Integrated approach to ecosystem restoration through incentivized models for Kerala

SUSTERA Foundation and Purpose Climate Lab launched report on "Incentive-Based Ecosystem Restoration

***

As part of World Wetland Day, SUSTERA Foundation and Purpose Climate Lab launched
a report on "Incentive-Based Ecosystem Restoration." The document, which focuses on building Resilience for Kerala, was released online on World Wetland day during an online event, where the outcome of the document was presented.

The report comes at a point where the health of the earth, the well-being of humans, and universal economic prosperity all depend on biodiversity. The loss of the ecosystems’ ability to recover from degradation is increasing the vulnerability to disasters.
While there are several frameworks in Kerala to keep environmental degradation and destruction in check, their findings and deliberations suggest that the state will benefit from an integrated approach to ecosystem restoration through incentivized models that focus on job creation. Identifying ways to incentivize restoration efforts for local communities can increase the number of green jobs and create resilient livelihoods. According to the State of Finance for Nature 2021 Report, approximately 20 million jobs will be created by tripling investments in NbS by 2030 to achieve climate change mitigation, biodiversity, and land restoration goals.
The document outlined how local self-government institutions and community members can facilitate the development of efficient and effective incentive-based models for ecosystem restoration with the help of grassroots organizations, practitioners, and the education system in the state. While Ecosystem restoration will improve resilience to climate-related disasters, job creation will help build resilient communities.

Some important outcomes of the document:

Large-scale ecosystem restoration is key in limiting climate change and species extinction.Thus, the need of the hour is to build a pathway valuing conservation and restoration to recover degrading ecosystems.
Ecosystem restoration and nature-based solutions should be a key agenda for the state in its development trajectory.Incentive-based ecorestoration can create jobs, improve resilience, enhance food security, and contribute to global mitigation efforts.
Large-scale ecosystem restoration is key in limiting climate change and species extinction.

Thus, the need of the hour is to build a pathway valuing conservation and restoration to recover degrading ecosystems. Ecosystem restoration and nature-based solutions should be a key agenda for the state in its development trajectory.

Restoration approaches for Kerala

Restoration of Coastal biodiversity
Restoration of marine and aquatic ecosystem
Forest and landscape restoration
Agroforestry and conservation agriculture
Restoration of wetlands and watersheds
High mountain ecosystem restoration

The document was released after the Amrith Darohar and MISHTI scheme was announced in the union budget.

Incentive-based restoration proposals mentioned in the document

Income generation through agroforestry and conservation agriculture
Income generation through Mangrove restoration
Additional income generation through Ecotourism and restoration
Environment education and restoration incentives
Traditional restoration practices and incentives
Carbon credit and Corporate Social Responsibility
Model-based on Self-government institution as the facilitator MGNREGS
Financial credit model based on Meenangadi Panchayat

Recommendations

Building capacities among the private property owners in conservation and restoration.
Encouraging research on the different ecosystems of Kerala to build public interest and citizen science.
Identifying best practices at the LSGI level and replicating them in other regions with modifications or scaling up to improve the impact is key to sustaining the benefits of such efforts.
Encouraging tourism with an emphasis on nature as natural and cultural heritage and encouraging agricultural tourism in collaboration with community partners to develop sustainable models of preserving crops, bringing services and products by the communities for the visitors.
Instituting an institutional mechanism with a bottom-up approach by creating committees with representatives from the local bodies and communities to distribute benefits sharing and resource use better.
Including Climate change impact in education with an emphasis on opportunities for ecosystem restoration in the curriculum. Additionally, equipping Bhoomitra Sena Clubs with certification and integration into the local government efforts on eco-restoration. Expanding the scope of Economic valuation of ecosystem services under government institutions to encourage restoration efforts.
Utilizing MGNREGA and state-specific schemes like Subhiksha Keralam, Kerala Tribal Plus, Jala Subhiksha, and One crore saplings to integrate eco-restoration efforts and employment generation through existing schemes.
Identify the demand and challenges related to eco-restoration and financing to develop banking schemes where live trees can be used as security to secure a loan.

Comments

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

Proposals for Babri Masjid, Ram Temple spark fears of polarisation before West Bengal polls

By A Representative A political debate has emerged in West Bengal following recent announcements about plans for new religious structures in Murshidabad district, including a proposed mosque to be named Babri Masjid and a separate announcement by a BJP leader regarding the construction of a Ram temple in another location within Behrampur.

Search This Blog