Overview
The project was implemented in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. The state is located in the North-Western Himalayan region of India and has 12 districts, which are categorized into four agro-climatic zones, i.e., i) Shiwalik hills, ii) Mid hills, iii) high hills and iv) cold dry zone. The Mid-Himalayan Watershed Development Project (MHWDP) was implemented in the Siwalik hills at an altitude of 600 to 1800 metres above mean sea level, and covers 11 watershed divisions in 10 districts. The project was spread over an area of 222,951 ha and covered the catchment for major rivers of Northern India - Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
The project has been developed through a series of consultations with MHWDP and its stakeholder constituents namely, Forest Department, Government of Himachal Pradesh, local Gram Panchayats (GPs) and the World Bank. The project sought to implement A/R Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) activities on 4,003.07 ha of degraded lands in the watersheds of Mid-Himalayan region.
The four guiding principles of the project were: (i) adoption of native and locally preferred tree species for reforestation, (ii) involvement of the local GPs and small and marginal farmers in reforestation activities that will strengthen the ongoing watershed interventions, (iii) facilitation of technical, financial and capacity development support from MHWDP to reforestation activities, and iv) distribution of carbon revenue to the village community (GP and farmers).
The project aimed to:
- Improve the productive potential of the degraded land or watershed catchment areas and enhance biomass production and carbon stocks in degraded lands, and
- Improve the livelihoods and incomes of rural households residing in the selected watersheds of MHWDP, using socially inclusive and institutionally and environmentally sustainable approaches.
Benefits
The project has brought value addition to the ongoing physical catchment/drainage treatment activities undertaken as part of the MHWDP. It sought to restore degraded lands through reforestation activities. The A/R Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project has contributed to sustainable development in the following ways:
- The project has restored highly vulnerable degraded lands - forestland (undermarketed forests), degraded community land and degraded and abandoned private lands in the Mid-Himalayan watersheds, which are subjected to severe soil erosion and unsustainable land use practices.
- The project has involved local communities, particularly small and marginal farmers in plantation activities on degraded common lands, degraded forestlands and private degraded lands through planting of multi-purpose species and implementing sustainable forest management practices.
- The project has generated employment through silvicultural activities such as nursery raising, site preparation, seedling transportation, planting, fencing and maintenance of plantations. About 343 person days/ha of employment is expected to be generated from the implementation of three models during the project period.
- The project activities have promoted biodiversity conservation, soil conservation and environmental protection through planting and protection of native tree species, reduction in soil erosion and prevention of downstream siltation of water bodies.
- The three proposed plantation forestry models of reforestation have provided multiple products to the local communities and livelihood activities.
- The carbon revenues accrued from the project has been transferred to gram panchayats and individual participating farmers through a pre-project agreement between project implementing agency and gram panchayats.
The MHWD project has included several activities that promote livestock development, fodder production, infrastructure development, institutional capacity enhancement, improvement of livelihoods and poverty alleviation.