Last December, I was in Durban, South Africa for the UN Climate change summit when for half a day, we went on a tour of the city, visiting a hill where a forest regenerating initiative has been taken by the local government. The hill, on the outskirts of the city, was cleared by local farmers decades ago for growing sugarcane. But now the government is encouraging them to give up sugarcane farming and instead, turn 'treepreneurs', meaning becoming partners in a community-owned, profit-making re-forestation project. It was a roaring success, I was told. And since then, I had been hunting for a similar 'project of hope' in my own country.
And now I have one, right in our North east, right in our Assam!
The
name's Bhairabkunda reserve forest, located along the Indo-Bhutan
border. Spread across six villages, a huge part of this forest - 5 sq
km to be exact - has been regenerated, thanks to a robust partnership
between local communities and the forest department.
Here is a glimpse into the project to help you get an idea:
