Our Priority Pathways

Our restoration work follows three connected pathways: ecological, landscape and river restoration. Each starts with an evidence-based, participatory diagnosis, and each treats communities as partners and stewards. Our aim is to restore not only habitats and natural assets but also the ecological and social relationships that keep landscapes resilient and productive.

	Ecological	Landscape	River
^{Unit of work}	^{Ecotones and multi-use landscapes, wildlife corridor}	^{Watersheds and common lands, private degraded fallows}	^{Riparian zones and stream network}
^{Core question}	^{How can people and biodiversity co-exist?}	^{How can ecosystem services be recovered?}	^{Where along the river should restoration begin?}
^{Lead lens}	^{Biodiversity and socio-ecological relationships}	^{Natural assets, land and water}	^{Hydrology, erosion and riparian condition}

1. Ecological restoration

Rebuilding the relationship between people and biodiversity

Our approach rests on co-existence: communities are part of ecosystems, not separate from them. We work in multi-use landscapes and ecotones, the interfaces where ecosystems, species and human activity meet, and we develop hyper-local strategies instead of a uniform restoration model.

How we diagnose

Landscape and zone identification: delineating ecological zones, habitats, resource-use areas and ecotones
Biodiversity and ecological assessment: habitat condition, ecosystem function and indicators of ecosystem health
Community and socio-ecological assessment: FGDs, household surveys and stakeholder consultations on resource dependence, local ecological knowledge and gaps in collective action
Synthesis and diagnosis: a landscape-level picture of where restoration is needed and which ecological and social drivers must be addressed

What our restoration strategies aim to do

Strengthen ecological integrity and biodiversity
Recognise communities as stewards and active participants
Address the anthropogenic pressures driving degradation
Build community ownership and collective action
Integrate restoration with local livelihoods and resource use

2. Landscape Restoration

Recovering ecosystem services that sustain livelihoods

We envision moving from degraded to functional, healthy landscapes that provide water security, fodder, fuel, soil fertility and biodiversity. Landscapes deliver these services at their optimum only when ecological, social and institutional dimensions are addressed together. We therefore begin with science-based assessments of land-use and resource patterns, resource potential and carrying capacity, and design strategies around natural asset recovery.

Five verticals, in partnership with communities and government

Watershed development and management
Restoration through Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) and natural regeneration
Nature-based solutions (NBS) for food security and livelihood enhancement
Governance of Common Property Resources (CPR)
Tenurial systems and rights

Diagnostic process

Landscape-level issues of forest, land and water degradation
Current cropping and agricultural practices
Tenurial rights over CPRs
Traditional practices that function as NBS
Baseline and monitoring indicators for each vertical, tracked through GIS mapping and spatial analysis

3. River Restoration

Diagnosing and restoring the riparian zone

Rivers are a key indicator of ecosystem function and a lifeline for tribal communities, closely tied to their food security, water security and livelihoods, and they sustain the region’s fauna. We diagnose the condition of the riparian zone, the interface between river and land, to understand what drives degradation and where restoration should begin.

Diagnostic methodology

Geospatial analysis: river width changes over time; riparian tree cover and density
Biodiversity surveys: riparian flora, fauna and aquatic life
Soil testing: erosion patterns along the banks
FGDs and site surveys: zone identification, anthropogenic pressures, livelihood dependence, catchment and watershed priorities, and stream order analysis to prioritise stretches for intervention

From diagnosis to action

Findings will guide differentiated, zone-specific interventions, such as bank stabilisation, riparian planting and pressure management, planned with the communities that depend on the river.

Cross-Cutting Priority Themes

Diagnosis before intervention: evidence-based, hyper-local baselines drawn from spatial, ecological and social data
Community stewardship and collective action: stronger ownership, CPR governance and tenurial security
Livelihood-linked restoration: nature-based solutions and sustained access to forests, land and rivers
Water security: integrated watershed, riparian and catchment priorities
Biodiversity and ecosystem function: habitats, ecotones and riparian species
Convergence with government: partnership on watershed, ANR and CPR programmes
Monitoring and adaptive learning: indicators tracked through GIS and spatial analysis