Watersheds provide a multitude of ecosystem
services for upstream and downstream people in Manipur. Headwaters are key for
rural and urban water security. However, forested watersheds continue to be
degraded, and water scarcity is experienced due to limited management options
and biotic, anthropogenic and climatic factors. This increases the
vulnerability of forest and aquatic ecosystems and rural populations unless
adaptive measures are taken. Climate Change models have stressed the need for
anticipatory and pro-active adaptation strategies and policies to maintain the
multiple functions of forest ecosystems.
It is against this background that the
project on “Community-based Sustainable Forest Management for Water Resources
Conservation in Manipur (COSFOM)” was designed as a financial cooperation
project by the Government of India (GoI) with financial assistance provided by
the Federal Government of Germany through KfW within the context of the
Indo-German Program on Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalaya. The project
is implemented by the Manipur Forest Department (Project Executing Agency) and
managed by the Community Forestry and Water Conservation Society-Manipur
(CF&WCS-M) acting as Project Management Unit (PMU). Consultancy services
are provided by GFA Consulting Group (Germany) in close collaboration with
UNIQUE land use (Germany) and IORA Ecological Solutions (India).
The Project is expected to be conducive for
reaching the country’s Sustainable Development targets, as formulated in the
National Action Plan for the Implementation of the Sustainable Development
Goals until 2030. The Project is directly contributing to 9 of the 17 SDGs.
The project outcome is formulated as:
‘Climate resilience of upper watershed ecosystems is improved or sustainably
restored and the adaptive capacity of forest dependent communities is increased
(through sustainable forest management and water resource conservation)’. The
project works in three catchment areas – the Ukhrul Block of the Thoubal
catchment in Ukhrul District, and the Imphal and Singda catchments in Kangpokpi
District, and aims at delivering four Outputs:
1. Participatory
watershed planning, coordination and monitoring;
2. Restoration
and sustainable management of upper watersheds;
3. Security
and improvements of livelihoods;
4. Capacity
building for community-based watershed management.