Much of WWF's work in the Eastern Himalayas has involved engaging local communities in the stewardship of natural resources (such as freshwater, fuelwood, grazing land etc.), with the aim of finding a way for communities to directly benefit from its improved management. This method secures the sustainable management of the resource, improves livelihoods and ensures the survival of the species that rely on it.

CASE STUDY: THE TERAI ARC LANDSCAPE OF NEPAL

Biogas: In the Nepal region of the Terai Arc landscape of the Eastern Himalayas over 7,500 domestic biogas plants (which generate fuel from dung), have been installed with WWF's support; saving over 100,000 tonnes of fuelwood a year, diminishing carbon emissions, and providing communities with a safe, clean, reliable source of fuel.

Watch a short film about WWF's biogas project here >>


Community forests: Under WWF's guidance thousands of hactares of forest have been handed over to communities in Nepal as sustainably managed 'community forests'.
Providing communities with ownership generates a sense of responsibility for the forests and a reason to manage them sustainably. There are now over 200 Comunity Forest User Groups, benefiting over 30,000 households.

WWF's Living Himalayas Initiative plans to develop this approach across the Eastern Himalayas and across the different habitats of the region (including forests, wetlands and grasslands).

WWF is working to restore and reconnect the natural habitats of the Eastern Himalayas. Focussing not only on biodiversity conservation, but also the natural freshwater infrastructure of the Eastern Himalayas, and the sustainable use of its natural resources.

The objective is to create a conservation complex totaling 7 million ha across the top of the world - stretching from central Nepal across Bhutan to Arunachal in NE India - connecting 1,500 km of conservation area.

This will be acheived by bringing 2 areas in Nepal (100,000 ha), 2 areas in Sikkim (250,000 ha), and a large 3.1 million ha area in Arunachal under conservation management. Adding 3.5 million ha to the existing total.

These large landscape level conservation measures will ensure the ecological integrity of the forest, grassland, and freshwater ecosystems. Sustaining natural resources for communities, and increasing the resilience of the ecosystem they are in.

At the same time as increasing local stweardship of natural resources WWF's Living Himalayas Initiative will provide educational support to community groups, integrating biodiversity values with natural resource management.

Through non-formal training, communities will learn to understand how to identify and measure biodiversity values, and will be trained to integrate these with management plans. This will provide community groups with the skills to promote and adopt sustainable grazing practices. Reducing grazing pressure, and improving forest cover and quality. Similar techniques will also be applied to grasslands and wetlands.