areas beyond the planted sites. And that will lead to a significant forest cover increase in the future.
‘The Banj Collective’ program enables community action through convergence. Convergence of public resources into the program is crucial for its success. The local government is heavily engaged and involved in promoting it, which leads to increased Van Panchayat participation. A very elaborate FPIC process leads us to have one-of-a-kind multi-tiered institutional mechanisms. That includes governments for local policy-level interventions, academia for indigenous knowledge management, civil society organizations for training and promoting forest supply chains, grower federations for organizing the planting and product collection drives, and, lastly, the participation of the local village councils. A partnership for one common goal–resurrect the Himalayas.
Community Member and Farmer
Kumaon, Uttarakhand, India
