Nexus of Good: Reclaiming lost spaces!

The occasion was Nexus of Good Annual Awards, 2024 and one of the winners was this bright and young forester, Aishwarya Raj from Himachal Pradesh. He has managed to accomplish something that is a perfect example of Nexus of Good.

A persistent environmental challenge in mountain ecosystems is that of garbage dumpyards causing severe degradation in forests & rivers (Beas/Parvati in Kullu, Yamuna in Paonta Sahib), also attracting anti-social elements & making surroundings unsafe for locals & tourists. There is the menace of mining in Yamuna along Paonta Sahib bordering 4 states. Degradation is an ongoing issue as unhindered tourism and development take place, wherein the brunt of the same is often faced by nature.

Restoration

Low cost, aesthetic, green zone creation transforming erstwhile garbage dumping areas to create safe ecosystems for nearby communities as well as tourists in the form of responsible ecotourism avenues and abating water/soil/air pollution by ecologically sound interventions, including native species tree planting (the multi-canopy layered forests concept), IEC content creation, and recycling & upcycling techniques for the creation of nature parks and green zones.

In this process, in his stint as DCF in 3 postings at Parvati, Kullu, and Paonta Sahib (ranging from 11 months to 2 years) in Himachal Pradesh since 2020, Aishwarya Raj executed works for 8 different eco-restoration projects and additionally 2 restorations of dilapidated structures into nature museums. Various tracts of degraded land along the 3 rivers were identified and converted into green zones/nature parks through low-cost modeling of eco-restoration & plantation activities.

The list of the various projects includes

1. Sangam Swarnim Vatika, Parvati,

2. Yamuna Riverfront Park, Paonta

3. Miyawaki Green Zone, Bhatanwali

4. Beas Bihal Nature Park, Manali

5. Gondpur-Japanese Nature Park, Paonta (ongoing),

6. Kasol Eco-development Project

7. Shamshi Nagar Van, Parvati

8. Sirmaur Van Vihar, Paonta

9. Shamshi Wood Centre, Parvati as Himachal's 1st Wood Museum and Rejuvenation of Wood-Based Industry (with state-of-the-art facilities for solar kiln, sawmill, sheds, etc.)

10. Mohal Nature Interpretation Centre & Traffic Park, Parvati

The model

• Community involvement/stakeholder meetings

• DPR making and prerequisite approvals and budget sanctions, cleaning/waste segregation,

• Soil leveling & removal of invasive species,

• Protection measures/fencing:

• Planting of native species to encourage the truly mixed forests concept.

• Recreational concepts and amenities

Theme-based nature awareness interventions & landscaping really helped in the experiential learning for visitors, e.g., Yamuna River challenges, ecosystem and conservation showcased in Paonta Sahib pictorially, human-elephant conflict capturing in Paonta Riverfront Park through making life-size statues of mother & calf elephants out of waste plastic bottles collected from the dumpyard, Himalayan Ibex conservation in Manali Beas Bihal Park, Gaia Hypothesis of Earth’s self-regulating behavior in Mohal Park's aquarium and globe, and wood-based themes for the Wood Museum in Shamshi Parvati. The stories of Yamuna and Beas were also depicted through 3-D art forms by a wonderful artist from Manali from the rivers' source to their 'Sangams'!

The innovation aspect also included how Aishwarya went for genuine recycling to minimise concretisation, e.g., the use of discarded household slates in making the pathways/trails in Sangam Swarnim Vatika in Kullu, the use of driftwood timber for signages, and old discarded barbed wires for fencing. The team also went for vermi-composting using the garbage segregation, again used for improving the soil fertility and removing invasives!

Finally, community connect has been the cornerstone for all these projects wherein nature education has to go hand-in-hand for the larger public. As an example, ‘Yamuna Hamari Dharohar’ was initiated in Paonta Sahib this May to bring awareness among school children through exposure visits of the new Riverfront Park developed along with conducting cleanliness drives and holding on-the-spot quizzes/pledges, etc. Similarly, livelihood generation opportunities were created in Manali and Parvati by engaging women groups in the running and maintenance of the parks created. Another 15 kiosks were created in Kasol as part of the Eco-Development Plan to provide income generation for the local panchayats, a model that is being rolled out in Paonta Sahib as well in the 3 projects completed this year.

All the project budgets varied owing to the varying areas covered—ranging from Rs 2 lakhs (Sangam Swarnim Vatika) to Rs 5 lakhs (Shamshi Wood Centre) to Rs 24 lakhs (Yamuna Riverfront Nature Park). The idea has been to be as frugal as possible, which has often led to some genuine innovation and collaboration!

Impact

An action plan was prepared for restoration of the environment through a customised Miyawaki plantation. The key issue was the objection raised by nearby communities with administration in the context of the foul smell of the Waste Treatment Plant. The idea was therefore to create a long-term, sustainable green barrier/wall of dense native species plantation in the next 5-6 years to shield the communities living close to the waste plant from the foul smell emanating from it. The team came up with a unique ecological solution for the same in the form of a Miyawaki green barrier around the plant.

The foresters, while working amidst the pile of garbage and foul smell after the protection, cleaning, waste removal, fencing, and soil working, planted 4000+ trees, shrubs, and herbs of over 40+ species, comprising native, fast-growing species, including Shisham, Amaltas, Khair, Neem, Semul, Tun, Dhak, Kadamb, Papri, etc., for the canopy & tree layer; fragrant species like Harshringar, Raat ki rani, Chameli, etc., for shrub layer; herbs/grass Nal, Munj, Dub, etc., along with bamboo planting. The Miyawaki technique in this context perfectly suited the bill, as a barrier has to be created in the shortest time possible. As of now, there has been almost 100% survival with new natural regeneration also showing for native species like Shisham, Ankh, Ber, Kans grass, etc. The same was taken note of by the Hon’ble National Green Tribunal, leading to the case finding its closure with citizens' approval. Similar results were seen across various projects in Kullu, Parvati, and Paonta Sahib.

There is also an increase in avian visitors along the riverine green spaces being created; bird-watching has been added as an activity in the Yamuna Riverfront recently. Revenue generation in several of these projects has also led to converting these into self-sustaining models that shall be the "nature beds" of prosperity for local communities and tourists alike—further giving the Forest Department a direct connection with communities.

The various eco-restoration projects are expected to be a sensitive blend for visitors for recreation as well as cases for replicable, scalable, cost-effective, and time-bound environmental improvisation case studies, especially for dumping and riparian ecosystems. These shall also help in building future ecotourism linkages that shall provide livelihood creation for several local communities and instill a sense of belongingness towards nature conservation and forests.

Views expressed are personal