CHEA Annual Report 2024

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Annual Report

2023-24

CHEA

Central Himalayan Environment Association

Acknowledgement

We dedicate this Annual Report to the community members with whom we work; the grant-

extending agencies who trusted our endeavours; partner organisations who came forward to

collaborate and collectively achieve a sustainable future for the generations to come; life members and

Council of CHEA for handholding and mentoring our pathways to up-scale the learning captured

from feld actions; and fnally the staf of CHEA who have served in far-fung areas as ‘catalysts of

change’ to facilitate the rural communities in meeting their developmental aspirations, as well as

conserve the fragile ecosystems of the Indian Himalayan region.

Central Himalayan Environment Association

CHEA

Annual Report

2023-24

I am pleased to share with you the 42nd edition of the

Annual Report of CHEA for the financial year 2023-24.

The CHEA’s Annual Reports always offer a comprehensive

preview of CHEA’s journey, as conceptualized in 1981 by

its founders, who were concerned about the Himalayas,

particularly the Indian Central Himalayas. Since then,

CHEA demonstrated its determination to work to fulfill the

purpose of CHEA and its objectives, which were set, before

43 years, by the founders of CHEA.

In 2023-24, CHEA initiated a new project “Rural

Empowerment through Sustainable Natural Resource

Management” funded by the Uttarakhand State Council

for Science and Technology (UCOST). Like the previous

year, CHEA continuously worked on various environmental

issues, which impact Himalayan Ecology. During this

period and under the supervision of Prof S.P. Singh, CHEA’s

research team studied Oak and Pine adaptation to drought,

surface fires and related other disturbances and soil

nutrient content. Apart from research, CHEA is also involved

in working with the community at the grassroots level to

counter climate change and to develop a mechanism for

sustainable natural resource management, thus CHEA

and various Van Panchayats came together to implement

the “Himalayan Oak Restoration” project; the project is

financially supported by the Bengaluru-based organization

Value Network Venture (VNV).

In the end, I express my gratitude, on behalf of the CHEA

council and its members, to all the funding agencies, well-

wishers and the rural community residing in the far-flung

areas of the Central Himalayas for their continuous support;

their continuous support and belief in our objectives enable

us to take up action-oriented activities on the field level and

to make attempts to achieve collective goals and objectives.

Best Wishes

P. P. Dhyani

CHAIR’S PAGE

P. P. Dhyani

Vice Chancellor, Haridwar University,

Bajuheri, Roorkee, and Formerly Vice Chancellor,

Sri Dev Suman Uttarakhand University, VMSB

Uttarakhand Technical University & Shri Guru Ram

Rai University, and Director, GBPNIHE, Gov. of India

The financial year 2023-24 marked the 43rd year of CHEA’s

continued endeavour of working for the wellbeing of the

Indian Himalayan Region (particularly the Indian Central

Himalayas) and its community. Realising that, the Indian

Central Himalayan Region is the most vulnerable place on

the earth to Climate Change, therefore, it is essential to

address the issue of Climate Change and its impact on the

livelihoods of the rural community residing in the region.

CHEA has always prioritized strong local actions which

have a global impact. CHEA is primarily focused on its four

Thematic Action Groups (TAGs) all of which are mountain-

specific are as follows:

i. Climate Change with specific reference to Mountain and

Adaptation Intervention for Mountain

ii. Rural Livelihood initiative in mountain regions for

reducing Rural Poverty

iii. Art, culture and Handicraft promotion of Mountain‘s

Art and Craft

iv. Research & Documentation of the Mountain and the

Regional Best Practices

CHEA’s activities lie around these four TAGs, and accordingly,

during the financial year 2023-24, CHEA has developed its

project and implemented them in the hills of Uttarakhand

with the support of funding agencies. This year, CHEA has

initiated its new project, “Rural Empowerment through

Sustainable Natural Resource Management”, entrusted by

the Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology

(UCoST). It is a women-centric project whose main focus

is to reduce the drudgery of rural women by initiating

appropriate livestock management.

