BACKGROUND

In Sikkim, the Snow Leopards coexist with local communities, primarily livestock herders who rear yaks and sheep. To conserve these large carnivores, it is imperative to involve the herder communities who have long-standing relationships with the landscapes they inhabit. Their participation is crucial for ensuring the success of conservation efforts as they possess invaluable traditional knowledge and insights for coexisting with wildlife. In essence, the conservation of Snow Leopards in Sikkim necessitates a collaborative approach that integrates scientific research, community engagement and traditional ecological wisdom to safeguard both the species and the livelihoods of those who share its habitat.

PROBLEM
• Limited livelihood opportunities to high altitude farmers and livestock herders/pastoralists to augment their seasonal income and continue this declining traditional livelihood practice.
• Increasing negative human-wildlife interactions, exacerbated by the presence of feral dogs, which are threats to the wildlife species as well as to key community asset-livestock. This will have devastating impacts on community livelihoods in the high-altitude areas of Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve (KBR) as well as on high-altitude species like Snow Leopards. 

OUTCOMES/SHORT-TERM IMPACTS

• The potential for human-snow leopard conflict, minimised through the implementation of evidence-based interventions in KBR, Sikkim. 
• Livelihoods of high-altitude pastoralist communities/herders augmented through work opportunities based on natural/agricultural resources and traditional skills.
• A skilled cadre, comprising local community members, government representatives and youth, is trained and empowered to participate in Snow Leopard conservation efforts.

BACKGROUND

The Thirupudaimaruthur village panchayat lies on the banks of the Tamiraparani River and is known for its ecological and cultural significance. In 2005, to conserve its natural heritage, Thirupudaimaruthur Bird Conservation Reserve (TBCR) was established in the village. Meanwhile, Narambunathar Swamy Temple, the 1000-year-old Shaivite temple in the village, brings a significant number of pilgrims and visitors each year. However, the local community does not benefit from this recognition and is often overlooked for ecological, social and economic interventions. 

PROBLEM

At present, the village faces critical concerns regarding livelihood, solid and wastewater management, sanitation and hygiene, and river pollution, which also affects the ecological health of the village. Ecological health is influenced by how the community interacts with the environment, manages natural resources and addresses waste generation and management. By integrating these elements, we are proposing a community-based ecotourism model that will ensure the involvement of the local community in conservation and at the same time benefit them socially and economically. The project will bridge ecological health and community-driven economic growth, guaranteeing measures for environmental sustainability and community well-being.
 

OUTCOME

• Conducted six months of participatory research, which included in-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussions to assess the community’s relationship with biodiversity and the feasibility of community-based ecotourism.
● Mapped key water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)-related challenges impacting environmental and human health, and currently designing an integrated livelihood model for linking public health, ecological well-being and community-based ventures.
● Preparing a Detailed Project Report with implementation strategies and elaborate financial budgets for WASH and ecotourism verticals, ensuring alignment with community needs and the environment. 

BACKGROUND

Ladakh is home to several pastoralist communities, such as the nomadic and semi-nomadic Changpa tribes in eastern Ladakh (Rupsho, Kharnak, Korzok, Kargyam), Tibetan refugees, agropastoral communities in central and western Ladakh and the transhumant pastoralists, Bakarwals, who migrate to the high mountains from Jammu and Kashmir. Having lived in harmony with nature for generations, they have served as custodians of rangelands, sharing the land with wildlife. However, the Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh is undergoing rapid rangeland degradation owing to several socio-political and environmental factors, threatening the future of the wildlife and pastoralists to whom these rangelands are home.    

PROBLEM

Alongside large-scale climate-induced changes such as the melting of glaciers, extreme weather events and growing nutritional and water insecurities, pastoralist communities in Ladakh also experience economic and political marginalisation, wildlife-related losses and cultural erosion. As a result, many young people are now migrating out of pastoralism with some moving to urban areas for employment. While such trends have the potential to open up new opportunities for the youth, women and girls are largely alienated from such processes. Since rangelands are already undervalued and labelled as wastelands, in the absence of their custodians, these ecosystems remain under threat from unmitigated infrastructural expansion at the cost of their biodiversity and carbon values. All these challenges jeopardise pastoralist resilience as well as the health of the rangelands they depend on. Conservation in Trans-Himalaya, therefore, requires a consolidated approach that addresses complex polycrises while reinforcing strong interconnectedness between rangelands and pastoralists. 

OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

The GRAZIER initiative is dedicated to supporting vulnerable pastoralist communities in Ladakh, with a special focus on women and youth, to foster sustainable development guided by diverse local priorities. It uses an experimental and intersectional socio-ecological approach that moves away from dichotomies like nature-culture, science-society and research-praxis. By gathering and integrating diverse knowledge, fostering innovation and experimentation and supporting mechanisms to share the learnings and unlearnings, the project aspires to encourage dynamic and adaptive perspectives on pastoralism and its intersection with rangeland health and biodiversity.
 

This is a collaborative project between ATREE, Achi Association India (AAI), French National Institute of Sustainable Development (IRD) and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. ATREE has also recently signed an MoU with the University of Ladakh (UoL) to carry out joint academic research supporting this project.
 

PROJECT 

Equity Perspectives for Irrigation Care or Control (EPIC)? Creating knowledge and capacity for socially inclusive and ecologically sustainable irrigation water management by Sachin Tiwale and Kunal Pardeshi.

