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ATI is a non-government organization that works with mountain communities of Uttarakhand, offering them innovative alternatives to subsistence agriculture.

Its broad mission is to assist village communities in the Western Himalayan eco-region to conserve their natural resources while utilizing non timber forest products (NTFPs) in a socially equitable, economically efficient and ecologically sustainable manner. The organization operates under the premise that attaining economic and managerial control over their natural resources, will instinctively provide local communities the impetus to support long-term biodiversity conservation goals.

Founded in 1993, AT India commenced work in the Garhwal Himalayas, as an off-spring of AT International, a Washington based charity. Under a three-year grant from the Biodiversity Conservation Network, AT India took the lead in establishing, commercially viable oak tasar sericulture through village based enterprises. Since its inception 15 years ago, AT India has developed a range of novel livelihood activities enabling steady returns to beneficiaries who now number approximately 7926, generating benefits of around 20 million INR per annum. Thus, what started as a biodiversity conservation project in 1994, with the mandate to develop an enterprise based model for conservation, has evolved into a vibrant livelihoods diversification and skills development programme. Even so, it has remained true to its original ideal of biodiversity conservation. The forest-based enterprises developed under the programme exemplify AT Indias vision of economic security for local forest-dependent communities. Simultaneously the improved community perceptions of their natural resource base, along with the apparent health of the project area forests, demonstrate its fulfillment of the sustainable forest resources use ideal. Today AT India is acknowledged to be at the forefront of innovation in the development strategies, both in the context of livelihood development and conservation, in the Western Himalayas. Its strategy of raising value of existing resource base to enlist community participation in the conservation efforts, on this wide a scale, has perhaps been tested for the first time in India. AT Indias Goals

Expanding local capacity to harvest, process and market Non-Timber Forest Products - oak tasar silk, honey, bamboo and rajma.

Strengthening community-based conservation and development institutions like Van Panchayats, Mahila Mandal Dals, Self Help Groups.

Providing ecologically sound, productivity enhancing, cost-effective technologies, training and services for sustainable enterprise development.

Creating income and employment opportunities for thousands of mountain villages in Uttarakhand.

Conducting biological and socio-economic research and monitoring.

Providing financial and insurance services to meet community needs through microfinance.

Conserving biodiversity through action research, participatory monitoring. of natural resources and plantation programs.

New Entities

In a bid to decentralize its operations and make them self-sustainable, AT India, from its early years, organized its production activity into community owned enterprise. Currently, AT India works in alliance with two other entities that have evolved from its main programs, and have complementary but distinct roles: Devbhumi Natural Products Producers Company Limited (DNPCL) founded in 2007, has been designated to provide product development and production management services in the non-organized rural sector and establish linkages with main stream markets. It comprises of producers, who are the actual share-holders of the company. More on this For further details visit www.devbhumi.com Ushamath Mahila Mahasangh (UMM) founded in 2005, is a micro-finance institution in the cooperative sector apart from being the apex body of the 729 women SHGs functioning under the project. It works as a community owned, managed and controlled MFI, offering credit and micro-insurance services not just to its 7617 women members but thousands other in rural and semi-urban areas of Uttarakhand. For more details see www.ummcop.org AT India is left with the primary role of developing technical skills and local capacities for production of goods and services at the community level. Alongside, it also seeks to pursue program related research and conservation initiatives The presence of the above two enterprises is expected to play a significant role in ensuring the long-run viability of AT Indias projects even after its withdrawal.

