From Forest Rights to Forest Futures

Some projects leave behind reports. 
This one will leave footprints too. 
In the hills. In the hearts. 

It’s not just a checklist for us, it’s a lived, breathed journey of sweat and stories. Not just a conservation project. Not just a forest rights process.  

It’s a change voiced by communities who have lived with the forest for generations. 

This is the story of how we are bringing the Community Forest Resource Management Plan (CFRMP) to life, across 160 in collaboration with the Government. Through timelines that felt tight, with teams who worked longer than hours could measure. 

A Web of Villages 

Each village came with its own rhythm, some more ready, some more hesitant, each shaped by history and land memories. We didn’t impose. We listened. To understand. And then, to co-create. 

We have visited over 50 villages so far across 3 blocks. More 110 to go. Some had already received their CFR titles, others were still waiting. All of them needed guidance to begin the long, often overwhelming task of planning how to manage and conserve their forest land. 

The Power of People in the Field 

Our field teams have – Ecologists, community mobilisers, GIS specialists, operations staff, volunteers, seniors! Not clock in and out. Some working 12-14 hours a day during peak periods.  

Morning hours were for community discussions, afternoons for site assessments, evenings for compiling GPS points, species lists, and data notes. And yes, update meetings, no escapes through that.  

In villages with no phone network, coordination meant walking to the next hill.  

Meetings were sometimes postponed because elders were out grazing cattle or farm works. 

New Government appointments. 

Messages lost in-between, at times. 

KML files not available.  

Patience. Follow ups. Showing up without giving up.  

Yet not once did the team say, “this is too hard.” 

It never felt like a job. It was a shared responsibility. 

Gram Sabhas That Stir Us 

The most unforgettable moments came during Gram Sabha consultations.  

Women who had never spoken in public stood up to share their opinions. Youths were ready to be the leads. Elders walked with us to identify sacred groves and grazing patches, tracing memory and geography with a single hand. 

Each Gram Sabha was something more, something different, something that always enriched us to move on.  

Volunteers and Unseen Heroes 

None of this would’ve been possible without the quiet strength of volunteers, youth from College of Social Work, local teachers, even ASHA workers who helped gather people. They carried charts, fetched water, and often just stood by as emotional anchors. 

And behind the scenes, colleagues from our central office designed data dashboards, edited maps, formatted lengthy reports, and made sure our team is always equipped with the required data. 

What It Means to Us 

The day these village sign the plan, it will be a legacy, we co-created. 

To us, CFRMP is more than a target met. 

It’s memory, participation, and pride.  

Strengthening the bond between people and forests. 

Creating livelihoods. Envisioning sustainable future. 

It’s showing up. Day after day. Village after village. With patience. With purpose. With the belief that change happens. 

For every colleague, volunteer, and villager who is walking this journey with us, this is your story too. 

Rather, it’s our story!