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Community Based Conservation Programme Aaranyak, with a view to secure community support in the conservation of biodiversity have evolved pilot initiatives to support diversified livelihood options to strengthen the local economy. Diversified livelihood generation assistance to the community has played some encouraging role to reduce the dependency of local community upon biodiversity resources and indirectly contributing towards their conservation. The strength of Aaranyak lies in integrating research and community-based activities into a coherent programme that generates knowledge and fosters innovation at local and regional level to achieve the true meaning of sustainable development in terms of biodiversity conservation. Linking Livelihoods in Conserving Ecosystems Ecosystem approach The ecosystem approach to conservation consists of integrated management of biological resources to sustain ecosystem processes, functions and services. The major ecosystems like the forest ecosystem, wetland ecosystem were covered under this approach. Livelihood Approach The livelihood approach consists of community support in the form of social and economic incentives to conserve and sustainable use of biological resources. Under this approach, diverse means of livelihood generating support were provided to the people living in and around the biodiversity rich areas. Aaranyak adopts a multi-dimensional, multi-stakeholder approach to link biodiversity conservation with poverty alleviation. The case studies of key sites of Aaranyak are summarized below. Linking wetland conservation and local livelihoods at Deepar Beel
Deepar Beel, a Ramsar wetland, is located at the south bank of
river Brahmaputra, about 18 km. South-west of Guwahati city which is renowned
for its rich aquatic biodiversity. The wetland has its r Conserving Hoolock Gibbon and enterprise generation Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) is the only species of ape found in India that depends on the high canopy for its survival. But the species have become endangered because of a number of ecological threats like habitat destruction; habitat fragmentation and alteration, hunting etc. The Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary (GWLS) harbors seven species of primates including Hoolock Gibbon. Keeping in view the importance of GWLS as a stronghold of Hoolock Gibbon, a programme entitled "Conservation of Hoolock Gibbon through Education, Awareness and Socio-economic development of the fringe area community in GWLS, Assam, India" was launched. As part of the programme, the fringe villagers of the Sanctuary were supported with diverse means of sustainable livelihood generating infrastructures. Bee-keeping Boxes, Handloom sets, biogas plants, Ducks and improvised Chullas were distributed to the beneficiaries to reduce their dependency on forest resources that helps keeping intact the wildlife habitats. Training on Apiculture and Mushroom Cultivation were also organized for the villagers.
Mitigating Human-Elephant Conflict - the livelihood approach
One of the current crucial conservation issues in Assam that
have its root at the large scale degradation of forest areas is the growing
animosity between human and wild elephants leading to intensified human
elephant conflict. Elephant requires large and diverse array of food and
space. Of late, the widespread de Creating opportunities for biodiversity based enterprise at Manas National Park
The Manas National Park (MNP) situated in the north bank of
the river Brahmaputra, was declared as a world heritage site in 1985 for its
outstanding biodiversity conservation value had severely suffered a
conservation crisis resulting from the decade Strengthening a local voice for biodiversity conservation at Sankarghola
Sankarghola, located in the south-east corner of Bongaigaon
district is an area of significant biodiversity value. Until the year 2000,
most of the communities of that village were engaged in log trade for s Capacity Building Capacity building is an integral part of effective production processes. In all its livelihood generation programmes, Aaranyak organized awareness generation and capacity building workshops to enhance the capacity of the primary stakeholders for the sustainability of the livelihood and conservation approaches.
Institutional Framework A proper institutional framework is a pre-requisite for the long-term success of any activity and organizational performance. Livelihood generating activities is also not an exception. Setting this as one of its objective, Aaranyak has given concerted thrust to create a proper institutional framework among the stakeholders involved in its conservation and livelihood approaches. Gender and Social Equity Integrating gender and social equity issues with natural resource management programmes has been one of priority agenda of Aaranyak while conducting livelihood generation for people living below the poverty line. The socially vulnerable women folk as well as the economically poorer section of people coupled with communities affected by human-wildlife conflict are selected beneficiaries in the livelihood generation programmes. This is an effective tool for income redistribution to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. Long Term Objectives
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ecognition as an
Important Bird Area (IBA) because of its richness in diversity of avifauna.
There are 14 revenue villages in the fringe areas of the wetland. A part of
villagers’ basic livelihood depends on wetland resources whereas a cross
section of people partially depends on the wetland. Aaranyak have adopted a
series of livelihood generation activities in the fringe villages to address
the issue of dependency on wetland resources. Aaranyak had developed 14 Self
Help Groups (SHGs) and supported them with diverse means of income earning
input activities such as piggery, goatery and weaving. Moreover, a community
tank for fishery was also developed. In this way, approximately 150 families
have been offered self supporting options in the area.
struction of forest areas, have compelled
the elephants to move out of their habitat niche in search of food and in
that process they inflict substantial damage in the cultivated areas. To
gather community support in the conflict mitigation measures, Aaranyak has
supported the farmers with alternative livelihood generating option. Aaranyak
have helped in the formation of self help groups and supported them with
diverse income generating inputs like weaving, generation of revolving fund
etc. It also tested whether plantation of high yielding, elephant repellent
crops like Patchouli (Pogostmon cablin) and Jatropha (Jatropha
curcas) could be a feasible solution to frequent elephant raids on
crop fields. In this way by instituting diversified livelihood generating
support, both technically and financially, the vulnerability towards the
extinction of the endangered Asian elephants envisages to be reduced.
s old ethnic conflict. While
working with the community, Aaranyak observed in them the lack of alternative
livelihoods, for which a part of the people in the fringe villages engage
themselves in illegal activities like wildlife poaching, felling of trees etc
to ensure 
hort
term gain. However, a well dedicated team of the Bongaigaon unit of Aaranyak
with a view to conserve the rich natural heritage at Sankarghola has been
working to sensitize the community to meet conservation and livelihood needs
in an eco friendly and sustained manner. Besides creating mass awareness for
nature conservation, Aaranyak have supported the community with income
generating activities from time to time. Aaranyak is building capacity of the
surrounding communities, whilst assisting them to renovate and reintroduce
traditional irrigation systems to re-strengthen livelihood and forest
management around the village.
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© Aaranyak 2001-2007, Email:info@aaranyak.org
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