Conservation and Livelihoods Programme
Humans have historically depended on tropical forests for a variety of plant and animal products.
However, recent demand for timber and the expansion of industrial and agricultural activities,
have increased the rate of tropical forest loss. Apart from the direct impact on biological
diversity, the impacts of forest loss and degradation on the livelihoods of communities that
live in these forests are equally high. At ATREE we believe that a detailed understanding of
the drivers that cause this forest loss will enable us to address and reduce the rate of
forest loss and degradation. There is also an urgent challenge of conserving biodiversity
while also addressing the needs of communities' dependence on biotic resources. The
conservation and livelihoods program at ATREE addresses these issues through a series of
multi-disciplinary action and research initiatives.
We seek to answer such questions as the institutional and ecological arrangements required to
balance the effects of natural resource use and conserve biological diversity; and situations
and conditions under which conservation can co-exist with rural livelihoods. Building on our
scientific research experiences, ATREE's approach is one of 'learning through doing'. Some
themes of enquiry are: agro-forestry and improved agricultural practice at the forest fringe,
the dynamics of changing conservation status, developing enterprise and market linkages,
and sustainability of social institutions
ATREE has been engaging with these issues in Biligiri
Rangana Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRT) where Soligas, the traditional
inhabitants of these forests, have harvested forest products, both
for their own use and for markets. ATREE began its research activities
here by asking such questions as whether the harvest of non-timber
forest products has any affect on the forest, and what can be done
to improve the economic returns from forest product use. Through
a participatory resource monitoring programme, Soliga harvesters
have been effectively monitoring and sustainably harvesting forest
resources. ATREE also helped establish a processing unit for value
addition, processing and sale of forest products. ATREE is deeply
involved with BRT and our work on livelihoods and biodiversity conservation
in this reserve is conducted in association with Vivekananda Girijana
Kalyana Kendra, The Soliga Abhivridhi Sangha and the Karnataka Forest
Department.
In the Male Mahadeshwara hills
of Karnataka, the programme has established a vibrant network of
women's self help groups. Using these groups ATREE is making a real
change in livelihoods using a strong conservation framework. One
example of this is the promotion of the use of an invasive weed
Lantana camara in the place of bamboo, a resource that is rapidly
declining. Through the Lantana Crafts Centre, Soligas have been
trained in the manufacture of Lantana furniture. The products are
now being sold in rural and urban markets.
ATREE collaborates with the Covenant Centre for Development in using
the idea of women's self help groups to address conservation issues.
The organizational structure of the SHG concept, combined with the
financial empowerment that it delivers to local households is a
useful avenue for the dissemination of such conservation actions
as monitoring resource harvest, adding value to forest products
and protection of degraded forest patches for future use. Such an
exercise is in progress in Kanakapura
in Karnataka and in Natham in Tamil Nadu where SHGs are involved
in the harvest of medicinal plants, marketing seedlings and afforesting
degraded areas. Recognizing that organizing local communities is
the first step to an effective conservation practice, our efforts
in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu centre around the formation
of seed collectives and home gardens among the communities that
live around the Kalakad Mundanthurai
Tiger Reserve.
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