By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 26: The Centre has rolled out a five-year biodiversity initiative in Meghalaya, targeting the ecologically rich Garo Hills landscape with a focus on community-led conservation and grassroots governance.
The programme, led by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in partnership with the National Biodiversity Authority, is supported by the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Development Programme with a grant of over Rs 40 crore. Tamil Nadu has been identified as the second implementation landscape.
Officials said the project will be anchored in key biodiversity zones such as Nokrek Biosphere Reserve, Balpakram National Park and Siju Wildlife Sanctuary, where protected forests intersect with community-managed lands.
In a departure from mainland models, implementation in Meghalaya will be driven by traditional institutions, with Village Employment Councils acting as planning bodies to integrate biodiversity into local development frameworks. The approach aims to embed conservation priorities within everyday governance.
The project will also strengthen Biodiversity Management Committees and create multi-stakeholder platforms involving government departments, local representatives and civil society to prepare and execute community-owned conservation plans.
With livelihoods forming a key pillar, the initiative will promote green micro-enterprises, activate Access and Benefit Sharing mechanisms and leverage CSR funding so that conservation efforts generate direct economic benefits for communities.
Officials said the programme also prioritises inclusion, with efforts to enhance participation of women, tribal communities and other marginalised groups in biodiversity governance.
Aligned with India’s biodiversity strategy for 2024–2030, commitments under the Paris Agreement and the global “30×30” conservation target, the project will also document and scale successful models for replication across the country.
