APFED Booklet on Good Practices and Innovative Activities 2005 ...

2006 2007 2008 2009
Award
India
Promoting the Ingenious Use of a Plant Invasive,
Lantana Camara, to Enhance the Livelihood of the
Forest Dwelling Communities
Project Site Location
Malai Mahadeshwara Hills (MM Hills), Karnataka State
Background - Problems Addressed and Policy Responses
Extensive felling of native forest vegetation in the MM Hills,
especially bamboo, led to rapid spread of Lantana camara
(Lantana), one of the world’s most invasive weeds, over
nearly 80% of the forest land. The livelihood of the local
tribal community, the Soligas, was affected from 1996 when
the district forest officials imposed a ban on bamboo felling.
etc.
2009
*etc.=Alternative livelihoods
Varnishing faniture made of Lantana
camera, invasive weed
Project Outline - Objectives and Activities
Specific objectives were to 1) train tribal artisans in the use of Lantana as a substitute for bamboo in
fabricating furniture, 2) design appropriate Lantana products for rural and urban clients, 3) develop rural
and urban market strategies and linkages for Lantana products, 4) evaluate the diffusion of Lantana
technology among the tribal communities and its impact on their livelihoods. The main activities
involved: identification of beneficiaries, awareness creation, exposure trips, training programmes,
product design inputs and marketing.
Impacts and Achievements
The programme has significantly impacted, socially and economically, those families who have made
Lantana furniture making their main source of livelihood. Based on interviews with male and female
artisans, there appears to be a high level of satisfaction linked with the income obtained from Lantana
furniture making. Environmentally, the project has created an alternative to livelihoods based on firewood
chopping. However, interviews conducted with the forest officials suggest that the Lantana used by the
artisans is usually collected from the shady slopes, whereas the major Lantana invasion is in the open areas.
Future Challenges
Interviews with the participants revealed that there is a certain amount of resistance to the new type of
work from the older generation. Another challenge is the high trainee dropout rate of this project, the
primary cause of which is competition from quarry work. There is also a time lag of about 45 days from
the start of training to actual sale of products, which is financially challenging for those whose livelihood
is usually based on a daily wage.
General Information
Name of the Implementing Organisation:
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)
Type of Organisation: Academic/Research Institute
Contact: Ramesh Kannan
ATREE Royal Enclave Sri Rampura Jakkur Post Bangalore - 560064 Karnataka, India
Tel: 91 80 23635555 Fax: 91 80 23530070 E-mail: kannan@atree.org Website: http://www.atree.org
Project Reviewer (NetRes / Collaborators) that monitors the project:
Federico Lopez-Casero, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) E-mail: lopezcasero@iges.or.jp
Remarks: Shashi Kad E-mail: shashi.kad@gmail.com
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