The Western Ghats Hornbill Foundation, in collaboration with the Kerala State Biodiversity Board and the Grama Panchayaths of Athirapilly and Annamanada, is pioneering a community-led model for riparian ecorestoration through the MGNREGA scheme. This initiative specifically empowers the Kadar indigenous women, leveraging their deep-rooted ecological knowledge to restore the vital riverine stretches of the Western Ghats. By integrating traditional stewardship with a functional restoration framework, we are not only rehabilitating critical habitats for endemic flora and fauna but also securing the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities. This synergy between social welfare and biodiversity conservation serves as a resilient template for protecting the biological integrity of our river ecosystems against the challenges of a changing climate.
