Foundation for Ecological Security

15/05/2026

The Campaign 2026 begins today.

From May 15 to June 15, citizens, communities, students, and institutions across India will come together to measure groundwater levels in wells under this citizen science initiative. By measuring water levels in wells over time, we build a deeper, collective understanding of our groundwater systems.

Participating is simple.
Whether you’re a first-time user or working alongside your community, these easy guides help you collect well-water data with ease. These guides are available in 7 languages: Marathi, Gujarati, Odia, Kannada, Telugu, English and Hindi.

Click on the link, pick your language, and join the movement for a water-secure India. https://tinyurl.com/mph72t7m

India Observatory

14/05/2026

The Napo Jal Bachao Kal Campaign is a nationwide effort to build a decentralised, community-driven groundwater monitoring system by encouraging the monitoring of at least one well in every village across India.

As part of this initiative, two webinars are being organised on 19 May 2026 to build a common understanding of groundwater monitoring processes, data collection standards, and the use of the Groundwater Monitoring Tool (GWMT).

These webinars are designed to enable organisations, institutions, volunteers, practitioners, and community members to actively participate in the nationwide Pre-Monsoon Well Monitoring Campaign through a shared understanding of groundwater monitoring processes and tools.

Session 1 : 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM IST, An open webinar for all on groundwater monitoring processes, data collection standards, and the use of the Groundwater Monitoring Tool (GWMT). Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89372490221

Session 2 : 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM IST, A regional language webinar in Marathi to enable wider participation, local engagement, and discussions grounded in regional contexts and experiences. Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/25xhvj4tR9Sn3sZhPXPW9g #/registration

By strengthening local groundwater evidence, the campaign seeks to enable better planning, informed decision-making, and collective action towards sustainable groundwater governance.

After all, “What gets measured, gets managed.”

India Observatory

13/05/2026

This May 16th, FES joins the global movement of Walking Rivers, a collective journey to reconnect with our rivers, landscapes and communities.

Across 4 states, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat, communities will walk along 4 river routes, engaging in conversations around river ecology, conservation, and the deep relationship between people and water.

For generations, rivers have shaped rural life by sustaining livelihoods, supporting agriculture, strengthening local economies and nurturing cultural traditions and community identities. These walks are an opportunity to listen, learn and reflect on the significance of rivers as living ecosystems that connect both people and nature.

Through Walking Rivers, we hope to celebrate collective stewardship and encourage greater awareness and action towards protecting our rivers for the future.

12/05/2026

Can natural farming help restore degraded lands while strengthening rural livelihoods?

Achieving agricultural sustainability and advancing Natural Farming (NF) and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) requires looking beyond agriculture alone.

Today’s policies and governance systems often operate in silos, shaping outcomes that fall short of sustainability goals. To drive meaningful change, we need aligned incentives, integrated planning across sectors, and stronger science-policy-practice linkages.

Our latest publication explores how natural farming can be a pathway to achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). By rebuilding soil health, reducing external inputs, and enabling community-led stewardship of land and natural resources.

At its core, the report highlights that sustainable land restoration is not just about practices, but about people, institutions, and collective governance of the Commons. It highlights how community-led resource management is fundamental to this shift. It also spotlights the need to empower local institutions to steward natural resources and build resilient, sustainable landscapes for the future.

By combining traditional knowledge with modern tools, natural farming offers a scalable approach to address ecological degradation while building climate resilience.

📘 Read the full report:
https://fes.org.in/resources/2024/natural-farming-pathway-towards-land-degradation-neutrality.pdf

11/05/2026

What does it take to rebuild a rainforest? In Phalee village, Manipur, restoration did not begin with planting, but with recognising what was being lost.

The absence of baseline data on biodiversity and the gradual erosion of traditional knowledge prompted the community to start documenting their Commons. What followed was a shift in how the landscape was understood and governed. From recording indigenous crops and seasonal cycles to identifying native species with ecological and cultural value, traditional knowledge became the foundation for regeneration.

Over time, this evolved into a community-led system in local institutions, self-help groups, and even schoolchildren play a role in observing, restoring, and sustaining the forest. Initiatives such as these reflect how biodiversity, livelihoods, and knowledge systems are deeply intertwined.

Read the full article, authored by A Shatsang and published in 101reporters, here: https://101reporters.com/article/environment/How_a_Manipur_village_is_rebuilding_its_rainforest_commons

08/05/2026

Groundwater may be invisible beneath our feet, but it determines how our landscapes survive and thrive.

Before the monsoon arrives and recharge begins, the pre-monsoon season gives us a vital opportunity to understand the true state of our groundwater.
This is where collective action matters.

