Foundation for Ecological Security

19/08/2026

From alpine ponds in Kashmir to sacred orans in Rajasthan, to the steppes of Mongolia and the Tibetan Plateau, rangelands are being restored in different ways by pastoralists and other local communities who have inhabited these lands for generations.

A herder protecting grazing routes. A village reclaiming its charagah (grazing land). Women restoring pastureland. An officer changing policy.

These are some of the stories that took centre stage at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification COP 17 event on ‘Rangeland Awards and Best Practices of Community on Rangeland Management and Pastoralism’.

As part of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, the Rangeland Restoration Awards 2026 received 90 entries from 26 countries. The 20 awardees were celebrated for the diverse work they engage in that restores, governs and sustains rangelands. Nine of the awardees are from India, with the other 11 working across Mongolia, China, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ireland.

This was organised by the IYRP Global and South Asia Regional Alliance groups with SEVA, ILRI, Foundation for Ecological Security, DHAN Foundation, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Honey Bee Network. IUCN

For detailed stories of the awardees, please check: gian.org/rangeland-innovations-and-best-practices

19/08/2026

Last call! Applications for Code4Nature 2026 close tomorrow.

This is the chance for developers, designers, researchers, GIS practitioners, students and environmental professionals to come together to turn real environmental challenges into tools and solutions. Bring your skills, ideas, and curiosity to the challenge and help build a more resilient future.

Meaningful technology can drive better outcomes for nature, communities and local governance.

Code4Nature 2026 invites coders, developers, data enthusiasts, designers and innovators to build technology-driven solutions for nature conservation and ecological restoration.

Whether you are exploring geospatial technologies, data science or digital tools, bring your ideas to a challenge that connects technology with real-world environmental needs and enables community stewardship.

Registrations open on 01 August 2026. Stay tuned for the challenge statement, indicative themes and key dates.

India Observatory

14/08/2026

We are pleased to share that Girdhari Verma, Harsh*t Mishra, Namita Mishra, Kaushalendra Rao and Subrat Singh from FES will be participating in the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification ( COP 17), taking place from August 17–28, 2026, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

We look forward to connecting with fellow delegates, exchanging insights, and contributing to the global dialogue on Commons, pastoralism, and community stewardship.

If you are at the UNCCD COP 17, let's connect!

12/08/2026

झारखंड के 14 जिलों में गांव-गांव में युवा एकत्रित होकर पर्यावरण संरक्षण का संदेश दे रहे हैं. बाल अखरा के माध्यम से वे जल, जंगल और जमीन बचाने की ज़िम्मेदारी निभा रहे हैं. सामुदायिक वन प्रबंधन समिति के साथ जंगल के संरक्षण, पौधरोपण और प्रबंधन में सहयोग दे रहे हैं. जल स्रोतों का संरक्षण और उनके महत्व के बारे में लोगों को जागरूक करने का काम भी कर रहे हैं. जंगल कटाई पर रोक लगाने और जंगल बचाने का संदेश फैलाने में लगे हैं. बाल अखरा में 14 से 18 वर्ष की आयु के लड़के-लड़कियां की टोली बनाई जाती है. एक टोली में करीब 40 सदस्य होते हैं. वे जंगल को आग से बचाने तथा आग लगने पर बुझाने में सहयोग करने, जैव विविधता, औषधीय पौधों और स्थानीय संसाधनों के संरक्षण में भागीदारी, स्थानीय संस्कृति, परंपरा और आदिवासी विरासत के संरक्षण में सहयोग एवं सामाजिक कुरीतियों के खिलाफ जागरूकता फैलाने जैसे और भी कार्यों में भी सक्रिय हैं.

इस अंतर्राष्ट्रीय युवा दिवस पर, प्रभात खबर पर मनोज सिंह का पूरा लेख पढ़ें: https://epaper.prabhatkhabar.com/crop/69d3275db8325aa8ff9817d9

Youngsters in the villages of Jharkhand are coming together and actively working towards the conservation of their Commons. Through the ‘Bal Akhra’ initiative currently active in 14 districts of Jharkhand, about 18,000 youngsters are taking on several responsibilities, such as supporting community forest management committees in forest conservation, plantation and forest management; protecting water sources and spreading awareness about their importance; and promoting the message of conserving forests and preventing deforestation.

Under ‘Bal Akhra’, groups of boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 18 years are formed, with each group consisting of around 40 members. These young volunteers are told about minor forest produce, preparation and dissemination of seed balls, making and maintaining biodiversity register, etc. They also participate in setting up plant nurseries in the months of March, April and May, and planting activities in monsoon. Regular meetings are held to share ideas and insights, and raise awareness about social malpractices.

This International Youth Day, read this article written by Singh on Prabhat Khabar here:
https://epaper.prabhatkhabar.com/crop/69d3275db8325aa8ff9817d9

11/08/2026

Over the past decade, the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) and Collaborating for Resilience (CoRe) have worked together to advance collaborative approaches to governing the Commons across diverse landscapes.

From this partnership emerged the ‘Training and Certification Programme on Multi-Actor Dialogue for Systems Leadership’, a 4-6-month hybrid programme for practitioners across India's development sector. It explores systems thinking, facilitation and collaborative leadership through a balance of shared learning and applied practice.

The programme brings together in-person workshops, online sessions, mentorship, peer exchange and field application, creating space for participants to test ideas in their own contexts and learn from one another's experiences.

