Summary

Vegetation in the Himalayan region bordering Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, and Assam had been destroyed by flooding that has been taking place since the late 1970s. A successful attempt at forest restoration has been made by inhabitants of the area who, beginning in 2003, collaboratively organised farm-based livelihood activities with state government support. By 2013, this project was weaned off government support, leading to the formation of the Gethsemane joint forest management committee that promotes eco-tourism as well as the production of niche products such as honey and fish. The team provides inspiration and expertise to similar projects in such terrains.

India’s northeastern states frequently face severe floods that can be quite devastating for landscapes and livelihoods. Restoring these landscapes requires collective efforts that may take years, but can provide lasting benefits – collaborative, economic, and ecological.

The problem

In 1979, and again in 1989, the Himalayan region bordering Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, and Assam experienced unprecedented downpours, causing rivers to swell and discharging huge volumes of water into the plains along with silt, coarse sand, stones, and rocks. As a result, the vegetation of the region was nearly wiped out and the whole area transformed into a wide sheet of rocks for the next two decades. Additionally, villages were destroyed, and livelihoods lost, eventually leading to a large-scale migration of youth to Assam’s capital, Guwahati.

The solution

In 2003, 35 inhabitants of around six villages in the Bhairabkunda region got together to change the ground conditions by first creating a multi-purpose farm and then taking up afforestation of the area in phases. The next milestone was in 2007 with the formation of joint forest management committees (JFMCs) with the active support of the local Forest Range Officer. They had a micro-plan approved by the Government of Assam under the National Afforestation Programme, which kept them going for the next five years. Since 2013, the group has been experimenting with eco-tourism initiatives and the sale of agroforestry products such as honey and fish rearing. To date, more than 1.8 million trees have been planted on about 750 hectares.

Implementation

The overall sequence of events can be broken down into the following phases:

1. Genesis – Initial team formation to address livelihood needs (2003–2007): Self-organised collaborative action leads to the generation of multi-agro farm-based livelihood activities.
2. Growth : – Institutional support obtained (2007–2013): The initiative is noticed by forest officials who support the creation of JFMCs and provide project support through a micro-plan approved under the government’s National Afforestation Programme.
3. Post-project sustainability – Weaned off government support, working towards sustainability (2013–present): Government funding ends, leading to the dissolution of individual JFMCs . Members then come together to create the Gethsemane JFMC to continue with conservation and at the same time look for other avenues of livelihood generation such as eco-tourism, experimenting with the sale of niche forest products such as honey from the honeybee Apis cerana, and fish-rearing.
4. A role model – Acting as catalysts for change and as a role model for other groups: The team, with more than a decade of experience, now inspires as well as provides subject matter experts to other JFMCs that have come up in the Bhairabkunda region. Notable among them is the Dhansiri JFMC.

There have been many barriers along the way of this programme and the team had to innovate to find solutions. For instance, in order to address the problem of saplings dying prematurely due to a lack of groundwater, three channels from the nearby Dhansiri River were dug to make water flow through the forest, allowing the soil to remain moist and thus increasing the survival rate of the plants. These channels have now been further secured with embankments, so that the entire area of 750 hectares receives enough water, especially during the dry season.

In the search for newer livelihood options, the team is now experimenting with the local honeybee, Apis cerana. This bee, which is endemic to this region, is characterised by its small size and its habit of making its combs inside tree trunks. The honey produced is supposed to be more nutritious, and because of the absence of antibiotics, also manages to fetch a better price in the international market. The expertise to extract honey from these special hives has been sourced from traditional beekeepers.

Positive results

The immediate and long-term impacts of the programme are:

1. Transformation of a barren landscape into a lush forest.
2. Preservation of local flora and fauna and increased biodiversity.
3. Preservation of forest products for the local use of food and medicine.
4. Livelihood-generation for the community.