The Campaign returns this pre-monsoon season, inviting citizens, communities, students, and institutions across India to join a nationwide citizen science effort to monitor groundwater levels in wells.

A single well measurement may seem small, but together, thousands of observations can help build a deeper understanding of our shared water systems and strengthen its stewardship.

Pre-monsoon Monitoring Cycle: 15 May – 15 June

Know more and participate: https://www.indiaobservatory.org.in/groundwater-monitoring-campaign

India Observatory

06/05/2026

Community Conserved Areas (CCAs) in Nagaland continue to demonstrate how conservation, when rooted in community stewardship, can be both resilient and adaptive.

At a two-day workshop held in Dimapur, Nagaland, community representatives, practitioners, and government stakeholders came together to reflect on evolving conservation practices across 13 CCA clusters in the state.

The workshop created space to exchange learnings and experiences from the past five years, highlighting what has worked, the challenges that persist, and the strategies that continue to strengthen community-led governance systems. Key themes included safeguarding wildlife corridors, documenting local ecological knowledge through People’s Biodiversity Registers, and recognising the growing role of women in conservation leadership.

As CCAs navigate increasing ecological and socio-economic pressures, such collective platforms remain essential for deepening learning, strengthening institutions, and sustaining conservation efforts grounded in local contexts.

Read more here: https://nagalandtribune.in/workshop-highlights-community-leadership-in-conservation-across-nagaland/

05/05/2026

Across geographies, communities united to reflect on what it means to live with, depend on, and care for the Earth as part of everyday life.

In stories of shared lands, water, forests, pasturelands and diverse Commons,
through experiences and learnings of how shared resources are managed and restored,
in small actions that sustain Commons for generations to come.

The came to life with the celebration of this .

EarthDay.org Fraterna

05/05/2026

The work for restoration begins much before the rains.

If you are keen on understanding how landscapes regenerate, join this cross-learning space today where practitioners across India come together to share field realities and scientific insights.

4:00 - 5:30 PM IST
Open to all.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_a0lZRnbfRrm8qIb8HdAEbw

The pre-monsoon season comes with an urgency to act and shape how landscapes recover, regenerate and sustain life in the long run. Revegetation is key to ecological restoration. It is a long-term, collective process of enabling ecosystems to regenerate.

It requires collective effort, careful planning, deep familiarity with local ecosystems and native seeds, the ability to respond to ecological challenges like forest fires and invasive plants, and grounding decisions in local knowledge and context. This calls for collective thinking across regions, roles and knowledge systems.

In the ‘Restoring Landscapes: Our Collective Effort’ webinar, we bring together practitioners from across regions in India to share how these efforts unfold on the ground.

Envisioned as part of a series of discussions, the webinar offers a space to learn from diverse perspectives where scientific knowledge meets lived experiences from the field and reflect on what it means to restore landscapes together.

Open to all. Join the conversation.
5th May, 4:00 – 5:30 PM IST

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_a0lZRnbfRrm8qIb8HdAEbw

04/05/2026

We are honoured and humbled to share that the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) has received the Yashraj Bharati Samman 2026 for Transforming People’s Lives!
This recognition celebrates efforts towards transforming lives through sustainable development, education, nutrition and livelihoods; areas that lie at the heart of our work. The Samman acknowledges community-led models that strengthen holistic development, reduce inequalities, and advance climate-resilient, sustainable futures.
This honour belongs to the local communities we work with and their trust, resilience, and commitment to stewarding Commons. We are committed to supporting solutions that emerge from the ground up, and are deeply grateful for the diverse collaborations that make this work possible.
Here’s to celebrating Commons, Communities, and the power of Commoning, and to collectively moving forward towards realising the Promise of Commons.

Bharati Saman

30/04/2026

The pre-monsoon season comes with an urgency to act and shape how landscapes recover, regenerate and sustain life in the long run. Revegetation is key to ecological restoration. It is a long-term, collective process of enabling ecosystems to regenerate.

It requires collective effort, careful planning, deep familiarity with local ecosystems and native seeds, the ability to respond to ecological challenges like forest fires and invasive plants, and grounding decisions in local knowledge and context. This calls for collective thinking across regions, roles and knowledge systems.

In the ‘Restoring Landscapes: Our Collective Effort’ webinar, we bring together practitioners from across regions in India to share how these efforts unfold on the ground.

Envisioned as part of a series of discussions, the webinar offers a space to learn from diverse perspectives where scientific knowledge meets lived experiences from the field and reflect on what it means to restore landscapes together.

Open to all. Join the conversation.
5th May, 4:00 – 5:30 PM IST

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_a0lZRnbfRrm8qIb8HdAEbw