Eco-Development in the Himalayan Foothills
With text, design, and photographs by Dirk Kloss

The Indo-German Changar Eco-Development Project in the western Himalayan foothills (Himachal Pradesh) strives to combat the problems of land degradation and water scarcity.

The total German assistance to the project budget committed by 1996 amounted to 15 million DM (about Rs. 30 crore), matched by Rs. 13 crore from the Indian side.

The project successfully brings local communities together with technical experts, government departments, administrators and politicians on different levels, from local to regional. They all share one interest: to improve existing land use towards sustainable land management for the better livelihood of local communities.

The overall objective of the Indo-German Changar Eco-Development Project (IGCEDP) is to significantly reduce the imbalance between production and use of renewable natural resources in the Changar area of Kangra district (H.P.)

Through a basket of interdisciplinary measures focused on land husbandry, soil and water conservation on the slopes, forestry and animal husbandry, IGCEDP contributes to the simultaneous socio-economic development and ecological stabilisation of Changar. The area is part of the highly fragile and degraded peri-Himalayan Shivalik region with altitudes between 500 and 1300 m.

The emphasis of the project is strengthening of village self-help organisations. It assists them in developing sustainable operational strategies as well as technologies for the rehabilitation and management of village areas in the context of small watersheds.

The project implementing and coordinating agency, the semi-governmental Himachal Pradesh Eco-Development Society (HPEDS), started its operation in 1993. Most of its staff is deputed from various relevant line departments, mainly the Forest Department of the Government of Himachal Pradesh.

German assistance is planned for 15 years. From 1994 to 1999 the GTZ provides technical assistance to develop and test a long-term strategy which will include institutional capacity-building at various levels. In the second phase the German Development Bank (KfW) financially supports the full-scale implementation of the integrated watershed-based resource developments programmes.