Climate Change has been a prime concern of policymakers

and researchers for a long ago, It is now very much visible

to the community residing in these Himalayan regions. An

increase in the frequency of erratic and extreme climatic

events, an increase in dry days, a decrease in the snowfall,

changes in the weather cycle, etc., are impacting harshly to

the community in various ways. CHEA is working with the

community for climate change mitigation and adaptation,

under this CHEA is implementing the Himalayan Oak

Restoration project with the Van Panchayats of Uttarakhand.

The project is funded by Value Network Venture (VNV),

Bengaluru.

The journey of CHEA so far has been possible only through

the continuous support and trust of the people, partners,

funding agencies, etc. associated with CHEA. On behalf

of the CHEA council, its life members, and staff, I extend

our gratitude for the support and trust shown by all the

partners, funding agencies, and communities.

Uma Melkania

Hony. Secretary

A NOTE BY THE SECRETARY

Organization

Prominence

Thematic Groups

Our Mission

Management and Membership

CLIMATE CHANGE (with special reference to the Mountains and Adaptation

Interventions for the Mountain Region)

•

Direct Seed Sowing of Oak Acorn

RURAL LIVELIHOOD INITIATIVE for Reducing Poverty in the Mountain Regions

•

Sustainable Natural Resource Management & Rural Livelihood

•

Nutritious Fodder Grass

RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION on the Mountains and the Best Regional

•

Global oak-pine zone: setting an ecological study framework

•

2nd Pushkin Phartiyal Memorial Lecture

FINANCIAL SUMMARY 2023-24

CENTRAL HIMALAYAN ENVIRONMENT ASSOCIATION

BALANCE SHEET AS ON 31ST MARCH 2024

PUBLICATIONS

COUNCIL MEMBERS

RESEARCH ADVISORY BOARD

DISCLOSURE

CHAIR OF CHEA

CONTENTS

CHEA is one of the earliest

Societies founded in the

Northern India which had

‘Environment and Livelihood of

the people of Himalayas’ as its

core concern

The Central Himalayan Environment Association, CHEA in short, was founded on October 2,

1981, on a day which has a special significance for India, being the birthday of the Father of

the Nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The society was registered soon after in May,

1982. Arguably CHEA is one of the earliest Societies founded in the Northern India which had

‘Environment and Livelihood of the people of Himalayas’ as its core concern.

Much water has flown in the great Himalayan rivers and the Indian Himalayas have since

been a witness to much distress, conflict, degradation, demographic dynamics, political

restructuring and impacts of various global revolutions and their regional and local impacts.

CHEA has since espoused many mountain causes, engaged itself actively in scores of action-

research on human and environmental aspects and livelihood-related projects and continues

to be so involved to this day.

Since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 with the inclusion of Chapter 13- ‘Managing Fragile

Ecosystems : Sustainable Mountain Development’ in the UN Conference on Environment and

Development (UNCED), the importance of mountain social-ecological systems have been

acknowledged for the first time on a global scale. Establishment of CHEA, let it be recalled, pre-

dated the Rio Summit by more than a full decade. To ensure solution for increasing pressure

on natural resource for rural livelihoods CHEA has developed strategies for strengthening

grassroots environmental governance and undertaking need based action research.

PROMINENCE

Environment

Human Resources Development

Livelihood and sustainable development

Infrastructure development

Social development

Research and Development

ORGANIZATION

Our Mission

Our mission is to integrate rural livelihoods and

sustainable conservation practices to reduce the

environmental, economic, and social vulnerabilities

of the mountain people. In cooperation with regional

and international partners, and working with the

communities, we aim to develop and provide integrated

and innovative solutions that guide policy change and

inspire action to directly benefit the mountain people

and their environments. The Himalayas are the principal

home of glaciers and the source of water for over 1 billion

people living in connected river basins. They are also

extremely vulnerable to climate change. Thus, there is a

critical need to guide development that incorporates and

is compatible with the threat of a changing climate.

Management and

Membership

CHEA stands with twelve members in the Council along

with One Hundred and Thirteen Life Members and two

Institutional Members.

Thematic Groups

CLIMATE CHANGE, with special reference to Mountains and Adaptation Interventions for

Mountain Region

RURAL LIVELIHOOD Initiatives in Mountain Regions for Reducing Rural Poverty

ART, CULTURE AND HANDICRAFTS Promotion in Mountains

RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION on the Mountains and the Regional Best Practices

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