Jardhargaon is a village at a height of 1500 metres situated in the hilly district of Tehri Garhwal in the state of Uttarakhand in North India. Jardhargaon came under the influence of Chipko Movement through the active involvement of one of its residents, Vijay Jardhari. In 1980 a Van Suraksha Samiti or VSS (Forest Protection Committee) was set up by local people.
Fifteen years ago the hillside of Karsog Tehsil in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh was covered with pine mono cultures. The officials of the forest department preferred pine as it is not eaten by cattle, grows quickly after a fire, is hardy, requires minimum effort and had a good survival rate.
Khonoma is a village in Nagaland and home to the proud Angami tribe. The region was once rich in biodiversity and wildlife but had been stripped clear of most of its wildlife by 1993. However the trajectory of conservation efforts in Khonoma in the last decade has been awe inspiring.
A few months before the festival of Lord Jagannath in Majhiakhand village in Nayagarh District of Orissa, the village women get together to knead a mixture of ant hill clay, cow dung and cow urine into egg shaped balls and seeds of siali are preserved within them.
The heads of sixteen villages bordering the Pakke Tiger Reserve in East Kameng District in Arunachal Pradesh, have formed a committee called the Ghora Aabhe, to protect the reserve where hunting animals illegally has been a common practice. Tana Tapi, a Divisional Forest Officer has helped the villagers in the formation of the committee.
The Apatani tribe lives in the Apatani valley in the lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh. The Apatanis are well known for their traditional rice and fish cultivation, their rich agro-biodiversity and the associated traditional knowledge that supports this agro-ecosystem.
The Monpa tribals live in the Pangchen Valley of Arunachal Pradesh. Protection of forests and wildlife has traditionally been an integral part of the Monpa tribal culture. Recognising the value of local participation in conservation, the State government and the forest department have joined hands with WWF India in Arunachal Pradesh to give the co-operation a formal shape.
The Biligiri Rangaswamy (BR) Hills are in the Yelanur Taluka of Chamrajanagar District of Karnataka. In the midst of these hills lies the 540 square kilometre Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRT WLS). This area is also the traditional home of the indigenous Soliga people who have lived here for generations. Once declared a sanctuary, the resources of the area legally belong to the State. In the past, however the Forest Department has allowed the Soligas to collect NTFP. This scenario changed in 2006.
