Project Goal:

To contribute towards sustainable livelihoods of the people of the Jalad Watershed Area through establishing synergetic linkages between upstream and downstream stakeholders for sustainable management of watershed resources.

Project Objectives:

• Social and practical skills and knowledge of the people and local institutions are strengthened for equitable, effective and sustainable co-management of watershed resources.
• Land use systems are improved and diversified in order to increase production and marketing of products, as well as increase equitable costs and benefit sharing of natural resources.
• Local district and national policies are influenced by the people and institutions in the Jalad Watershed Area.

Background
The Churia Hills are the southern most mountain range in Nepal and are an extension of the Indo-Gangetic Plains. Occupying around 13% of the total land area of the country the Churia Hills are a young, dynamic and fragile system, subject to continual hazards such as landslides and soil erosion over the last decades due to increased pressure on the resources. These hills serve as a catchment for several rivers, which then flow down through three distinct geographical areas - the Churia Hills themselves, the Bhabar - a stretch of land lying along the foothills of the Churia Hills and the Terai, a plain bordering India and comprised of the most fertile land in Nepal. These three interlinking regions form an ecological balance critical to the livelihoods of not only the people living there but also those in other parts of the country. Rivers that flow through these areas offer a crucial starting point for conservation.

Jalad Integrated Watershed and Natural Resources Management (JIWAN)
The Jalad River is one such starting point. Originating in the Churia Hills the Jalad Watershed is characterized by extensive soil erosion, deforestation, poor socio-economic conditions and inadequate external efforts to solve the problems.

Key problems in the watershed area include an influx of migrants, mostly with "illegal" status putting pressure on a fragile ecosystem and insecure land ownerships, not to mention limited livelihood opportunities, leading to illegal cutting of forests and loss of access for traditional forest users. Low and insecure agriculture production, no downstream forests, gender and caste related discrimination and week institutional capacity are other key problems in this area. These, together with inadequate resources and efforts for the management of the watershed, and low levels of community awareness and action in respect of upstream/downstream linkages, increase the stress on the ecological balance of the area.

With the above problems in mind, JIWAN focuses on sustainable natural resources management in the Jalad Watershed area, awareness raising and education activities for increased understanding of the relation of nature and human activities, civil society strengthening, and policy discourse. An important element of this programme is the introduction of a unique concept of co-management for equitable costs and benefit sharing for sustainable management of the Jalad Watershed.

Sustainable Livelihoods
The overall objective is to contribute towards sustainable livelihoods of the people of the Jalad Watershed area through establishing synergetic linkages between upstream and downstream stakeholders for sustainable management of watershed resources. Specifically through capacity building, improved participatory land and water use systems and policy dialogue. These objectives are being obtained through our intensive implementation strategies.

Implementation Strategies
The JIWAN project has several partners who work on different components such as the Alliance Partners who work in the areas of strategic guidance to the programme, including communications with the donor and giving approval for changes in the programme. The Strategic Partners advocate for issues related to the management and utilization of natural resources, while the Implementing Partners work on programme planning, monitoring and implementation, as well as documentation and reporting.

JIWAN has adopted several strategies for an effective implementation of its programmes including partnerships at different levels. Policy feedback, civil society strengthening, networking, promotion of co-management processes, education, awareness and information, respect for local knowledge, cultures and practises and the integration of Rights Based Approaches are the other strategies adopted.

Key Programme Components
JIWAN is addressing the minds, hearts and hands of the people through teachings and through encouraging them to internalising the teachings and then putting them into practice. This has been achieved through the following components:-

Watershed/ecological literacy and practical action through Open Village Schools (OVS):
JIWAN has established Open Village Schools in the communities to provide a forum for learning the inter-relationship of living beings with environment. The OVS focus on the practical side of these relationships and help communities develop and implement solutions that will strengthen this relationship for better watershed conditions in terms of land and water use and also improved livelihood of the people. Additionally, OVS also serve as forums for taking up issues related to rights and social justice.

Youth mobilisation for watershed management through Watershed Youth Clubs (WYC):
JIWAN works with secondary schools in the programme areas to establish Watershed Youth Clubs. Apart from carrying out learning projects on natural resources conservation and management, WYCs also monitor changes in the biophysical environment of the watershed. OVSs and WYCs work in a complimentary manner.

Technical capacity building through Life School Centre:
JIWAN established a Life School Centre (LSC) to provide a focal point for life long adult learning and capacity building on sustainable natural resource management. This centre serves as a resource and demonstration centre for community learning.

Policy advocacy:
Apart from implementing watershed management activities, JIWAN also builds the capacities of civil society organisations for policy feedback and advocacy activities at local and district levels. The programme attempts to link local issues with the policy through different forums such the District Advisory Committee and Central Advisory Committee.

Payment for Environmental Services (PES):
On a small scale, JIWAN will pilot PES schemes and document the processes and lessons for replication and expansion in future

Expected Outcomes and Benefits
Increased awareness of local communities on inter linkages and inter-relations between watershed resources and human activities is likely to take place as well as an increase in the functional literacy of women and poor/marginalized groups with a focus on sustainable natural resources management and gender/caste rights and interests.

Technical skills at the community level in agro forestry, aquaculture and other relevant areas related to the immediate livelihood with an equitable participation of women and poor as well as an increase in technical skills in the communities for community and private forestry, and management of common (degraded and riverbank) land are also expected.

Formation of multi-stakeholder forums for taking up a co-management role of Jalad watershed including promoting dialogue and communication between upstream and downstream population is taking place with an increased understanding in civil society organisations about government policies in relation to the Churia conservation issues and policy formulation process at local and district levels.

Lessons on co-management and PES are being documented for dissemination at local, district and national levels which, with the establishment of networks/forums at local, district and national levels will contribute to policy dialogue on co-management of natural resources in the Churia Region.

It is expected that increased agriculture production and market linkages through technical assistance in product development will bring added income to the area.