Fig. 105: Potential for conservation, protection, and restoration

In the second phase, the focus of the program is on operationalizing the findings and benefits from the study. A collaborative implementation plan was developed in consultation with local communities to determine appropriate interventions for the pilot cluster at the field level in 2021. Challenges and potential solutions in implementation are discussed at the state level with the department of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development (DP&RD), the Forest department, and the Government of Madhya Pradesh.

To operationalize the action plans, the program entails the following on-ground activities in Sidhi –

y Restoration interventions: for improving land productivity, restoring soil health and water recharge through water conservation structures, soil and moisture conservation, and tree-based interventions such as wadi, trees on bunds or boundaries, etc. y Sustainable agriculture: for improving agricultural productivity following agri-biodiversity principles, planning for nutri-gardens, accounting for local food and nutrition security needs, and agro-ecological contexts y Value chains and market linkages: for developing value-chains for agri-horti-forestry products and incubating restoration businesses through an FPO to ensure the flow of financial benefits to local communities y Building local capacities and community institutions: like women-led Self-Help Groups, for active ownership of the project and post-project sustenance

The planning and implementation are being spearheaded by marginalized communities – women, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes, to ensure equitable access to benefits.

Monitoring – A framework with ecological, social, and economic indicators is being developed for monitoring the restoration interventions. The monitoring framework involves a citizen-science-based mobile application and various satellite imageries and ground data.

Use of Geospatial Technologies

y Identification of areas for exclusion, conservation, protection, and restoration: Base layers were developed on land use, land ownership, tree cover density, irrigation status, slope, and occurrence of bamboo and riverbanks to enable identification of restoration potential in the district. Areas that did not have the potential for tree-based restoration were excluded from the assessment, which included areas unsuitable for tree-based restoration, such as (rivers, lakes, ponds, reservoirs) and built-up areas. Dense forests with >70 % tree canopy density were classified under the protection category, and the Sanjay Dubri Tiger

Reserve and Son Ghariyal Sanctuary were classified for conservation (Figure 2).

Fig. 105: Potential for conservation, protection, and restoration

y Development of potential restoration interventions: Suitable restoration interventions were identified using criteria including the presence of rootstock and area under irrigation, and series of consultations