Back to Top Little about AT Indias Plans for the future: Projects in the pipeline include expanding Business Development Services and Value Chain integration operations in 2 sub-sectors, dairy and bee-keeping along with assessing the potential of introducing two new sub-sectors- selected spices and citrus, for which Uttarakhand has both comparative and competitive advantages. The project will use a market driven strategy based on value chain analysis and development of business development services markets in the respective sub-sectors. This model has already been successfully employed by AT India in the dairy, beekeeping and sericulture sub-sectors. The proposed project planned over three years will create and facilitate income opportunities for 8000 client households in remote villages of the Himalayas. It is anticipated that 70% of the clients will be women. The Team The above range of activities requires a sufficient range of skills and expertise to execute them. In most of the livelihood sub-sectors that the programme is involved, AT India initiatives have invariably been the first of their kind in Uttarakhand. This means that the organization is today a repository of skills and expertise that are unique and not easily replaceable. Currently AT India has 76 persons on its permanent pay roll. About 95% of the staff comprises of home-bred Garhwalis, ascribing it a distinctly local identity notwithstanding its broad global vision. AT India is governed by a board of directors headed by Ms. Sharmila Ribeiro, President, AT India. Board representation includes well-known professionals from the development and commercial sectors, who have held, or are presently on top management assignments in their respective fields. Sharmila Rebeiro is Masters in Agricultural Economy from Rutgers University, USA and the founding member of Appropriate Technology India. She has 15 years experience in agricultural-based project management and AT. She has worked on global projects with Enterprise Works Worldwide, ICRISAT and the World Bank. Jack Croucher is a pioneer in livelihood promotion and enterprise based conservation and development in India. Jack has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in Common Property Resource Management. Currently interim Executive Director, AT India he is actively involved in fundraising and bringing about institutional sustainability. Vijaylakshmi Das is the Chief Executive of Friends of Womens World Banking, India. She is a specialist in micro-credit issues pertaining to women in development, credit planning for commercial banks, and monitoring and evaluation of livelihood programs. V.K. Govil is an eminent advocate for the NGO sector and is involved in the executive boards of many organizations including Population Services International, South South Solidarity, Plan International,

Voluntary Health Association of India, Netherlands Leprosy Relief Foundation. Lakshmi Venkatesan is the Vice President of Bhartiya Yuvak Shakti Trust (BYST), an organization that is implementing a successful mentorship model for small-scale entrepreneurs, that has been replicated in 6 states of India. Girish Bahuguna M A (English Literature), Joined BATA India as Management Trainee in 1965 and Retired as Executive Director (Manufacturing and wholesale) BATA India in 2001. Ashok Kumar represents the Wildlife Trust of India and is a leading environmentalist, specializing in legal activism in the national parks. Prabhu Ghate, an ex-IAS officer, has a doctorate degree in Economics from Princeton University, USA. He has worked with many international organizations including a long tenure at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in the Philippines. He is currently a consultant, specializing in rural enterprise development and micro-credit. S.K. Ranjhan is one of Indias leading animal nutritionists and has authored several of the basic textbooks on the subject. In his long career, he has worked with the Indian Veterinary Research Institute as well as the FAO, based in the Philippines. He is presently involved in programs with government, non-government and the private sector, contributing to livestock development in India. Sushil Ramola former? CEO Shri Ram Foundation-was President, SRF Overseas Ltd. He is currently President (CSR) and has an experience of 30 years. He completed his post graduation from the esteemed IIM Ahmedabad in 1981 and worked in the corporate sector for 28 years

Back to Top Management Staff Sharmila Ribeiro President sharmilaribeiro@dataone.in Jack Croucher j.croucher@comcast.net Kamal Nayan Badoni kamal@atindia.org Executive Director (interim), ATI Managing Director (acting), DNPCL MA Agricultural Economy

PhD Economics & Planning

M Com

Dr H.K. Bagwari harikrishna@atindia.org

Manager Field Operations Manager Sericulture (Pre-cocoon) Asst Manager Tasar (Post-cocoon) District Coordinator Production Manager Bee-keeping Asst. Technical Manager Bee-keeping Conservation Supervisor Manager Micro-finance Manager Eco-tourism Manager Finance & Administration Asst. Manager Finance & Administration Sales Officer Sericulture Sales Officer Honey

PhD Forestry

Yasvant Singh

Graduate

Dinesh Singh

Graduate

Kamala Bhandari

Intermediate

Narain Singh Thakur

M Sc Beekeeping & Entomology

Raghubeer Singh

Graduate

Shiv Singh Rawat

B Sc Botany

Ramesh Semwal

M Sc

Satya Rawat

Graduate

Sunil Dobhal sunil@atindia.org Radha Krishna Kukreti radhakrishna@atindia.org Sunil Pathaniya sales@atindia.org

B. Com, C.A.

B. Com, PGDCAM

Graduate

Pawan Sukla sales@atindia.org

Graduate

Appropriate Technology India works in five mountain districts, of the newly formed state, of Uttarakhand, located in the central and western Himalayas of India. Historically Uttarakhand has been divided into two administrative regions of Garhwal and Kumaon. Since its inception AT Indias operations have been focused in Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts of the Garhwal region (located between 29 31' and 31 26' N latitude and from 77 35' to 80 6' E longitude). Currently its presence can also be found in Uttarkashi and Tehri districts of Garhwal and Bageshwar district of Kumaon. No. of Districts: 5 No. of Valleys: 29 No. of Villages: 452

