“Horizons of Hope: Community Led Initiatives towards Sustainable Landscapes in Meghalaya”, was conceived to share with our readers, the world of the Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA) and how its Community-led Landscape Management Project (CLLMP) has brought changes at the grassroots of Meghalaya.

Meghalaya is rich in forests with 76% of its geographical area under forest cover (ISFR, 2021). More than 90% of forests in Meghalaya are under the ownership of communities, clans and individuals.

Mawsynram is a village located on the southern hillocks of East Khasi Hills district in the state of Meghalaya, North East of India. Located at a distance of 65 kilometers from state capital, Shillong, Mawsynram is famed to have the highest average rainfall on Earth. Perched atop a ridge, the village receives an average of 467 inches of rain per year (as per Meteorological sources).

The Meghalaya Community Led Landscape Management Project (CLLMP) is a specialized project of the Government of Meghalaya, supported by the World Bank. The project is aimed at strengthening rural communities and traditional institutions so they can better manage the natural resources in their surrounding landscapes by implementing community led sustainable natural resource management plans. By doing so, this would help rejuvenate degraded landscapes, enhance productivity and ultimately improve livelihood opportunities and overall quality of life of people.

The Government of Meghalaya has initiated the Community Led Landscapes Management Project (CLLMP) to strengthen community led natural resource management (NRM) with a landscape approach in 400 highly degraded and degraded villages of the state through World Bank support. A Baseline Study was commissioned to understand the current profile of three regions of the State i.e. Garo Hills region, Khasi Hills region and Jaintia Hills region.