GREEN Meghalaya: Balancing Conservation and Livelihood Through Innovative Ecosystem Incentives

 Keywords: Meghalaya, GREEN, Conservation, Livelihood, Forest, Ecosystem, PES

Date: 30th August 2023

Deforestation, a global environmental challenge, stands as a stark reminder of the delicate balance between human progress and the preservation of nature. The forest of Meghalaya faces the similar dilemma of whether to choose livelihood and compromise the green cover or go with conservation and lose on means of livelihood.

To strike a balance, the government of Meghalaya developed an interesting initiative called – GREEN (Grassroot level Response Towards Ecosystem Enhancement and Nurturing) Meghalaya. The GREEN Meghalaya provides financial rewards to communities and individuals under certain categories and conditions to incentivize the conservation of forest.

The project works on the principle of Payment for Ecosystem (PES). The "Ecosystem services" pertains to the varied advantages obtained from the natural environment. These encompass the provision of resources such as food, water, wood, timber and from the management of air quality, climate and flood control to fundamental functions like soil creation and nutrient circulation. “Payment” is the transaction made for the above services. In simple words, paying for the clean air and water and other resources which one gets from the environment.

In the state of Meghalaya, the 6^th schedule of the constitution guarantees ownership of land and forest to the local communities and individuals. Almost 96 percent of Meghalaya’s Forest is owned by the communities and individuals. This land ownership pattern of the forest allows for the model of Payment for Ecosystem that is translated into the GREEN Meghalaya.

The logic behind this project is that since the forest is owned by the communities, the payment should be given to members of the community for the environmental dividend one is availing from it. This offers the marginalized communities and villages an opportunity to support their livelihood, at the same time it makes possible conservation of the forest. 

The project was launched by the Government of Meghalaya with the support of World Bank in June, 2022 with an aim to incentivize forest protection and generate sustainable livelihood, since its launch it has already covered 27,000 hectares of land by 2023, the target is to cover 50,000 hectares of Meghalaya’s Forest cover. This would ensure creating a 160-200 tons of Carbon Dioxide (Co₂) sink, with a value of 100 million USD in the international carbon market. 

In order to receive the monetary incentive through this project, the community must conserve and maintain their respective forest land for the period of thirty years. The Meghalaya Basin Management Authority (MBMA), the nodal department for the project, directs the community to perform certain activities such as–––constructing bio fences, maintaining fire line, putting up information and sign board, engaging in plantation activity, maintenance of river stream and natural springs and other sustainable labour work which would help in the overall upkeep of the forest and environment.

The concept of PES is not new. One of the first examples was in Jamestown, Rhode Island, USA, where the farmers' biannual hay harvesting would disrupt the local grassland bird habitats. On the one hand, this eventually reduced the overall population of the species, and not allowing farming would result in loss of livelihood.

To tackle the issue, Rhode University economists with the help of crowdfunding, raised $9,800. This money would compensate farmers, allowing reduced yearly harvests and alternate hay sources. Which resulted in birds having undisturbed nesting time. Farmers benefited with simplified annual harvesting and contributors prioritized bird welfare over funds, hence striking a balance between livelihood and environment.

In India - Palampur, Himachal, a contract was signed between Village Forest Development Society (VFDS) and Palampur Municipal Corporation (PMC) in 2010 regarding the management and protection of water catchment area making it India’s first PES model. But GREEN Meghalaya is perhaps India’s biggest PES model in working, if not the first.

Embarking on any project presents inherent challenges. Compounded by rugged terrain of Meghalaya, dense forest, lack of proper land records and distant-isolated communities, implementation becomes even more difficult. In the context of the GREEN Meghalaya initiative, this complexity is addressed through the deployment of a dedicated team known as Green Field Associates (GFA). They are usually the educated youth of the locality and from within the community who are employed by the MBDA for implementing the project. 

These associates fulfill multifaceted roles such as the data collectors, community liaisons and diligent monitors of progress. Beyond bridging the gap between the MBDA and the community, they also assist in collecting invaluable data which is essential for the informed scientific management of the forest.

The GREEN Meghalaya project embodies a practical and positive strategy for preserving the environment without compromising the livelihood. It is guided by the principle–––– prevention is more effective than remedy. But for projects like GREEN Meghalaya, which is being implemented at the state level with a long-term vision, ensuring continued funding is a major challenge. Therefore, it becomes necessary to investigate alternative methods of Income Generation Activities (IGA) which are sustainable and would complement the conservation.

Meghalaya is bestowed with green landscapes and waterfalls, Upscaling income generation of the villagers through activities such as taking visitors for nature trail, flora and fauna trek, investing in organic mushroom cultivation, forming SHG to support existing poultry activities, investing in community nursery, using suitable water bodies for organic aquaculture, conducting educational recreation activities and building sustainable homestay would be vital. Implementing such activities should be of high impact and low volume, only then it can be sustainable.

Pradyut Das is a Research and Program Associate at Asian Confluence.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above and the information available are those of the author/s and can therefore in no way be taken to reflect the position of Asian Confluence