Physiographically the region is divided into the Shivalik and Duns, the lesser Himalayas, the greater Himalayas and the trans Himalayan zones. To the north of Garhwal is the international border with Tibet with passes ranging in heights between 16,500 ft and 18,800 ft., with peaks reaching 24,000 feet. The glaciers contained in this regions high mountain peaks together with the water shed provided by the forested mountain-scapes go on to form two of Indias major rivers, the Ganga and the Yamuna. Dev Bhumi, (Abode of the Gods) as this region is nicknamed, is abounding with legends on Hindu Gods and Goddesses many of whom are meant to reside permanently in the Garhwal region. The temples of Kedarnath, Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, regarded as some of Indias most holy places, attract millions of pilgrims each year.

Land Use Pattern

The project area is primarily composed of human settlements, agricultural land, forests, pastures and perennially snow-capped peaks. These areas are dominated by primary oak forests with agricultural and agro-forestry lands bordering the forests in the lower altitudes and high altitude pastures in the upper reaches. Land use of the project area indicates that approximately 14% of the available land-base is currently being used in cultivation. The total area under actual forest cover is 58.1% of which dense forests amounts to 44.3%. The per capita forest area is 0.5 ha. And the ratio of cultivated to forest land is 1:6. According to various studies in the past, the optimum ratio between cultivated and forest land in the mountains is 7-10 hectares of well-stocked forests for each hectare of cultivated land. Consequently, agriculture, an activity that engages about 70% of the states population, may possibly be ecologically unsustainable.

Socio-economic Context Population of Garhwal: 3.3 million BPL: 40% Major crops: paddy, wheat, maize, barley, (jhangora) millets, beans (rajma and other local varieties), potatoes and peas. Rain-fed, subsistence agriculture supplemented by livestock continues to be the main occupation of the people of this region. Farming on tiny land holdings (avg size?) distributed over rugged terrain with minimal irrigation contributes only a third of the required food-grains, as cultivated lands produce only one ton of grain/ha/yr. Thus dominance of peasant based subsistence agriculture is generally perceived in negative terms in its relation with poverty due to declining and low levels of productivity. The change from traditional self-reliant, closed systems is apparent with increased dependence on outside markets for fulfilling local requirements. Food security has become a major concern in the mountains in the current scenario, as village surveys conducted under the project confirm previous studies that on an average a family only produces 4-5 months of sustenance from their cultivated terraced fields

The change from traditional self-reliant, closed systems is apparent with increased dependence on outside markets for fulfilling local requirements. Food security has become a major concern in the mountains in the current scenario, as village surveys conducted under the project confirm previous studies that on an average a family only produces (3-4)4-5 months of sustenance from their cultivated terraced fields.

Contemporary literature on the ecological condition of the region, generally accepts that the decline in forest cover (in Uttarakhand) from the recorded 3.47 m/ha, to an actual of approximately 1.15 m/ha (dense cover), constituting approximately 33% of geographic area can be attributed to cultivation, to meet subsistence needs of a growing farming population. Consequently, agriculture, an activity that engages about 70% of the states population, may possibly be ecologically unsustainable as well as economically unviable.

