Impact of Restoration of Common Lands Common lands are invaluable resources essential to sustaining our ecosystem and rural livelihoods. The village Common Lands contribute an estimated US$5 billion to the incomes of poor Indian households. Over the past fifty years, Commons has declined by 31 to 55% due to population growth, land fragmentation, development, and environmental degradation. The weakening of local institutions, changing societal structures, unclear land tenure, and insufficient policies have also worsened this decline. Our organization's communities witness the transformative effects of past restoration efforts driven by collective action. Restoring common lands within our project areas benefits communities through tree planting, natural regeneration, and community initiatives such as the formation of bylaws like rotational grazing, fire management, and soil moisture conservation works under the convergence of MGNREGA. We have promoted Ecological Restoration across 1,258 hectares of common lands and facilitated the planting of 690,000 trees, focusing on native species through community efforts and collaborating with different stakeholders. Communities are witnessing the following impact in the villages. Biodiversity Improvement The ecorestoration enhanced habitat connectivity, supporting existing vegetation and endangered wildlife. Employment Creation Local communities have found job opportunities through nurseries, plantations, and monitoring activities. Improved Skills and Knowledge Through targeted training, communities have enriched their knowledge and skills in seedling cultivation, safety, sustainable use of non-timber products, waste management, and forest protection. Livelihood Enhancement Promoting diverse livelihood activities, such as fruit and leaf collection and wood sourcing for agricultural implements, has improved income. Institutional Governance Mechanisms Formed monitoring committees actively engaged in vital maintenance activities such as fire prevention, overgrazing control, survival assessments, and weed clearing. These snapshots of our ecorestoration efforts highlight the significant impact we can achieve when we work together. Pallavi Gandhi Kavya D.Paavan Kumar Reddy G.Foundation For Ecological Security (FES) #Commonlands
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