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EN
ES
FR
Réf.
43077
Type
conference item
Titre
Healing the Broken Spine: A Community-led Conservation Initiative in Garo Hills, Meghalaya, India
Langues
English
Auteurs
Ruffner, Jennifer / Barbery Smith, Ennis
Maison d'édition
ICOMOS United States
Date
2019
Pagination de section
1-18
Titre de conférence
2018 US/ICOMOS Symposium "Forward Together: A Culture-Nature Journey Towards More Effective Conservation in a Changing World"2018 US/ICOMOS Symposium - Forward Together: A Culture-Nature Journey Towards More Effective Conservation in a Changing World
Lieu de conférence
San Francisco, California
Date de conférence
November 13-14, 201813-14 November 2018
Mots-clés
natural heritage / community participation / local communities / legal protection / human rights / indigenous peoples / economic aspects / social aspects / conservation of historic sites / management / natural sites / cultural landscapes / sustainable development / community-based management / conservation of natural heritage / forests / villages
Pays mentionnés
India
Monuments et sites
Garo Hills, Meghalaya
Résumé en anglais
PART 1. ADOPTING A LANDSCAPE APPROACH - Stewardship of Biocultural Landscapes in the 21st Century: Forging Community-Based Approaches ///
Garo Hills, part of the Meghalaya elephant landscape in India, includes the Garo Hills Elephant Reserve and five elephant corridors, supporting about 800-1000 elephants. The Nokrek National Park along with a network of forest patches connecting to Balpakram National Park forms the backbone of biodiversity of the region and is designated as Garo Green Spine. In Garo Hills only 7-8% of the forested area is controlled by the Forest Department; the remaining area is owned by local communities under the jurisdiction of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC). Age-old agricultural practices like slash-and-burn cultivation (jhum) have fragmented the forests, affecting wildlife movement and increasing human-wildlife conflict, especially with elephants. Despite the dependence on such agricultural practices crucial for core sustenance, the Garo tribes take it upon themselves to stitch together this ‘spine’ through a community-led conservation initiative. This paper proposes to capture the spirit behind the unique initiative by these communities along with Wildlife Trust of India and World Land Trust, which work in partnership with the GHADC in protecting community lands as ‘Village Reserve Forests’. This remarkable way of conservation has resulted in protection of over 2800 hectares of forest patches and habitat restoration of another 200 hectares. This is an affirmation of indigenous rights, self-governmentand community empowerment creating a multi-level impact resulting in not just wildlife habitat protection but also a positive social impact on the communities with regards to their livelihood and lifestyle. Such conservation measures can be a big step towards sustainable environmental protection in the long term.
Garo Hills, part of the Meghalaya elephant landscape in India, includes the Garo Hills Elephant Reserve and five elephant corridors, supporting about 800-1000 elephants. The Nokrek National Park along with a network of forest patches connecting to Balpakram National Park forms the backbone of biodiversity of the region and is designated as Garo Green Spine. In Garo Hills only 7-8% of the forested area is controlled by the Forest Department; the remaining area is owned by local communities under the jurisdiction of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC). Age-old agricultural practices like slash-and-burn cultivation (jhum) have fragmented the forests, affecting wildlife movement and increasing human-wildlife conflict, especially with elephants. Despite the dependence on such agricultural practices crucial for core sustenance, the Garo tribes take it upon themselves to stitch together this ‘spine’ through a community-led conservation initiative. This paper proposes to capture the spirit behind the unique initiative by these communities along with Wildlife Trust of India and World Land Trust, which work in partnership with the GHADC in protecting community lands as ‘Village Reserve Forests’. This remarkable way of conservation has resulted in protection of over 2800 hectares of forest patches and habitat restoration of another 200 hectares. This is an affirmation of indigenous rights, self-governmentand community empowerment creating a multi-level impact resulting in not just wildlife habitat protection but also a positive social impact on the communities with regards to their livelihood and lifestyle. Such conservation measures can be a big step towards sustainable environmental protection in the long term.
URL
Document joint
Menon-et-al.-2019-US-ICOMOS-Proceedings.pdfLicence
Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (BY-NC-ND)
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