The local communities are also dependent on a number of NTFPs for subsistence and to a lesser extent towards economic ends. These include ringal bamboo (Arudinaria falcata); small timber (Alnus nepelensis, Fraxinus micrantha); medicinal plants (Acontinum heterophyllum, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Jurinea macrocephala, Nordastachys grandiflora, Rheum emodi,Trichosanthes bracteata); and fiber yielding plants (Grewia optiva, Urtica parviflora). n addition (through AT Indias efforts) rearing of honey bees is also becoming a minor economic activity. However mounting extraction pressures coupled with shrinking resource base have placed an unsustainable demand on NTFPs. There is thus a growing need to understand and identify ways to manage NTFPs that ensure their conservation and simultaneously enhance rural livelihoods. AT India is attempting to do just that through its various programmes. Earlier strategies to alleviate poverty through a diversified economic structure have not yielded desired results possibly due to reasons of ecological fragility and to an extent the problems posed by inaccessibility. Thus the need to create productive employment for people, has been a recurrent issue identified and that is what AT India is striving to address. Community Structure: The caste structure in Garhwal is composed of three major groupings: Brahmins, Rajputs and the Doms/ Harijans or Scheduled Castes. SCs comprise roughly 18% and Scheduled Tribes (STs) only 1% of the population in the project area. Given the extent of poverty, economic well being does not correlate with caste status. Utilisation of resources continues to be subsistence based with all families relying on forests and pastures for fuelwood and fodder. While Brahmin vaidyas (herbalists) continue to produce herbal remedies in small quantities, Harijan basket makers continue to make mats and baskets from ringal- a local cane (dwarf bamboo). The output of these products is restricted more by market demand than by restrictions on access to the resource. Traditionally women have played a major role in the economy of the region and still continue to. Of the total cultivators in the project area, 95% are women and even in NTFP collection they play an active role in fodder collection, dairy and bee- keeping activities. Mahila Mangal Dals have thus played a significant forum for AT India to mobilize women and involve them in their various project activities. Other forms of local organization include the Gram Panchayat (village council) and Van Panchayat(forest council) and Yuvak Mangal Dals (youth groups) which are democratically elected community institutions. Van Panchayats have a long history of grassroots activism in the region, with the

internationally acclaimed Chipko Movement (1984) originating from this very region. They continue to be the key common property resource institutions at the local level, responsible for managing the use of community forests and adjoining pastures, for policing the use of these resources, and for enforcing rules and regulations. Back to Top

Biological Significance of the Region The global significance of the regions biodiversity has been highlighted in the Global 200, a biodiversity hot spots categorization undertaken jointly by the World Wide Fund for Nature and Conservation International in 1998. The western Himalayan temperate forests have been listed at 76, as the earths most biologically valuable eco-regions, and its status has been determined between critical and endangered. The Garhwal region is one of the most botanically diverse anthropogenic eco-systems of the Indian Himalayas. Though the area lies in sub-tropical latitudes, the dramatic variation in altitude (300m to 7500m) within the Garhwal has resulted in the existence of a number of unique biomes distributed over a variety of topographical and climatic zones. This situation has acted both as a bridge , facilitating influx of many taxa, and as a barrier, promoting endemism in some areas. The forests of the project area consist of species having Mediterranean, African- Deccanian, Malayan and the Sino-Japanese affinities. Some rare and endangered tree species worthy of conservation found in the project area includeAlbizia spp, Betula alnoides, Juglans regia. The fauna of the region also harbour unique animals like the Snow leopard (Panthera unice), Black bear (Ursus arctosisabellinus), Bharal deer (Pseudois nayaur), Musk deer (moschus moschiferous), Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), Monal pheasant (Lophophorous impejanus), Himalayan snow cock (Tetragallus himalayensis) and the Snow partridge (Lerwa lerwa). Appropriate Technology India works in five mountain districts, of the newly formed state, of Uttarakhand, located in the central and western Himalayas of India. Historically Uttarakhand has been divided into two administrative regions of Garhwal and Kumaon. Since its inception AT Indias operations have been focused in Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts of the Garhwal region (located between 29 31' and 31 26' N latitude and from 77 35' to 80 6' E longitude). Currently its presence can also be found in Uttarkashi and Tehri districts of Garhwal and Bageshwar district of Kumaon. No. of Districts: 5 No. of Valleys: 29 No. of Villages: 452

Click on Image to Enlarge

Physiographically the region is divided into the Shivalik and Duns, the lesser Himalayas, the greater Himalayas and the trans Himalayan zones. To the north of Garhwal is the international border with Tibet with passes ranging in heights between 16,500 ft and 18,800 ft., with peaks reaching 24,000 feet. The glaciers contained in this regions high mountain peaks together with the water shed provided by the forested mountain-scapes go on to form two of Indias major rivers, the Ganga and the Yamuna. Dev Bhumi, (Abode of the Gods) as this region is nicknamed, is abounding with legends on Hindu Gods and Goddesses many of whom are meant to reside permanently in the Garhwal region. The temples of Kedarnath, Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, regarded as some of Indias most holy places, attract millions of pilgrims each year.

