An Introduction to
the ‘Save Eastern Ghats-Odisha Ecosystem’
Programme in Odisha
The Odisha project under Ecosystem Alliance
programme
 The
Odisha part of the India project of
Ecosystem Alliance is called:
 Save
Eastern Ghats-Odisha Ecosystem
(SEGOE)
 Regional
Centre
for
Development
Cooperation is the proposer and coordinator
of this regional project.
 Project
period: October 2011-September
2014(36 months)
Key features of Eastern Ghats
A
discontinuous mountain system running from
West Bengal to Tamilnadu.
 Major
 Very
portions in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh
fertile lands
 Watershed
 Several
 Rich
of many important rivers
important Protected Areas
in minerals(bauxite, for example)
 Home
to many Particularly Vulnerable Tribal
Groups
Some important biodiversity
hotspots of Odisha Eastern Ghats
 Shimilipal
biosphere(Mayurbhanj district)
 Gandhamardan
 Niyamgiri
hill range(Balangir district)
hills(Rayagada/Kalahandi district)
 Mahendragiri
hills(Gajapati district)
RCDC advocates that the Eastern
Ghats need special attention for
ecosystem
conservation
and
management as they for the
ecological backbone of the state.
Pilot areas
Shimilipal: Mayurbhanj(Sorishpal GP)
 Gandhamardan: Balangir(Nandupalla GP)
 Mahendragiri:Gajapati(Kainpur GP)
 Niyamgiri: Rayagada(Kurli and Munikhol
GPs)
 Nabarangpur(Emaba GP)

Project area in brief
Total area: Approx. 10000 ha
 Forest area: Approx. 4000 ha
 Target population: Approx. 3000 households
 Target communities: Disadvantageous
sections of the society(mostly tribals and
dalits)
 PVTGs: Hill Khadia, Mankidia, Saora, and
Dongria Kandha

Justification of the project
Lack of ecosystem approach to the Orissa
part of Eastern Ghats has greatly damaged
the ecological assets that sustained local
livelihood alongwith wildlife. The proposal
aims at introducing the ecosystem
approach so that existing resources can
be conserved/protected.
Problems/threats to be addressed
Insecured resources
 Insecured rights & livelihood of
indigenous communities
 Inadequate policy
 Inadequate civil society attention

Target
 To
facilitate conservation measures in about
3000 ha of ecosystem area directly and
15000 ha indirectly in the 5(now 6) GPs.
 To
help strengthen socio-economic capacity
of 3000 households.
 To
help atleast 4 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal
Groups
Local partners
 Gram
Swaraj(Mayurbhanj)
 Gandhamardan
Surakshya Action
Committee(Balangir)
 SWWS(Gajapati)
Mode of intervention
 Sensitization
& mobilization of the community on
ecosystem approach and management.
 Documentation of socio-ecological knowledge
system(Ecosystem Registers)
 Non-commercial livelihood support
 Promotion of sustainable agriculture
 Promotion of sustainable forest management
 Convergence with government schemes
 Facilitation under FRA and other relevant laws for land
ownership.
 Research
 Media advocacy
 Convergence with other projects/programmes of RCDC
Some achievements
 Ecosystem
CBOs.
approach developed among the partner
A
potential but dormant CBO the Gandhamardan
Surakshya Action Committee revived, strengthened,
and made active with encouraging results.
 Village-wise
Ecosystem Registers compiled with
interesting revelations
 Community
forestry promoted and strengthened
in project areas.
 Saplings
of the nutritious plant ‘Multivitamin’
distributed to more than 1800 beneficiaries.
 In
situ and ex situ conservation of more than 18
RET species of plants
Some achievements(contd.)
CFR claim submitted in 16 villages, and more in the
pipeline. More than 135 individual claims under FRA
facilitated.
SRI and millet cultivation promoted in about 60
acres of land in Nabarangpur, Gajapati, and
Mayurbhanj districts.
Indigenous seed varieties identified and promoted.
Socio-ecological zones identified for conservation
in Balangir district(Gandhamardan hills).
Temporary PDS cards made available to 113
vulnerable families in Gajapati.
Successful linkages with schemes such as NREGS.
Attention for 4 PVTGs(Hill Khadia, Mankidia, Saora,
and Dongria Kandha)
A community board in a Gandhamardan village declaring an important
medicinal plant(Plumbago spp.) habitat to be protected.
A Santal man in a village near Shimilipal showing the
grass that yields a reed used to make arrows. Clue to
this plant emerged from the Ecosystem Register.
Local conservation initiative for indigenous seeds in Shimilipal
The multivitamin plant
A woman beneficiary in a Nabarangpur village
showing the multivitamin plant planted in her
homestead.
Ragi grown on the edges of the maize field as a courtesy response to RCDC’s call for
revival of the crop in the Ekamba GP of Nabarangpur district
RCDC launched the Green Aid support to the communities in the form of
supply of useful and valuable plant saplings for livelihood and biodiversity
conservation. The community phasi plantation in the Nabarangpur and
Balangir districts under this initiative is a special one parallel to the
government initiative of plantation of phasi tree, a species highly in demand
for chariot making in Puri every year but in severe short supply. The
community phasi plantation adds value to the community forestry initiative.
f
A Mankidia hut in an encroached land of Mahalibasa(Mayurbhanj). RCDC
has written to the government to secure tenurial rights for them and
allocate land.
This forest land in Gajapati district, entitlement for which was received under the
Forest Rights Act, has been linked with the MGNREGS scheme for land development.
Project beneficiaries like these in the Mayurbhanj district received saplings of mango, lemon,
and other plants through linkage with the horticulture scheme.
RESEARCH
The proposed research activity was to see the land
use changes in the Odisha Eastern Ghats during the
last 2/3 decades, based on remote sensing data.
However, competent agencies such as Odisha
Remote Sensing Application Centre and the
Geography Department of Utkal University have not
been able to pursue this study due to want of
necessary coordinates for delineation of the Eastern
Ghat boundaries.
Negotiations are still on to get the study done
privately with some reasonable technical adjustments
and logic.
MICROGRANT
PROJECTS
Microgrant projects under
SEGOE
1.
2.
3.
Strengthening Similipal Lok Sansad (a people’s alliance) to act
as a conservation and advocacy group in Similipal
Biosphere Reserve.(Shimilipal Biosphere Reserve, Mayurbhanj
district)
Protection of right to life and livelihood of marginalised
tribals and dalits through community based environment
monitoring.(pollution zone around NALCO and
BHUSHAN in the Banarpal block of Angul district)
Contributing to the ensured access and control over natural
resources by the community members of Nandupala Gram
Panchayat through identification and initiation of eco-system
conservation practices. (Nandupalla GP, Gandhamardan hills,
Balangir district)
Shimilipal microgrant
•Objective: To
strengthen collective action for the
protection and conservation of Shimilipal
Biosphere Reserve(Mayurbhanj district)
•Achievements:
Cluster-level and district-level network of
Shimilipal Lok Sansad formed.
200 change agents trained for conflict
resolutions, FRA claim submission and dialogue
with other stake holders.
Ritual hunting (Akhand shikar) minimized in the
summer of 2013 due to collective action.
General body meeting of Shimilipal Lok Sansad
Gandhamardan microgrant



