A team of Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) team and Nagaland Empowerment of People through Energy Development (NEPeD) visited the project villages in Mokokchung district on 19–20 January.
The team consisted of Dr Florian Wienkie, Senior Portfolio Manager, Natural Resources and Climate Change Asia, Mathias Bechtolsheim, Senior Technical Advisor, Natural Resources and from Climate Change Asia Germany and Sangeeta Agarwal, Senior Specialist, along with PMC Gopa.
The officials from Forest Department were led by Zuthonglo Patton, IFS, Conservator of Forests (STC) and Deputy Director KfW project.
The implementing agency for KfW in Mokokchung district is the Forest Department.
On 19 January, the team, after interacting with the Mokokchung Forest Department officials and staffs, visited Khar village for interaction with the Village Council, Community Conserved Area (CCA) Committees and representative from different organisations.
On Friday, the team visited Dibuia Village and interacted with the Village Council and representatives from CCA committees of Dibuia/Mongchen/Alongkima/Waromung.
It is informed that to promote sustainable and effective management of forest and biodiversity, and to improve connectivity, the landscapes of Khar/Mongchen/Dibuia/Alongkima/Waromung will be included in the first phase of the project.
The Financial Participatory Approach (FPA) approach for community mobilization which was the first of its kind in India was said to have successfully been carried out in these villages.
The winners from the contest for different activities under the category of Sustainable Infrastructure Creation relating to Nature Conservation and Capacity Building for Livelihood activities have started in all these villages.
The visiting KfW Mission team and the officials were said to have been impressed by the participatory approach of the community and the Forest Department towards Conservation efforts.
The visiting team also expressed the remarkable and commendable observations of the active participation of the community and involvement of all stakeholders in all the activities and the community’s selfless contribution for the success of the project.
The participating villages/communities noted the benefits they got from the FPA contest held in their villages.
The first contest of storytelling competition based on the theme ‘Me and My Nature’ made the younger generation of the community more aware on the traditional sanctity of conservation efforts.
The second contest provided them with lots of innovative insights for creation of sustainable infrastructures while the third contest gave them the opportunity to enhance their livelihood activities through creation of assets, they said.
