The Collabor

ators

17

KEY

STONE FOUNDATION

HCL Grant Recipient

Environment, 2018

HCL Grant Project Title:

H

ill Waters

and Wetlands for Communities and Wildlife

– Eco-Restoration, Applied Ecology and

Advocacy

Keystone oundation’s programmes are

highly relevant to the Western Ghats

where springs have been disappearing. e

programme also addresses human-wildlife

conflict in the Kotagiri region. e main

objective of the project is to achieve water

equity and water security for human and

wildlife population by bringing behaviour

change within the communities through

applied research. It does this through

working in partnership with communities,

tea and coffee estates, local government;

setting up of nurseries to promote

native plant species for supporting eco-

restoration work; monitoring water quality

and quantity, land-use practices, wildlife

movements, and more.

Keystone’s programmes are innovative

and inclusive, having directly impacted more

than 22,000 lives including tribes like Todas,

Kotas and Irulas, who fall under Particularly

Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in the

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Keystone has

increased awareness about traditional and

chemical-free agriculture, water issues,

native species, and more, through radio

programmes on Radio Kotagiri (the local

community radio), reaching out to more

than 10,000 people. It has set up a wetland

park in Kotagiri in collaboration with

INDCOSERVE, Tea Co-operative ederation

in the Nilgiris. 200 acres of fallow lands

(covered with invasive thickets) were

converted into arable lands with native crops

and trees were grown.