New Skills Benefit People, Park
Villagers living on the fringe of the Manas Tiger Reserve in northeastern India are learning new skills, boosting their income and changing their relationship with their lush but overtaxed ecosystem.
Traditionally, residents of this portion of the Himalayan foothills have used the forest to hunt and to harvest wood for energy and construction. They also set fires in grasslands to prepare them for livestock grazing and to make hunting easier. Unchecked, these activities could irreparably damage the ability of the reserve’s rich ecosystem to provide its many benefits for people and wildlife.
To help these communities reduce dependency on the forest, CEPF supported the Dolphin Foundation to develop sustainable livelihoods for villagers living on the park’s western edge. The Assam-based organization engaged government trainers to instruct representatives of community-based organizations in silk farming, apiculture, handloom weaving and marketing. These leaders then teach the techniques to villagers, help them access financial resources to establish businesses, and promote the alternative livelihood concept.
Interest has exceeded all expectations, with more than 200 residents in 12 indigenous villages now generating income from their chosen new vocations.
“We never thought that these types of livelihoods could put food on the table for our family,” says Lakshmi Bala Ray, a silk farmer from the village of Boulazar. The income she generates, as well as the promise of firewood to be obtained from recently planted community forests, decreases her family’s reliance on the forest.
Looking at the bigger picture, Sujit Bairagi, chairman of the Dolphin Foundation, notes that the villagers associate the project’s benefits with the existence of the park and are now stepping forward to advocate for its protection.