Developing alternative uses of Lantana and Non-timber forest products in Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve (BRT) and Malai Mahadeswara Wildlife Sanctuary (MM Hills)

India’s forests are changing rapidly. Despite official efforts at protection, the area under closed natural forest cover is slightly decreasing. Changes in forest cover have been attributed to changing human interactions with forests, including changes in land use and land cover and demographic change; technological developments; forest fragmentation due to roads and development as well the spread of invasive species. These trends are extremely significant, both because of the unique nature of the ecosystems involved, and because of the vast number of people affected. India alone has at least 275 million people living in and around forest areas, depending directly on forest resources for at least part of their livelihoods. This project aims to achieve twin problems of forest restoration and livelihood creation for indigenous communities using an innovative design thinking approach to achieve sustainable impact at scale.