Objective:
Process for community conservation and management of forests and natural
resources initiated through convergence with available schemes and programmes.
Community members organised and coming forward for post-FRA implementation
of entitlements availed.
•Achievement:
Identification
and demarcation of 239 Eco-sensitive Zones through multi-stakeholder
meetings
148 types of RET categories of species have been identified based on local perceptions, out
of which 37 categories are at the most critical stage of vulnerability.
Reduced timber smuggling due to enhanced traditional forest protection mechanism
(Thenga Pali and Gujer Pali), and penalizing the trespassers.
Plantation of 3188 numbers of plants of RET species in 32 Zones.
Developing community strategy (avoiding grazing, protecting forest from fire, bamboo
fencing, vigil by the farmers on the forest nearer to agricultural field, avoiding digging of roots
etc.)
Checking completely forest fire in 4 villages due to interface and proactive action of Forest
Department in coordination with the Community.
Approval of 765 MGNREGS plan in GSSK (Individual plan- 689, Community Plan- 76) with
incorporation of Agriculture related works ( composting, vermin compost unit, Bio-manures:
71) , Drought Proofing including aforestation and plantation: 2), Land Development: 89,
Livestock related work: 169, Renovation of traditional Water bodies including desilting of
tanks: 2, Rural Connectivity: 7, Rural Sanitation like IHHL: 318 and Water Conservation and
Water Harvesting: 108.
Mapping socio-ecological zones of Dudumdarah village(Gandhamardan)
Angul microgrant
•Objective: To
build the awareness & capacity of local communities to tackle
environmental issues.
•Achievements:
1.
Baseline on environmental degradation and environmental
issues profiling – Covering 4000 families of 20 villages in 4 GPs
of Banarpal Block
2.
Training of local cadres on provisions of environmental laws,
rules and regulations - 20 local youths were trained under the
project
3.
Active Environmental Committees in 15 project villages
4.
Capacity Building of Environment Committee members –
training program conducted covering all Committee members
5.
Preparation, publication & distribution of pamphlets/ leaflets on
environmental issues
6.
Publication & distribution of booklet on environmental regulation
in Odia language: 500 copies published and circulated among
key project stakeholders
7.
Test Kits for setting up of people's lab have been procured
8.
Training of grassroot resource pool -10 people trained under the
project
Water testing training to community members
THANK YOU