A Global Environment Facility-backed project will launch community-led forest management across Uttarakhand, Nagaland, and Tripura, promoting biodiversity conservation, local participation, and sustainable resource governance.

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• The National Biodiversity Authority will implement a new Global Environment Facility-supported project across Uttarakhand, Nagaland, and Tripura to strengthen community-managed forest conservation.
• Around 5,000 hectares of community forests, sacred groves, and buffer zones will be identified, mapped, and managed through direct engagement with local stakeholders.
• More than 25,000 people are expected to participate in the initiative, with women accounting for at least 50 percent of total community involvement.
• State Biodiversity Boards and village councils will jointly design governance frameworks, ensuring communities actively contribute to planning and management decisions rather than serving only as consultees.
• The programme seeks to improve Access and Benefit Sharing mechanisms so that communities receive fair compensation when traditional knowledge contributes to commercial products.
• At least 40 percent of benefit-sharing funds generated under the initiative are intended to reach women or women-led groups, supporting inclusive economic participation.
• The project also aims to create a unified national biodiversity map by integrating data from multiple scientific institutions to support future conservation and development planning.
• According to project estimates, the initiative could contribute to reducing or absorbing nearly 12 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over 20 years, while reviewers have called for stronger integration of climate change considerations.