BACKGROUND
Public-funded centralised canal irrigation systems face many operational and maintenance challenges. They include excessive water losses and inequitable water distribution, especially in the tail part of the canal where the flow is inadequate. Additionally, government authorities experience challenges of land acquisition while constructing a canal network in the command area. To overcome these challenges and modernise irrigation systems, the pipe distribution network (PDN) technology is promoted when open canals are replaced with closed pipelines to improve water use efficiency and control water flows. Many states, such as Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, have adopted this technology. In these states, all new irrigation schemes are designed with PDN, and some of the existing schemes are in the process of converting partly or wholly from open canal infrastructure to a pipe network, wherever feasible.

PROBLEM
Since PDN is implemented at a large scale, it is essential to study how the irrigation schemes designed with this technology function on the ground and how PDN contributes towards its stated objectives of increasing water use efficiency and improving equity in water distribution. Moreover, it is crucial to know how farmers and irrigation field staff adapt to this new technology, its associated water distribution and use practices, and the impact of this technology on irrigation governance on a wider scale. Following a case study approach, this project aims to study one of the recently completed PDN projects – the Gurukunj Lift Irrigation Scheme, a part of the Upper Wardha Irrigation Project, located in the Amravati district of Maharashtra.   

OUTCOME

• A case study describing the functioning of the PDN technology and its impact on water distribution and irrigation governance.
• A set of recommendations to enhance the performance of the existing and upcoming irrigation projects implemented with PDN.

PROJECT
CONNECT: Conviviality Network for Nature, Environment and Communities Together by Asmita Sengupta, Saloni Bhatia, N.A. Aravind, M. Soubadra Devy, T. Ganesh, Sarala Khaling, Siddhartha Krishnan, Sunita Pradhan, Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan, K.S. SeshadriKannan

BACKGROUND
Human-wildlife interactions are diverse, complex and intricate, evoking a spectrum of emotions and attitudes in people, from reverence and acceptance to fear and anger. While both have historically shared spaces and resources, the nature of these interactions and their relationships continue to change significantly owing to a range of socio-cultural, political and economic factors. Human-wildlife interactions vary widely across cultures, contexts and time, often oscillating between outright intolerance, uneasy coexistence and perhaps even mutual dependence. Understanding these interactions more deeply and exploring ways for people and wild animals to coexist is a crucial challenge for sustainability. 

PROBLEM
Although there is a substantial body of work on human-wildlife interaction (largely around conflicts), the issue is often examined through disjoint disciplinary lenses, which leads to a fragmented understanding of the problem and partial solutions. Greater interdisciplinary collaboration, critical reflection and knowledge sharing are essential for assessing the implications of this research on human and animal lives, as well as the ecosystems we all share.

OBJECTIVES 
Research: Assess the current state of knowledge on the subject and generate innovative and cutting-edge insights from interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspectives.
Mentorship: Develop the next generation of critical and innovative thinkers and practitioners by building capacities to engage with, reflect on and critique the existing worldviews and practices using different lenses.
Outreach and Policy: Actively engage with a diverse range of actors to facilitate the widespread dissemination and adoption of knowledge, striving to influence policy.
Partnerships: Foster reciprocal learning by supporting/creating a network of academics and practitioners working on human-wildlife interactions, especially those based in the Global South.
 

OUTCOME 
Through collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches, the project seeks to challenge existing narratives around human-wildlife interactions and amplify underrepresented and under-recognised voices and perspectives. The goal is to gather, study, interpret and share knowledge around human-wildlife interactions in a way that recognises the agency of both humans and wildlife, viewing the two as co-creators of the environments we inhabit.

BACKGROUND

India faces a severe water crisis, further intensified by the impacts of climate change. This crisis poses significant threats to livelihoods, public health, ecosystems and the economy while escalating conflicts over water resources. A key issue contributing to this challenge is the inequitable distribution of water, where larger farmers often monopolise resources, leaving marginalised and landless individuals at a disadvantage.

Atpadi Tehsil in Maharashtra, located in a drought-prone region within a rain shadow area, is an example of these challenges. With limited rainfall and frequent droughts, the region faces persistent water access issues. Despite these hardships, Atpadi serves as the site of an innovative experiment in equitable water sharing, led by Shramik Mukti Dal Pani Sangharsh Chalwal (SMDPSC) and the Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management (SOPPECOM) in collaboration with local Water User Associations (WUAs). Their unique model integrates local water resources with imported water from the Tembhu Lift Irrigation Scheme to meet livelihood needs. Unlike traditional canal irrigation systems that allocate water based on cultivated land area, this model ensures equitable distribution on a per-person basis, guaranteeing even landless individuals receive their fair share for a sustainable livelihood.
 

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Achieving equity in water access and distribution requires detailed technical and scientific data that is often unavailable or difficult to access without expertise. Recent advancements in hydrology, agriculture and technologies like remote sensing, GIS and artificial intelligence provide new opportunities to generate the necessary data. This proposed action-oriented research aims to address these gaps by supporting SMDPSC, SOPPECOM and the local WUAs in establishing equitable water distribution in Atpadi Tehsil.  The project’s objective is to:
• Identify areas with inequitable water access.
• Analyse current water usage and land use practices.
• Assess local and imported water resource availability.
• Formulate an equitable water distribution plan
• Develop CDT-Water (Community-Driven Decision Support Tool for Water Equity) for equitable water management.
 
OUTCOME

The project will deliver an equitable water allocation plan ensuring fair access for all, including marginalised groups. It will enhance livelihoods in Atpadi and provide a scalable framework for other drought-prone regions. The findings and tools will guide policymakers and communities toward sustainable water management, promoting equity and reshaping governance practices.

ATREE, Royal Enclave, Sriramapura, Jakkur Post, Bangalore 560 064
Phone: +91-80-23635555 | www.atree.org | info@atree.org

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