Land Use Pattern The project area is primarily composed of human settlements, agricultural land, forests, pastures and perennially snow-capped peaks. These areas are dominated by primary oak forests with agricultural and agro-forestry lands bordering the forests in the lower altitudes and high altitude pastures in the upper reaches.

Land use of the project area indicates that approximately 14% of the available land-base is currently being used in cultivation. The total area under actual forest cover is 58.1% of which dense forests amounts to 44.3%. The per capita forest area is 0.5 ha. And the ratio of cultivated to forest land is 1:6. According to various studies in the past, the optimum ratio between cultivated and forest land in the mountains is 7-10 hectares of well-stocked forests for each hectare of cultivated land. Consequently, agriculture, an activity that engages about 70% of the states population, may possibly be ecologically unsustainable.

Socio-economic Context Population of Garhwal: 3.3 million BPL: 40% Major crops: paddy, wheat, maize, barley, (jhangora) millets, beans (rajma and other local varieties), potatoes and peas. Rain-fed, subsistence agriculture supplemented by livestock continues to be the main occupation of the people of this region. Farming on tiny land holdings (avg size?) distributed over rugged terrain with minimal irrigation contributes only a third of the required food-grains, as cultivated lands produce only one ton of grain/ha/yr. Thus dominance of peasant based subsistence agriculture is generally perceived in negative terms in its relation with poverty due to declining and low levels of productivity. The change from traditional self-reliant, closed systems is apparent with increased dependence on outside markets for fulfilling local requirements. Food security has become a major concern in the mountains in the current scenario, as village surveys conducted under the project confirm previous studies that on an average a family only produces 4-5 months of sustenance from their cultivated terraced fields

The change from traditional self-reliant, closed systems is apparent with increased dependence on outside markets for fulfilling local requirements. Food security has become a major concern in the mountains in the current scenario, as village surveys conducted under the project confirm previous

studies that on an average a family only produces (3-4)4-5 months of sustenance from their cultivated terraced fields. Contemporary literature on the ecological condition of the region, generally accepts that the decline in forest cover (in Uttarakhand) from the recorded 3.47 m/ha, to an actual of approximately 1.15 m/ha (dense cover), constituting approximately 33% of geographic area can be attributed to cultivation, to meet subsistence needs of a growing farming population. Consequently, agriculture, an activity that engages about 70% of the states population, may possibly be ecologically unsustainable as well as economically unviable.

The local communities are also dependent on a number of NTFPs for subsistence and to a lesser extent towards economic ends. These include ringal bamboo (Arudinaria falcata); small timber (Alnus nepelensis, Fraxinus micrantha); medicinal plants (Acontinum heterophyllum, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Jurinea macrocephala, Nordastachys grandiflora, Rheum emodi,Trichosanthes bracteata); and fiber yielding plants (Grewia optiva, Urtica parviflora). In addition (through AT Indias efforts) rearing of honey bees is also becoming a minor economic activity. However mounting extraction pressures coupled with shrinking resource base have placed an unsustainable demand on NTFPs. There is thus a growing need to understand and identify ways to manage NTFPs that ensure their conservation and simultaneously enhance rural livelihoods. AT India is attempting to do just that through its various programmes. Earlier strategies to alleviate poverty through a diversified economic structure have not yielded desired results possibly due to reasons of ecological fragility and to an extent the problems posed by inaccessibility. Thus the need to create productive employment for people, has been a recurrent issue identified and that is what AT India is striving to address. Community Structure: The caste structure in Garhwal is composed of three major groupings: Brahmins, Rajputs and the Doms/ Harijans or Scheduled Castes. SCs comprise roughly 18% and Scheduled Tribes (STs) only 1% of the population in the project area. Given the extent of poverty, economic well being does not correlate with caste status. Utilisation of resources continues to be subsistence based with all families relying on forests and pastures for fuelwood and fodder. While Brahmin vaidyas (herbalists) continue to produce herbal remedies in small quantities, Harijan basket makers continue to make mats and baskets from ringal- a local cane (dwarf bamboo). The output of these products is restricted more by market demand than by restrictions on access to the resource.

