Forest Eco-restoration and Non-Timber Forest Produce

Forest Eco-restoration & NTFP

Forest Eco-restoration & Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP)

Facilitating participatory eco-restoration of Community Forest Resource (CFR) rights lands, conserving Western Ghats RET plant diversity, and strengthening community-managed non-timber forest produce value chains across Maharashtra.

Community forest restoration in Gadchiroli and Western Ghats

Community Forest Rights (CFR) and Non-Timber Forest Produce

Working in tribal landscapes across Gadchiroli, Melghat, and the Western Ghats, the project enabled Gram Sabhas to exercise statutory community forest rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Activities included assisted natural regeneration, eradicating invasive weeds, establishing decentralized native nurseries, and instituting sustainable extraction rules for commercial NTFPs (Mahua, Tendu, Charoli, Gum, Honey, and medicinal herbs).

2,000 ha

Forest regenerated & restored

~150

Native tree species planted

90

RET plant species in germplasm

27

Gram Sabha youth with diplomas

Western Ghats RET Plant Sanctuary at Shivaji University

At Shivaji University, Kolhapur, an ex situ conservation arboretum was established: 80 of the 102 targeted Rare, Endangered, and Threatened (RET) plant species of the Western Ghats were successfully propagated and established.

Over 5,905 saplings representing 37 threatened species were distributed to botanical gardens, schools, and community protected sacred groves (Devrais).

Western Ghats RET plant arboretum and native saplings

Implementing Partners (Phase 1): Shivaji University, Kolhapur (Lead Ex Situ Partner) • Lokparyay • Khoj (Melghat) • Janarth • Gadchiroli CFR Project Federation • BAIF Development Research Foundation

Community Forest Enterprise & NTFP Processing Centres

Phase 2 advances from restoration to sustainable tribal enterprise models, establishing village-level solar drying and cold-storage units for NTFP collection, certifying forest produce under fair-trade organic standards, and formulating formal CFR management plans approved by statutory District Level Committees.

Value Addition Units

Decentralized processing of Mahua flowers and organic forest honey to eliminate exploitative middleman cartels.

Sacred Grove Regeneration

Restoration of historical Devrais across Konkan and Western Ghats, re-introducing extirpated endemic flora.

Canopy Phenology Mapping

Seasonal documentation of flowering and fruiting cycles in the MGBP central database to assess climate stress.

Coordination & Scientific Oversight: Rajiv Gandhi Science & Technology Commission • IISER Pune Coordination Cell • Tribal Development Department & State Biodiversity Board