| Project Title:
Remnant and Restorable Ecosystem (Rare) Assessment: Developing a Blueprint for Conservation and Restoration of Himalayan Oak Forests |
Project Location:
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| Project Brief:
Himalayan oak forests are important ecosystems that provide vital resources to local mountain villages. These forests, in the mid-altitudes of the Western Himalayas, possess dense canopies, complex habitat structure and rich taxonomic and functional diversity. They are home to diverse floral and faunal species. However, recent increase in infrastructure development, warming temperatures, and overuse of forest resources have fragmented forests into small, isolated patches, causing local wildlife to disappear and affecting the natural growth of oak trees. Despite the recognised social-ecological importance of these forests, there is little coordinated conservation action towards restoration of oak forest fragments, principally due to the lack of rigorous data and awareness about ecological status and degradation. To address this critical gap, this project will systematically map discrete oak forest fragments and assess their ecological intactness, connectivity, and restorability across several districts of Uttarakhand. The project will integrate remote sensing datasets with intensive field-based vegetation sampling, alongside avifaunal surveys to evaluate the presence of forest-specialist birds and seed dispersal agents. Focus group discussions with local communities will investigate forest governance dynamics, traditional resource-use patterns, and community willingness to conserve these habitats. Synthesising these datasets, the project will develop a Remnant and Restorable Ecosystem (RARE) metric for each forest fragment. This will provide an evidence-based blueprint for policymakers, NGOs, and local communities to prioritise targeted conservation and ecosystem restoration. |
Project Objectives:
There is an absence of adequate spatially referenced data on degraded oak forest fragments, their potential for recovery and the drivers of degradation and fragmentation, which hinder effective conservation planning. Further, poor awareness of the critical issues affecting Himalayan oak forest, has led to negligence of this valuable biome by various stakeholders. Our earlier work (see publications and media reports) has found evidence of degradation and disappearance of oak forest, and rarity of endangered species. We now propose to carry out a wide-scale survey of Himalayan oak forest fragments across four districts of mid-altitudinal Kumaon, aimed at assessing suitability for restoration through quantifying tree diversity and composition, tree regeneration and forest specialist avifauna. Our key objectives therefore are:
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This flagship grant will primarily reach out to mid to large sized field work oriented organisations to create a two-way partnership for our common cause of conservation. This grant is directed towards the running costs of on-ground projects. The grant should enable the creation of a sustainable and replicable conservation model to address some of the key conservation issues in India.
This first of its kind initiative aims to secure and regenerate the overlooked and unaddressed habitats of the country that are in urgent need of conservation attention. These lesser-known habitats are home to an array of biodiversity, and serve as important connections between key wildlife landscapes and as havens for dispersal populations from the "celebrity" parks. Through the lesser-known habitats grant, we hope to secure and bring into the limelight these vital habitats.
In recent years, a great deal of attention has been given to the "glamour" species of the country such as tigers, leopards, elephants and rhinos. Unfortunately, several of our equally endangered species have not received the same level of conservation support. This unique grant aims to support conservationists working to secure a future for our lesser-known endangered species.
Across the country there are grassroots conservationists working dedicatedly, with little to no support, to protect our biodiversity. The work they do in their individual capacity has a huge positive impact on conservation in the country. This grant aims to recognize these conservation heroes and provide them a platform to expand their activities and garner further support for their work.
Successfully submitted applications and projects will be screened for eligibility, relevance of answers and authenticity of information. A team of experts, including sector specialists and external auditors, evaluate successful entries on the following parameters:
• Applicant Profile: Based on past performance and credentials, capacity to deliver, financial management, program management and other such criteria.
• Project Profile: Based on statement of need, clarity of objectives, measurability of impact, innovation, strategy and approaches, replicability, stakeholder participation, scalability and sustainability.
At the end of the First Level Screening and Shortlisting round 24 applications, 6 in each category, will move forward for Field Level Verification.
The Habitats Trust team will visit the proposed project locations to verify if details provided by the applicant are true to fact. Along with a Sub-Jury, The Habitats Trust team will shortlist twelve proposals, three in each category, move to the Jury Round. The work of all the applicants shortlisted for the Jury round will be published in The Habitats Trust Grants compendium, as a tribute to their efforts and achievements. Disseminated widely by HCL, this provides national and international visibility to the applicants.
The twelve shortlisted applicants, three in each category, will be invited to present their proposed projects in person to our Jury of eminent conservationists at the Jury Round. Recipients of The Habitats Trust Grants will be announced at a Felicitation Event the next day.