Photo credit: Harikesh PK from Getty Images.
Partner organisation: Nature People Network
Location: Chhattisgarh, India
The latest initiative by the Nature People Network seeks to restore Indian forests, along with savannahs, across 1,048 hectares of community-owned forest land in the Kota Block of Chhattisgarh, India. This ambitious project focuses on revitalizing degraded ecosystems overrun by invasive species and low-yield monoculture plantations, transforming them back into thriving, biodiverse landscapes.
A critical aspect of this project is its dual impact: ecological restoration and community empowerment. By reinstating these ecosystems, the project benefits biodiversity—including megafauna such as Asian elephants, tigers, leopards, and sloth bears, which rely on these forests as wildlife corridors—and supports the livelihoods of communities in seven villages.
Photo credit: Nature People Network.
Key goals of the initiative include:
- Rewilding and ecosystem restoration: Bringing back native species and creating resilient landscapes.
- Community empowerment: Strengthening local leadership and supporting sustainable livelihoods.
- Indigenous climate leadership: Elevating the role of indigenous knowledge in conservation efforts.
- Carbon sequestration: Contributing to global emissions reduction through restored forests.
- Biodiversity conservation: Protecting critical wildlife corridors and threatened species.
Global Challenge, Local Action
With deforestation, poaching, and land-use change driving climate change and biodiversity loss, this project aligns with global restoration and emissions-reduction goals. Locally, it combines rewilding, species-specific conservation, and regenerative agroforestry to create sustainable outcomes for both people and nature.
Photo credit: Narayankumar from Getty Images.
A Collaborative Effort
This initiative brings together grassroots organizations like the Nature People Network and the Vikassheel Foundation, alongside rural village councils (Gram Panchayats) from the seven involved villages. Together, they are forging a path toward a greener, more sustainable future while setting a precedent for community-led conservation efforts.
The Nature People Network, though a young organisation, shows great leadership in sustainable environmental practices, emphasizing collaboration with indigenous communities and grassroots organizations. Currently in the assessment phase to survey the land and the communities, they are holding educational events on climate change, biodiversity and water conservation.
The organization fosters awareness and action while connecting communities with resources to protect threatened and critical landscapes.
We are delighted to welcome them as a new Alliance Partner. Find out more on their: LinkedIn and Instagram.
Above and below photo credit: Nature People Network.
