Last August you decided to support a unique initiative in the Himalayan forests

1. Last August you decided to support a unique initiative in the Himalayan forests We want to thank you for your help and consideration and would like to update you on the status of the initiative which is much more than an effort towards greening of the hills

2. More than two thirds of total area in the state of Himachal Pradesh is categorised as forest land (i.e. land under the management of State Forest Department) Due to a history of commercialised approach to forestry, the users of the forests (local people) have largely been emotionally alienated from the forests they use everyday

3. The pressure on the forests has increased manifold due to increased population, changing governmental policy and commercial trade in forest produce As a result, traditional norms for utilisation of forest resources have broken down to the extent that the users of the forests compete with each other for the same scarce resources, at times driving them towards local extinction

4. In this scenario, the resources that the people need the most are the ones that are diminishing the fastest Commercialised medicinal and aromatic herbs, found in most high altitude areas of the state, are amongst the most threatened forest resources

5. 21 of the 44 commercially traded plant species in Himachal Pradesh are on the red list of the IUCN which comprises of species facing the threat of extinction These species are traded mostly in the root form and form a substantial part of family incomes in middle and higher Himalayan villages. Their depletion means loss of livelihoods and richness of biodiversity

6. Every summer, the people of Charda Panchayat in Chamba district cross over the mighty Pir Panjal range(middle Himalayas) to Lahul in order to bring back-loads of dried herbs. Accidents are frequent and two people even died during the journey in 2005. But people still make the trip – there is no other way for them to repay the local trader and money lender

7. Their own area – once as productive in herbs as Lahul – is now stripped of its erstwhile wealth. The once abundant herbs are now rare – a consequence of premature harvesting (before seed fall) and overexploitation

8. In 2006, Lok Vigyan Kendra (LVK), started work in the Charda Panchayat to help the local community find solutions to these very issues After the initial discussions regarding the initiative, only one village (out of the 11) agreed to collaborate with us on this initiative

9. The rest, never having known what an NGO is, took us to be forest departments agents on a mission to promote plantations (and increase the enclosed areas, which result in reduction of grazing areas for cattle and sheep). Most of the villages of the area are dominated by the tribal Gujjar and Gaddi communities

10. Kut Batoa is a village of 11 families with an oak forest that they use exclusively They decided to rehabilitate 1 hectare of this area with a specie of herbs (Valeriana wallichii) that was abundant there once

11. The LVK team worked with them to develop a consensus plan for making arrangement of planting stock, its planting and protection of the planted area

12. Fortunately, the rain gods favoured us and the herbs planted in July 2006 showed excellent survival rate The villagers of Kut Batoa were overjoyed – they had succeeded at the first hurdle. It was the first time they had planted herbs, normally known to be God’s gift (and thus not capable of being propagated through planting)

13. By the mid of 2007, it was apparent to the villagers of Charda Panchayat that : • We had not grabbed any land in Kut Batoa • There were no enclosures erected for the protection of planted herbs • The success of the pilot initiative in Kut Batoa promised a new opportunity for a turn around vis-à-vis the rehabilitation of herbal wealth in the area’s forests

14. By the monsoon of 2007 one more village, Mahua, had shown a strong desire to follow the Kut Batoa example. Also the people of Kut Batoa wanted to expand the planted area Short of funds, LVK gave a call for contributions to which many people – a number of them complete strangers – responded. We were able to achieve the targeted amount

15. Unfortunately, the monsoons - critical for the survival of planted herbs - arrived late here in 2007. By that time, most men from Mahua had left for Lahul in search of herbs Plantation activities could only be taken up in Kut Batoa where the planted area was expanded by another hectare. Village Mahua would have to wait for the spring of 2008

16. As before, the survival rate of the planted herbs has been excellent and three more villages are now keen to take up similar initiatives in their forest areas We hope to come up to their expectations.

17. As the planted herbs in Kut Batoa flourish, many more challenges lie ahead, viz. : • Facilitating community based mechanisms for • sustainable harvest of the herbs after 3 years of planting • ensuring that a percentage of the sale proceeds goes into further plantations of herbs to make the initiative self perpetuating • Ensuring that the Kut Batoa community and this effort in conservation is given legal recognition by the Forest Department under the current laws • Expandng this initiative to other villages to create a critical mass of villages taking up similar efforts for advocacy and marketing initiatives

18. Meanwhile, LVK is also supporting community based management of forest resources – primarily, fodder and fuelwood - in other areas of the state like Bhatiyat, Jadera-Kaila-Silla Gharat(all Chamba district) and Karsog (Mandi District) • LVK is also taking up concerted advocacy efforts for bringing about reforms in the functioning of the state forest department in support of forests being managed collectively by local villagers and government – a strategy imperative for the conservation and enhancement of natural wealth and local livelihoods in the state today

19. We thank each one of you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting this endeavour and also invite you to visit our initiatives at Charda and/or at other places Without your help this initiative would not have been where it is today – thank you