E

nvironment

63

Bounties of biodiv

ersity in the capable hands of women

ollowing pages (64–65):

A women’s gathering at Navdanya Biodiversity Centre

u

se of natural resources as well as impacting

policy. At the Earth niversity at Navdanya

Biodiversity Centre in Doon Valley, students

learn about biodiversity conservation through

observation of 4,000 plant species, 70 bird

species, and more than 100 different insect

species. Navdanya also engages in cutting edge

research about interactions and ecological

flows of biodiversity across diverse ecosystems.

Navdanya believes that most of the

world’s big problems, be they economic or

ecological, can be solved by the rejuvenation

of the Earth’s biological wealth in the hands

of women. ‘Women are the custodians of the

indigenous knowledge of biodiversity and

have the capacities to empower the youth by

transmitting this knowledge to further upli

the community with sustainable biodiversity-

based livelihood possibilities. Over the

next decade Navdanya will put biodiversity

conservation as the key solutions to hunger,

poverty and unemployment through women’s

leadership, community participation and

participatory planning,’ says Dr. Shiva.

H

CL Grant Project Approach:

Bi

odiversity

conservation as a foundation for

sustainable development and livelihoods

among rural communities

HCL Grant Project Title:

D

ocumenting

and Regenerating Women’s Indigenous

Knowledge to Conserve and Regenerate

Biodiversity and Biodiversity-based

Livelihoods

Beneficiaries:

700 rural women in 70 villages

Location:

7 di

stricts in the states of

ttarakhand, Odisha, West Bengal,

Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand