Khasi Hills,
India

Supporting Khasi communities to regenerate their forest

0 ha

under restoration

0

trees growing

0

species regenerating

0

families benefiting

0

people trained

Play Video

The Khasi Hills in the Indian ecoregion of Meghalaya are known as the wettest place on earth, as well as for their unique biodiversity.

The villagers are Khasi tribes who have asked WeForest to help them restore their forests. Training, alternative sources of fuel and new farming techniques are key if we want to stop further forest degradation.

WeForest is also distributing fuel-efficient cookers to further improve forest and family health.

Why and how we’re working here

The state of Meghalaya, northeast India, is a global biodiversity hotspot and one of the wettest places on earth. Mining, forest fires, fuelwood consumption and agriculture has degraded much of the cloud forest in Meghalaya’s Khasi Hills.

The Khasi people are traditionally a forest-dependent community, using the native cloud forest for shelter, firewood, medicine, food and spiritual traditions.

However, the area and the communities are now at risk as the forest is being cleared by charcoal production, stone quarrying and animal grazing.

Used assisted natural regeneration and enrichment planting, we are restoring 3150 ha of degraded land in the east and north Khasi Hills alongside 59 Khasi villages. Communities play a key role managing the nurseries, carrying out maintenance and protecting restored areas from grazing.

The project supports self-help groups and farmer’s clubs to develop forest-friendly livelihoods such as mushroom production and raising pigs. In this way, the project empowers Khasi communities to tackle poverty and unsustainable forest exploitation and to take ownership of restoring their landscapes.

Location

East and North Khasi Hills, Meghalaya state

Restoration approaches

Assisted Natural Regeneration; enrichment planting

Project partners

Ka Synjuk Ki Hima Arliang Wah Umiam Mawphlang Welfare Society

Species

Include A. nepalensis, C. indica, E. populnea, M. esculenta, P. kesiya, P. nepalensis, S. khasiana

Participants

59 villages in 12 Hima (municipalities)

The project’s impact on people

The local communities play a key role in the restoration: they manage the tree nurseries, perform the required thinning, weeding, establish the natural fire lines, and delimit the no-go zones to protect the forest from animal grazing and human interference.

Explore the interactive map

Who’s funding the Khasi Hills project?

Updates from the Khasi Hills project

Building Capacity on Forests and Water

A collaboration between FAO and WeForest...
1Year Old Pyrus pashia

Trees in the spotlight

Trees have many benefits: they harbor CO2, they create homes for wildlife, they produce oxygen and so on. That’s why...
IMG_20190423_132725

Restoring trees for biodiversity and herbal gardens

Restoring forests contributes to higher levels of biodiversity. After all, trees provide different soil nutrients, shadow for those smaller plants...

Saving India’s Forests

Restoring forests to preserve valuable cultural practices

I once witnessed an encounter between a spiritual leader from the coast of Tanzania and a spiritual leader from an...
India Training and planting

Involving the community in our Forest Landscape Restoration projects

When starting a new project totally from scratch, it might sometimes take up to a year before we start planting...
India woman planting Aiphiora Khongsit Peach

Transforming society from the (tree-) roots up

Where do you go to get your food? What about your medicines, aspirin, antiseptics and the like?...
Understanding Forest-Water Connections in India

Understanding Forest-Water Connections in India

As the world starts to take stock of more than just carbon in forests, WeForest builds on our forests and...
Tree seedling in Khasi Hills

Healthier soil for healthier forest

The top soil in the Khasi Hills is very shallow and lacking in nutrients. A natural way to condition and...
P1000877

Water capacity building in India

WeForest, in collaboration with FAO's Forest and Water Programme and the Federation, organised a Forest-Water Capacity Building workshop in Meghalaya, India....

Progress reports

Ready to start making an impact?

See which solution is right for you and get started today.