Community Conservation Resilience Initiative (CCRI) in India

Local communities’ and indigenous peoples’ customary knowledge and practices regarding sustainable management of forests and grasslands is essential for climate adaptation and mitigation. Indeed, they have proven to provide human groups with enough resources for their livelihoods without over-exploiting nature. This project supports communities in defending their rights and sustainable practices against the multifaceted effects of deforestation.

The CCRI fostered dialogue between women and other marginalised groups of Tadoba Tiger Reserve and Gond communities, Banni grasslands and pastoralists groups in Gujarat, or eastern Himalayas in Bengal and Rabha communities from Nepal. This assessment revealed that gender differences form the basis of roles and responsibilities for the use and conservation of biodiversity and natural resources. Amplifying women’s voices in decision-making processes and allowing them access promotes gender equality and is central to protecting and recovering traditional knowledge.

This project is part of the global CCRI program, with 68 communities conducting similar assessments in 22 countries, proving its scalability and replicability. It can easily generate effective support for community conservation initiatives by highlighting the benefits of biodiversity conservation as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation. If policy and decision-makers integrate the CCRI recommendations made by local  communities, especially women, this powerful initiative will be further expanded.