Stop deforestation and restore community lands

The following is a postcard from Neeharika Tummala, GlobalGiving's In-the-Field Representative in India and Bangladesh, about her recent visit to Krishi Avam Paristhitiki Vikas Sansthan (KRAPAVIS).

Of the 50 odd organizations I have visited, KRAPAVIS has a unique mandate of community development. They closely understand the relationship of people to the environment and how preserving one can benefit the other. Like millions of people in rural India, people are dependent on agriculture and raising cattle. But with lack of understanding and neglect, several grazing lands are being eroded and spoilt. As a result, birds don’t nest there, animals leave and biodiversity decreases. KRAPAVIS showed me that the damage is not permanent and with effort, grazing lands can be restored. I visited several such restored sites and my guides were two local KRAPAVIS ladies who have now become informal biodiversity experts! They showed me the nursery, where new plants are grown and then sold at nominal prices, taught me the names of certain plants and even showed me how to protect ants. No species is ignored! In one of the restored areas, I was told that tigers come at night to drink water, something that did not happen before and a great sign of conservation success. Conservation includes things like building bunds so that rainwater is conserved and available for community use.

The founder Aman would walk me through a site and would say ‘can you hear that?’ and I would say ‘what?’ and he said ‘the sound of birds chirping!’ I took these sounds for granted but realized what a disturbing world it would be if I woke up to hear silence instead of birds in the air.

The impact of restoring these grazing lands is that cattle have food and access to water which provides herders with increased access to milk and therefore income. One of the best examples of sustainable development that I have seen!   

During the reporting period, ‘Johad’, a traditional rainwater harvesting structure has been built in ‘Oran’ sacred forest of Binak village, located in Sariska Tiger Reserve of Rajasthan (India). Intervention in a Oran depends upon its topography and villagers’ consensus. Also the amount of rainfall has been an important deciding factor. KRAPAVIS, the project organization follows a holistic approach of conserving flora and fauna in Oran, making livelihood sustainable for pastoralist communities of Binak village. Oran protects watershed and is of utmost importance as vital source of water. 'Johad' in Oran in turn stop soil erosion, recharged groundwater, nurtured vegetation in orans, and provided grazing and resting places for wild and domesticated animals.