Traditionally women have played a major role in the economy of the region and still continue to. Of the total cultivators in the project area, 95% are women and even in NTFP collection they play an active role in fodder collection, dairy and bee- keeping activities. Mahila Mangal Dals have thus played a significant forum for AT India to mobilize women and involve them in their various project activities. Other forms of local organization include the Gram Panchayat (village council) and Van Panchayat(forest council) and Yuvak Mangal Dals (youth groups) which are democratically elected community institutions. Van Panchayats have a long history of grassroots activism in the region, with the internationally acclaimed Chipko Movement (1984) originating from this very region. They continue to be the key common property resource institutions at the local level, responsible for managing the use of community forests and adjoining pastures, for policing the use of these resources, and for enforcing rules and regulations. Back to Top

Biological Significance of the Region The global significance of the regions biodiversity has been highlighted in the Global 200, a biodiversity hot spots categorization undertaken jointly by the World Wide Fund for Nature and Conservation International in 1998. The western Himalayan temperate forests have been listed at 76, as the earths most biologically valuable eco-regions, and its status has been determined between critical and endangered. The Garhwal region is one of the most botanically diverse anthropogenic eco-systems of the Indian Himalayas. Though the area lies in sub-tropical latitudes, the dramatic variation in altitude (300m to 7500m) within the Garhwal has resulted in the existence of a number of unique biomes distributed over a variety of topographical and climatic zones. This situation has acted both as a bridge , facilitating influx of many taxa, and as a barrier, promoting endemism in some areas. The forests of the project area consist of species having Mediterranean, African- Deccanian, Malayan and the SinoJapanese affinities. Some rare and endangered tree species worthy of conservation found in the project area include- Albizia spp, Betula alnoides, Juglans regia. The fauna of the region also harbour unique animals like the Snow leopard (Panthera unice), Black bear (Ursus arctosisabellinus), Bharal deer (Pseudois nayaur), Musk deer (moschus moschiferous), Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), Monal pheasant (Lophophorous impejanus), Himalayan snow cock (Tetragallus himalayensis) and the Snow partridge (Lerwa lerwa). Parts of the upper reaches of the project area lie in the Kedarnath Musk Deer Wildlife Sanctuary,

formed in 1991, with stringent regulations on extraction of biomass, even though NTFP harvesting is permitted. The area thus includes some very dense and intact forest tracts with unique plant and faunal diversity The project area is particularly significant because: The area harbors vegetation of a wide range of climatic zones extending from sub-tropical to alpine, within a narrow spread of about 40 km High level of endemism of plant species to the region Occurrence of a number of threatened and endangered species and a wide range of species and habitat diversity Occurrence of unique ecosystems i.e. some of the largest and most intact oak forests in the country Anthropogenic eco-system in which the humans and their animals are inseparable from their surrounding natural resources Historically strong control over natural resources (through Van Panchayats and Mahila Mangal Dals) in most parts of the project area (Chipko movement originated in this the Garhwal region) makes it easier to enlist people's participation in community resource management for biodiversity conservation and economic development. Even beyond its biological richness, the Western Himalayan Eco-region (WHE) is vital to India as a provider of ecosystem services. The productivity and sustenance of the populous (400 million) IndoGangetic Plain is largely dependent for regulated supply of soil fertility and water on the ecosystem services of the Central and Western Himalayas, from which emerge the mighty Ganga and Yamuna. In addition, alpine meadows of the WHE may prove to be critical for the woody species of lower altitudes that would be forced to migrate upwards in the event of global warming.

Livelihood Acvtivities

450 far-flung villages bounded by the mighty Himalayas, typify the poverty and hardship that characterizes most mountain villages of India. But a closer look reveals a heartening phenomenon. These remote villages have been integrated into a unique community owned enterprise, creating alternatives to a subsistence economy, where there were none. The result being- villagers producing premium finished products like tasar silk and organic honey for distant high-end markets; them

