Community-led conservation
2014 - 2020
The Kalpavalli Community Conservation Area
We collaborated with the Timbaktu Collective on community-led conservation efforts in the Kalpavalli Community Conservation Area (KCCA), a 9,000-acre non-contiguous savannah grassland restored and protected for nearly three decades through their ecology program. Adavi provides technical support, training in data collection and research methodologies, and builds capacity and awareness among KCCA members. Emphasizing community stakeholder interests, the project employs co-management strategies, research initiatives, and market-based tools like the Kalpavalli Bush Camp to enhance conservation efforts.
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The KCCA hosts diverse fauna, including 131 bird species, 24 mammals,
34 herpetofauna, 25 fish, and 164 arthropods. Twenty-seven species are listed under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, while 16 species are classified as 'Endangered', 'Near Threatened', or 'Vulnerable' according to the IUCN Red List. Mammals (20.8%) face the greatest threats, followed by fish (12%), herpetofauna (5.8%), and birds (3.8%). Various terrestrial and aquatic habitat threats are acknowledged and actively addressed by the Timbaktu Collective and Kalpavalli Tree Growers Cooperative Society. We recommend closely monitoring aquatic colonizations resulting from newly constructed irrigation canals under the Handri Neeva Sijala Sravanthi project to manage aquaculture and invasive species, thereby safeguarding native fish populations from local extirpation.