ROOPAK GOSWAMI
Shillong, Dec 26: The World Bank has said the successful outcomes of the Meghalaya Community-Led Landscape Management Project (MCLLMP) will serve as a foundation for future community-led natural resource management initiatives in the state and beyond.
Meghalaya’s Community-Led Landscape Management Project (MCLLMP), funded by a $48 million World Bank loan, has emerged as a model of sustainable development, achieving transformative environmental and socio-economic outcomes across 400 villages.
Meghalaya boasts a forest cover of 76%, an ecological treasure under increasing strain from mining, population growth, and climate change. To address these challenges, the MCLLMP was launched in 2018 under the aegis of the Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA). The project aimed to restore degraded landscapes, enhance biodiversity, and strengthen community involvement in sustainable natural resource management.
Milestones Achieved
Over six years, the MCLLMP delivered impressive results:
1. Land Restoration: The project rehabilitated over 46,700 hectares of land, exceeding its target of 31,510 hectares. This included afforestation, agroforestry, soil conservation, and innovative biophysical treatments for mining-affected areas.
2. Community Governance: The establishment of 400 Village Natural Resource Management Committees (VNRMCs) ensured localized planning and implementation. These committees—with mandated gender parity—oversaw critical interventions like spring rejuvenation and soil erosion control.
All 400 project villages developed and implemented Community Natural Resources Management Plans (CNRMPs). An integral part of each CNRMP was the Forest Management Plans (FMPs). Over 110,000 hectares were covered by FMPs, including 15,444 hectares under CNRM plans, with the remainder under Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), thus surpassing the intermediate target of 12,585 hectares for “Forest area brought under management plans.” The goal of preserving the state’s biodiversity is central to its NRM policy, with 310 new People’s Biodiversity Registers established, up from 15 at the project’s start. Three thousand springs across 400 project villages were rejuvenated and a monthly monitoring system to record the discharge and quality of waves was established.
3. Livelihood Enhancement: By fostering sustainable agricultural practices and supporting community nurseries, the project created alternative income opportunities. The Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) scheme, a pioneering initiative, incentivized conservation by rewarding communities for maintaining forest health.
4. Empowering Women and Youth: Central to the MCLLMP’s success was its focus on inclusion. Women’s participation in decision-making soared, with females constituting 52% of VNRMC members. Additionally, over 13,000 Village Community Facilitators (VCFs) were trained, many of them youth, creating a skilled workforce adept at sustainable resource management.
“The overall efficacy of the project is rated substantial based on the high levels of achievement of almost all set targets and the qualitative achievement of strengthening community-led landscape management. In addition, project efficiency was high from an economic analysis and implementation efficiency, meriting a satisfactory overall outcome rating” the Bank said in its Implementation Completion and Results Report.
The Bank has recommended that the community-led NRM model demonstrated by the MCLLMP should be replicated across other states in India. “The integration of GIS tools, community engagement, and landscape management practices has proven to be highly effective in achieving sustainable outcomes,” it said.
The Bank said future projects should explore innovative financing models, such as Payment for Ecosystem Services, to incentivize long-term environmental stewardship among communities.