Over four cohorts, 78 practitioners from 18 States and Union Territories have participated in this journey. As they carried these approaches into their organisations, partnerships and networks, the learning continued to spread, reaching an estimated 2,000+ practitioners through collaboration, mentoring and knowledge sharing.

Over the coming weeks, we'll look back along this journey through reflections from past cohorts, lessons that have influenced the programme, and the voices of participants who have been part of it.

Sounds interesting to you? Stay tuned for more updates on our upcoming 5th Cohort.

10/08/2026

What happens when communities that have long protected their forests bring the same care to their farms?

In Peren district, Nagaland, 27 Zeliang villages of the Mt. Pauna Biodiversity Conservation Forum came together to celebrate the first ‘Organic Market Day’ under the shared theme, Organic Peren.

Rather than gathering at a single venue, each village hosted its own market on the same day. Fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, traditional foods, and locally harvested produce showcased in stalls highlighted the diversity of the region's landscapes and the knowledge that continues to shape them.

This celebration also resonates with a larger practice. In many of these villages, forests are protected through Community Conserved Areas (CCAs) and governed by local institutions. That same sense of stewardship extends to farming through traditional cultivation practices, seed saving, and a conscious choice to avoid chemical herbicides and pesticides.

Organic farming here is not simply about how food is grown. It is part of an ongoing relationship between communities, their land, and the biodiversity that sustains them.

This community-led initiative reflects the spirit of Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12) and Life on Land (SDG 15). It is a reminder of how community-led stewardship nurtures landscapes where biodiversity thrives, traditional knowledge endures, and sustainable livelihoods flourish.

09/08/2026

This International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, we recognise the communities that have long stewarded their forests, rivers, and fields, passing down ecological knowledge from older to younger generations, largely through oral tradition.

We honour the knowledge systems that have sustained communities and ecosystems for generations. Protecting indigenous knowledge means protecting the relationship between people and the Commons.

Community elders with deep ecological knowledge identified as ‘Jungle Masters’ are guiding young learners through forests, rivers, streams, grasslands, and agricultural fields. Together, they observe natural phenomena and biodiversity and learn the traditional wisdom tied to these landscapes.

Watch how this knowledge is still being passed on, one generation to the next.

Watch the full film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VviA4SBv5nc

07/08/2026

Pastoralists have cared for rangelands for generations, drawing on knowledge shaped by lived experience and deep connections to the landscapes they depend on. Creating more opportunities for these voices to be heard is essential to building informed, inclusive conversations about land, pastoralism, and sustainable futures.

The International Land Coalition (ILC) Asia, together with Central Asia Pastoralist Alliance - CAPA, Ecosystem Restoration Platform (ERP), Land Rights Now, Foundation for Ecological Security, National Land Coalition (NLC) India, Rainfed Livestock Network (RLN), and South Asia Pastoralist Alliance (SAPA) are inviting pastoralists and community-based organisations from across Asia to share their stories, knowledge and experience. We encourage you to submit an abstract and share your experiences from your landscapes.

Scan the QR code or click on this link to submit your abstract: https://lnkd.in/dPfNNHhJ

Abstract submissions close on 15 August 2026.

Looking forward to shaping the narrative around pastoralism in Asia through pastoral voices.

International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists

06/08/2026

Have you ever wondered how we know a mammal was around even when we don't see it? From pugmarks to perfect photographs, nature has countless stories waiting to be discovered.

As part of ‘Learning from Landscapes: A Citizen Science Initiative’, join us for a webinar on ‘Ethical Wildlife Photography: Tips & Tricks from the Field’.

Date: 7th August 2026
Time: 4:00–5:30 PM

What you’ll learn:
- Ethics before aesthetics
- Identifying mammal signs like pugmarks and scats
- Photographing wildlife without disturbing it
- Basic composition using mobile phones
- Photographing insects, mammals, birds, reptiles, plants and landscapes
- Evidence of mammal presence
- Documenting species for citizen science

Learn how your observations can contribute to citizen science through platforms like iNaturalist.org, where everyday sightings become valuable ecological records.
Because sometimes, the most exciting wildlife sightings are the ones animals leave behind!

05/08/2026

‘Learning from Landscapes’ is a year-long citizen science journey, inviting communities to slow down and pay attention to the life sharing their landscape. This August, that attention turns to mammals.

The monsoon makes a landscape easier to read. Rivers and wetlands fill, grass grows back, and animals move more freely across forests, grazing lands, and wetlands. Mammals shape the health of the Commons they move through.

​Most mammals stay out of sight, but they leave signs behind. A community that has lived alongside a landscape long enough learns to read what's left behind — a burrow, a set of tracks, a story an elder still tells about where the deer used to graze before the fields expanded.

This month invites communities, students, and local institutions to spend some time observing wild mammals through walks, camera traps, and conversations with elders who remember how the land has changed. Let’s observe, document and connect with the Commons.

Scan the QR code or click here for August's full Citizen Science activities:https://fes.org.in/resources//2026/learning-from-landscapes-a-citizen-science-initiative.pdf ​

The learning doesn't stop here. Don't miss the webinar series that complements each month's citizen science theme with practical learning from experts and practitioners.

Stay tuned for more updates on this month’s webinar, ‘Ethical Wildlife Photography: Tips & Tricks from the Field’!