Yarandi, NNTR, 23rd December, 2024: Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) has initiated community-driven conservation activities under the Central India Tiger Corridor Securement Project, supported by the Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund (JTEF), International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Maharashtra Forest Department, and other conservation partners. These efforts focus on promoting sustainable livelihood practices and reducing forest pressure, particularly through the sustainable collection and value addition of NTFPs in corridor villages of the Nawegaon Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR) and the Brahmapuri Forest Division (Nawegaon-Tadoba Corridor).

Session on SHG management in NNTR corridor | Photo by Mahendra Raut/WTI

On November 27, 2024, 21 selected Self-Help Group (SHG) members embarked on a study tour to Yarandi village, where they experienced community managed homestays, immersing themselves in community-driven hospitality. The sessions included an insightful session on SHG management by Mr. Keshav Gurnule, Director of SHRUSHTI Foundation. Mr. Keshav shared practical knowledge about SHG structure, responsibilities, financial sustainability, and transparency, interwoven with success stories and challenges faced by SHGs in Eastern Vidarbha. The session included dynamic discussions where SHG members from the Nawegaon Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR) and Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) corridors shared their progress, challenges, and aspirations while highlighting issues like inconsistent participation and marketing difficulties. Mr. Gurnule emphasised the importance of teamwork and role specialisation within SHGs. He encouraged members to align individual strengths to specific tasks like NTFP collection, processing, and marketing to enhance efficiency and overcome barriers. Participants also discussed the role of traditional knowledge in NTFP collection and the need to adapt it to innovative business practices. Addressing financial management, Mr. Gurnule highlighted SHG members’ achievements in overcoming loan repayment challenges, fostering financial independence, and reducing reliance on exploitative moneylenders.

A Self-Help Group (SHG) is a community-driven initiative, typically consisting of 10–12 individuals from similar socio-economic backgrounds who come together voluntarily to address shared concerns, with a primary focus on enhancing financial stability and social well-being. SHGs play a pivotal role in poverty alleviation, empowerment, and grassroots development, especially in rural areas, by fostering collective action, mutual support, and financial independence. In forest-dependent communities residing in villages bordering protected areas (PAs) or wildlife corridors, SHGs hold particular significance. These communities rely heavily on natural resources, including Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs), for their livelihoods, but this dependency often leads to ecological imbalance and heightened human-wildlife conflict.

SHG members during gthe meeting in Yerandi Village, NNTR Corridor | Photograph by Mahendra Raut/WTI

Since 2009, WTI has actively worked to conserve vital wildlife corridors in Vidarbha, documenting tiger movements and highlighting the NNTR corridor’s critical role in linking key reserves like Nagzira, Navegaon, and Tadoba. Through collaborations with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and other partners, the project expanded its reach between 2009 and 2020, supporting over 158 SHGs and enabling them to generate significant revenue through micro-enterprises and capacity-building programs. However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted these initiatives, necessitating renewed efforts to revitalise and expand SHG operations. To this end, WTI organised an exposure visit for SHG members to the SHRUSHTI Foundation in the Gadchiroli district in November 2024, aiming to equip members with practical knowledge of sustainable practices, value addition techniques, and effective management strategies. This initiative underscores the importance of integrating ecological, socio-economic, and community-focused approaches to reinforce the balance between biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

On the second day of the workshop, the focus shifted to sustainable practices and value addition techniques for NTFPs such as Mahua, Ambadi, Bael, and Honey. Mr. Gurnule demonstrated honey processing methods and tools, emphasising ecological balance through sustainable collection practices. Participants identified 18 NTFPs and discussed their value addition potential, quality control, and marketing strategies. Practical sessions at SHRUSHTI’s Honey Kendra offered hands-on training in honey processing and packaging. The group explored the biological and seasonal availability of NTFPs and learned marketing strategies, such as setting up outlets near Protected Area tourist gates.

Group photograph of SHG exposure visit participants | Photograph by Mahendra Raut/WTI

“Effective conservation thrives on fostering harmonious human-wildlife coexistence. Through its Central India Tiger Corridor Securement Project, WTI has been working to ensure uninterrupted tiger movement across the NNTR-TATR corridors, connecting forest patches, ensuring the safe passage of wildlife through the corridor, and fulfilling anthropogenic needs of fringe villages,” quoted Dr. Mahendra Raut, Senior Field Officer, WTI.

The tour concluded with participants outlining roadmaps for their SHG ventures, focusing on specialisation in products like Nisarga Rab, soap, raw materials, and pickles. The study tour provided SHG members with practical insights, empowering them to strengthen their operations and contribute to sustainable livelihoods and biodiversity conservation in their communities.