Background
Watersheds provide a multitude of ecosystem services for upstream and downstream people in Manipur. Forests and water are important natural resources for rural livelihoods and increasingly important for the recreation demand of a rapidly urbanizing society in Manipur. Forests provide a multitude of timber and non-timber products (NTFPs) and have a high biodiversity. Watershed management is important for rural and urban water security. However, forested watersheds continue to be degraded, and water scarcity is experienced due to limited management options and biotic, anthropogenic and climatic factors. This will increase the vulnerability of forest and aquatic ecosystems and rural populations unless adaptive measures are taken. Climate Change models have stressed the need for anticipatory and proactive adaptation strategies and policies to maintain the multiple functions of forest ecosystems.
It is against this background that the ‘Community-based Sustainable Forest Management for Water Resources Conservation in Manipur’ was designed as a development project of the Government of India (GoI) supported by the Federal Government of Germany through KfW within the context of the Indo-German Program on Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalaya. It is implemented by the Manipur Forest Department (MFD, the Project Executing Agency) and managed by the Community Forestry and Water Conservation Society-Manipur (CF&WCS-M, the Project Management Unit). The first phase of the project is designed for 7 years from 2018 to 2025; the overall project costs are estimated at EUR 36.7 million, of which the contribution from German Financial Cooperation will be up to EUR 15 million in loan phase I with the possibility of up to an additional EUR 13 million in loan phase II, with additional contributions by the Government of Indian. Consultancy services are provided by GFA Consulting Group (Germany) in close collaboration with UNIQUE (Germany) and IORA Ecological Solutions (India).
The project outcome is formulated as: ‘Climate resilience of upper watershed ecosystems is improved or sustainably restored and the adaptive capacity of forest dependent communities is increased (through sustainable forest management and water resource conservation)’. The project will work in three catchment areas—the Ukhrul Block of the Thoubal catchment in Ukhrul District, and the Imphal and Singda catchments in Kangpokpi District and aims at delivering four results / outputs:
- Participatory watershed planning, coordination and monitoring;
- Restoration and sustainable management of upper watersheds;
- Security and improvements of livelihoods;
- Capacity building for community based watershed management.
