Ecosystem Restoration Programme

Land degradation and conversion have become, in recent times, one of the most severe threats to natural ecosystems. Anthropogenic causes are proving extremely potent in altering natural landscapes in a way that has not been witnessed before. The United Nations declared 2020-2030 as the ‘Decade on Ecosystem Restoration’, encouraging large-scale restoration of native lands. WCT’s Ecosystem Restoration programme includes projects focused on restoring degraded grasslands, scrub forests, and forested habitats to reinstate ecosystem services and revive native flora and fauna.

Our programme vision is to understand the current ecological status of ecologically degraded landscapes and bring back native biodiversity by ensuring protection, removal of invasives and restoration of native flora on the sites.

Project locations:

Nimaaj and Bithiya in Rajasthan, and Pawana catchment in Maharashtra

As part of the Ecosystem Restoration programme, WCT:

has identified three restoration project sites, of which two are in Rajasthan and one in Maharashtra.
conducts detailed baseline surveys for fauna, flora, water, and soil at the project sites to understand the baseline status of biodiversity and restoration challenges.
undertakes phase-wise restoration efforts in the project sites by systematically replacing invasive species with native ones.
sets-up nurseries with native flora, including trees, herbaceous plants and grasses.
carries out landscape vulnerability assessment – mainly landslide probability identification and physiographic vulnerability in Pawana catchment in the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra.
carries out a preliminary hydrological assessment survey in the Pawana catchment landscape.

Manual removal of the dense thickets of invasive plant Prosopis juliflora underway as part of WCT’s ecological restoration efforts (left). One of the sites after removal of Prosopis juliflora, revealing an open landscape with surviving native tree species (right). ©WCT

WCT has conducted baseline ecological surveys at Chhatrasagar, Rajasthan. A juvenile star tortoise (left) and male leopard (right) are two of the many species recorded during the surveys. ©Chetan Misher/WCT

WCT’s restoration approach:

Prioritise restoration sites based on ecological need and feasibility
Map land use, vegetation, soil, and hydrological features
Conduct baseline surveys for fauna, flora, water, and soil carbon
Analyse stakeholder dependence and aspirations
Set-up nursery of native plant species
Removal of invasives
Assisted natural regeneration
Monitor change in key indicators

Location

Nimaaj & Bithiya in Rajasthan, and Pawana catchment in Maharashtra

Vision

To understand the current ecological status of ecologically degraded landscapes and restore native biodiversity by initiating activities that will ensure protection, remove invasive species and restore the sites to a living, self-sustaining ecosystem.

Conservation Challenge

Land degradation and transformation pose significant threats to the persistence of healthy ecosystems. Land degradation has affected millions of hectares, and restoration is slow and requires meticulous, localised interventions.

Some of the major threats to ecosystems:

Land degradation & conversion
Alien plant invasion
Misguided restoration (afforestation drives on grasslands)
Classification of drylands as ‘wastelands’

Open Natural Ecosystems such as grasslands, woodland savanna, scrub forests or deserts are very often misunderstood as degraded forests and thus subjected to large scale plantation programmes in India. However, these arid and semi-arid ecosystems support highly specialised and endangered species such as the blackbuck, lesser florican, great Indian bustard and are under severe threat due to anthropogenic pressures.

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