13 March 2014: Bioversity International has published a case study on community-based biodiversity management (CBM) for watershed restoration in the Kaski District of Nepal. The study reports lessons from Bioversity International’s work with Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD), alongside other national and international research organizations, to organize local groups in the region to develop and advance CBM activities, including participatory plant breeding, training workshops and community seedbanks.

The study, titled ‘The Evolving Landscape of Agricultural Biodiversity Conservation,’ draws lessons from fifteen years of experience using the CBM approach over 30 square kilometers in the Himalayan Rupa watershed. One of fifteen such projects in the region, the initiative helped organize three cooperatives, seven community development committees and five women’s groups to encourage custodianship of land and agricultural biodiversity as a means for improving livelihoods of local communities.

The study reports how the project helped to restore fisheries and overcome resource conflicts in the degraded watershed through innovations in resource management, decision-making, and benefit-sharing. It further describes various other activities, such as land use diversification and the preservation and exchange of rare seeds, and draws lessons on the value of CBM in bringing together strong networks of local groups under umbrella organizations for technical and strategic guidance.

Bioversity is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Bioversity International Press Release] [Publication: The Evolving Landscape of Agricultural Biodiversity Conservation]