| |
Updates from the Projects |
|
| |
|
|
International Spice Conference
The project participated in the virtual International Spices Conference organised by All India Spices Exporter’s Forum from 13 January to 11 March 2021. |
|
| Pong Dam wetland©GIZ/CarrotFilms |
|
|
Web Portal on Wetlands of India
On the occasion of World Wetlands Day, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) announced that the development of a web portal on wetlands has been initiated. |
|
|
|
| |
|
‘Forest ecosystems are critical for our survival beyond what we perceive’
|
Have you ever come across the unique and diverse forests of India’s Western Himalayan region?
One of the most distinctive areas of the country, the Western Himalayas are home to a wide range of forest types. These forests play a crucial role in our well-being and survival. Apart from being a timber source, these forests also provide a variety of ecosystem services that sustain livelihoods, and enhance the supply of fresh water that flows into streams and larger rivers. Despite such a wide array benefits, our ecological knowledge for managing these ecosystem services is still limited. It is important to identify our role in conserving and managing these benefits.
The Indo-German HP-FES project was one such initiative that aimed to integrate the Forest Ecosystem Services approach into the forest management system of Himachal Pradesh. Integrating the lessons from the HP-FES, a follow-up project on the ‘Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystem Services in the Western Himalayas’ will be implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Forest Departments of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand from 2021-2023. |
| Waterfall at Shangarh, Himachal Pradesh ©GIZ/Aashima Negi |
|
New developPPP project in India
|
India has a long history of trading of spices and continues to be one of the world’s largest consumer, producers and exporter of spices. Around 85 per cent of the spice production in India is done by small-scale farmers, who typically farm less than two hectares and seasonally rotate spices cultivation alongside other crops. Unsustainable practices such as overuse of pesticides and herbicides have resulted in a loss of the smallholder farmer’s income and loss of biodiversity.
GIZ and AVT McCormick have partnered to implement a develop public-private partnership (developPPP) project in four Indian states, viz. Rajasthan, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The project aims to sustainably strengthen the production of cardamom, cumin, and turmeric in these states, to increase the capacities of spice farmers, to make production practices more economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable. |
| The project focuses on 3 spices: Cardamom, Cumin and Turmeric | Photo by Shantanu Pal from Pexels |
|
|
| |
New Releases and Resources |
|
| |
|
Forests contribute to human wellbeing. They provide numerous tangible and intangible benefits called ‘Forest Ecosystem Services’ (FES). The film showcases how the FES approach was integrated into the state forest management of Himachal Pradesh.
|
|
|
| The ‘Know Your BMC’ poster campaign was launched in Tamil Nadu under the ABS partnership project to raise awareness about local Biodiversity Management Committees, their functions, and biodiversity of the block. These A1 posters feature outside the respective BMC/Panchayat offices. |
|
|
|
| This factsheet compilation offers a glimpse into project interventions in the pilot sites of Himachal Pradesh. The HPFES project developed zone-wise management of Forest Ecosystem Services prioritised by local communities and the state Forest Department for all 9 sites in the state: Alha, Bohal, Loharlari, Cheola, Kharota, Ghanduri, Shangarh, Hamta and Pathrevi. |
|
|
|
| |
Webinar on Gender and Biodiversity in South-East Asia and the Pacific, 25 March 2021
|
Earth hour day | 27 March 2021
|
International Mother Earth day | 22 April 2021
|
International Biodiversity Day, 22 May 2021
|
|
|
|
