Conservation and Livelihood Programme Community Conservation Centre (CCC) in Karandamalai Reserve Forest, Natham, Tamil Nadu
The 3 year project in Dindigul district of south‐central Tamil Nadu aims to enhance
Valayar community’s livelihood security via increased agricultural productivity,
sustainable harvesting of NTFPs, value addition and marketing. The specific activities to be undertaken with this grant are the following:
• Selection of villages & Primary and Secondary data collection, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Socio Economic Survey
• Establish a Lantana craft centre
• Community mobilization (Kalasm, gatherer groups, farmers groups and Lantana
artisans)
• Training farmers in organic farming and then later establish organic farmers’ association to secure organic/ non-chemical certification
• Ecological monitoring
• Develop market linkages with like minded partners for low cost exchange.
Activities undertaken
Preliminary planning at individual level (by each of the researchers) has been done and this has allowed the development of initial ideas regarding:
• Field site selection
• General objectives including documentation of specific data required
• Research methodology
• Broad strategies for dissemination
• Contacts with some potentially – interested policy makers
Proposed Activities
• Hosting annual biodiversity/sustainability confluences involving local
institutions in the planning and execution of these events
• Build Panchayat capacities to map local natural resources and develop
Biodiversity registers as required under the National Biodiversity Act.
• Strengthen capacities of Panchayat functionaries to leverage appropriate funds
from Government schemes for NRMand conservation
• Business and market support information to be provided for community‐based
enterprises.
• Strengthen local knowledge of policies and acts relevant to NRM