hosting urban tourists in their quaint village homes; highland villages fully commercializing dairy operations. All this in tandem with protecting their biodiversity. AT India initiated its livelihood diversification programme 14 years ago in 1994. It commenced operations in the sericulture and bee-keeping sub-sectors by adding economic value to the available oak leaves, diverse nectar and pollen rich herbs and shrubs, in the project area. Currently, AT India has 5 livelihood sub-sectors under its ambit (viz. sericulture; bee-keeping; dairy development, ecotourism, and dwarf bamboo) with roughly 7926 beneficiaries. AT Indias approach to livelihood development is not merely to provide local communities with income generating opportunities but also to enable them to consistently increase their incomes. Each of AT Indias livelihood programmes was conceived with a conservation dimension to ensure synergy between their economic and ecological principles. By building the villagers economic stake in their surrounding forests and natural resources, AT India has revolutionized community perspectives on the use of these resources. Although, the project has not reached the stage where measurable impacts through reduced levels of extraction can be claimed yet the substantial regeneration work being undertaken with the help of the local communities is an indicator of their shift in perception. A far sighted approach towards natural resources is further evident through the large number of saplings being planted on private lands under AT Indias nurseries and plantation programme. Business Development Model To attain economic security under its various livelihoods activities, AT India adopted a Value Chain or Business Development Services approach. This strategy is being implemented in a number of economic sub sectors including the sericulture value chain of oak tasar and eri silk; beekeeping and honey processing, dairy development, dwarf bamboo, eco-tourism and other organic commodities. The BDS model involves the following:

Organization of the community into entrepreneurial groups, to capture and generate economies of scale; Training entrepreneurs to act as commercial technology transferors at the community level thereby providing incentive for input services to enhance the production and productivity; Creating provision for establishing stand alone output services for collection, distribution and marketing services; and Linking producer groups with financial services.

This strategy has multiple long term implications as AT India in the long-run wants to graduate from the organizational aspects of production, processing and distribution and focus only on upgrading technology and establishing market linkages. For the year 2007, AT India has worked with the following numbers of beneficiaries in the said sectors:

Sector Sericulture

Beneficiaries (No) 258 2 20 203 6 231

Service Providers (No) 5116 2062 3433 2800 -

Average Incomes Rs/annum

Beekeeping 2966 Dairy Ringal Total 3899 52 7175

Traversing through the panoramic grandeur of the mighty Himalayas, one is awe-struck by their rugged beauty. But looking beyond their apparent splendor, it is hard to ignore the receding glaciers, overgrazed grasslands, thinning forests and rivers and mounting forest fires. The ominous signs of global warming, the inescapable phenomenon of our times, are becoming starkly visible in this famed Dev Bhumi. It is for all these reasons that biodiversity conservation, aside from economic security, forms such a strong organizational imperative. Traditionally mountain societies had evolved systems of natural resource management based on centuries old, tried and tested principles of ecological sustainability. Extraction of natural resources was curtailed by traditionally imposed religious symbolism and traditional codes of conduct rather than enforcement of state laws. However with the declining influence of religion on social behaviour and the replacement of kinship values and informal institutions, this is no longer viable. At the same time, State based institutions like the Forest Department that have replaced traditional systems have exposed severe limitations in yielding the desired results. 90% of the available forest land in the project area is designated as `reserved forests', under the custody of the Forest Department. Even though the local community enjoys usufruct rights (over all NTFPs?), they had been reluctant to undertake any conservation related activity on these lands due to ownership issues. Mutual distrust have contributed to poor management mechanisms and over-extraction of forest resources in the absence of concern for regeneration. A participatory assessment of threats to biodiversity, undertaken by AT India indicated that these threats are the result of lack of alternative livelihoods, public awareness and incentives for

conservation apart from insufficient access to technology, information and skills among the stakeholder villagers. Consequently, scientific research and complementary conservation initiatives have been undertaken by AT India to address lack of accurate information and local apathy, which is a pre-requisite for arresting environmental degradation. Back to Top Monitoring AT Indias conservation and research programme has been conceived to complement AT Indias livelihood activities as also to arrest forest habitat deterioration. While employing accurate scientific technologies to protect the environment, encouraging local community participation has been an integral aspect of this initiative. Over the years AT Indias efforts have been directed at: Capacity building of local communities to assess the status of their existing biological resources and monitor its rate of depletion and regeneration under AT Indias Community based Biodiversity Conservation and Resource Planning Initiative (CBCRPI) Training local communities on sustainable harvesting techniques for extraction of biomass and NTFPs Conducting GIS mapping for the entire project area Strengthening common property resource local institutions such as the Van Panchayats and Dekhrekh Samitis and facilitating better relations between Forest Department and latent local institutions

Community Based Monitoring In 2006, AT India initiated a Community-based Biodiversity Conservation and Resource Planning Initiative (CBCRPI) to enhance community understanding and action to counter threats to the environment and facilitate greater collaboration between the Forest Department and local communities. The following issues are being addressed under this initiative: Assessing availability of biomass and eco-system services Managing community forests by devising fire protection and rotational grazing regulations Creating community based biodiversity monitoring and evaluation systems Developing methodologies and strategies to optimally utilize specific biomass and NTFPs

Creating biodiversity registers and recording ethno-botany and folk taxonomy Strengthening village-based common property resource institutions to enable communities to devise effective mechanisms to manage their natural assets This initiative is expected to institutionalize processes and systems for community leaders, school teachers, students, and forest department. The platform will be used for wider dissemination of project findings on the status and health of their environment and reaching a better understanding on management and protection of local resource base. Moreover it will enable the training of communities on monitoring changes in their natural resource base.

Process implementation: 1. Data collection is done through community groups and community leaders. So far data collection have been initiated in 26 valleys. 2. Community based biodiversity registers have been developed for 26 villages which comprise of comprehensive qualitative information about the flora and fauna occurring within the village boundary. These are kept in their respective village level biodiversity information centers. 3. Trained ATI staff then help the community members to analyze the data and draw up present and future scenarios for a given community on the basis of present needs, levels of extraction and economic implications for loss of cover. 4. Environment education programmes have been initiated in five schools. 5. Community action is mobilized wherein the community is facilitated into drawing up regeneration and management plans to meet its biomass needs. 6. Biodiversity Information Centers situated in villages have been created in 26 villages. In order to institutionalize these processes collaboration with Forest Department is critical. For this purpose an MOU with the Forest Training Academy, Haldwani has been signed. Under this agreement well-defined roles have been drawn out for the three stakeholders: research personnel, implementation agency and Forest Training Academy who are to train the trainers and support the integration of this initiative with mainline forest department work.

GIS Monitoring As discussed earlier, one of the objectives of the research initiative is to create a system that will monitor the impact of programme activities, both economic and training related. Under the monitoring component of AT Indias research initiative has generated the following GIS

resource maps for 9 catchments of Rudraprayag and Chamoli district: 1. Resource map for tasar 2. Resource map for dairy 3. Existing forest regeneration levels 4. Harvestable surplus available for tasar 5. Baseline land use/land cover map 6. Forest classification maps 7. Forest fragmentation map 8. Resource map for dairy 9. Forest fragmentation map In addition, AT India has initiated collation of data for creation of a village wise, spatial and nonspatial data base, for approximately 450 villages of the project area.

Nurseries & Plantation

Outreach Area Districts: 8 Valleys: 25 Villages: 883

AT Indias nurseries and plantation programme directly complements its livelihood activities. The idea being to create a viable raw material resource base to provide long-term support to AT Indias livelihood activities. Local community involvement is enlisted by making them active participants in the plantation process along with facilitating the adoption of multiple measures that enable natural regeneration. The main activities undertaken are as follows: Plantation to facilitate various livelihood activities- including oak tasar and eri sericulture, fodder for dairy, and ringal (dwarf bamboo) for handicrafts.

Planting of alternative fodder species (is of special significance to the conservation of forests) as they mitigate free grazing cattle and inappropriate lopping of valuable traditional fodder tree species like oak. Creating seed banks and encouraging development of nurseries for village based plantation activity. The plantation program is being implemented in partnership with Government Agencies, Van Panchayats, Gram Panchayats, SHGS and 22 other local NGOs and CBOs. AT India provides the technical know-how along with the logistical support to selected nursery growers to raise nurseries on select species. The plant species are identified on the basis of their ecological and economic viability for each of the livelihood sub-sector. A network of more than 23 agencies has successfully raised 551 nurseries, providing employment and income to 554 nursery growers, mostly women SHG members. From 1998 to date, ATI with the help of communities, has successfully planted approximately 39 lac saplings of trees on approximately 1798 ha of land belonging to Van Panchayats, community and private lands.

The following table depicts the species wise plantation carried out in 2007 Species Dendrocalamus strictus (Bamboo) Q serrata ( Manipuri Oak) Grevia oppsitifolia ( Fodder) Bahunia vareigata (Fodder) Saplings Planted (No) 168000 264751 17743 26803

Q. leucotricophora (Banjh Oak) Arundenaria falcate (Ringal) Litsea polyantha (Fodder) Prunus indica (Fodder) Total

64552 3644 7064 1095 5,53,652

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