By collectively managing trees on common land, women in India are receiving multiple benefits and helping mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The women belong to the Nivedita Self Help Group and have fought hard to manage a green stretch of land along the Gobadia River in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal as a common property resource. The district encompasses the UNESCO World Heritage Sundarbans mangrove forest.

A total of 4,000 trees have been planted by the women that include 31 different varieties such as coconut, neem which has medicinal and insecticidal properties, sundari (a mangrove species) and minjiri.

One World South Asia reports on the project which was initiated by the NGO, Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC), which works with rural poor to implement sustainable management projects. Among these are initiatives to encourage local communities to identify unused land that can be leased or rented for activities such as agroforestry to supply food, conserve biodiversity, control erosion and sequester carbon.

Previously the women collected fuel wood from the forest where they were at risk from tigers, but now they collect and share the timber harvested from the communal land. They also get fodder for their cattle from the trees and food for their families. Their activities are helping to build resilience to the impacts of climate change.

The project has empowered the women to liaise with panchayats (governing elders) and participate in group discussions with villagers on social, financial and environmental matters.

Read the full story: Eco-conservation is the keyword for women in Sunderbans