Pragya has trained 800 local youth as Young Himalayan Conservationists (YHCs), or Paryavaran evam Aapadaa Prabandhan Sahayaks. The YHCs advocate for green development in the districts of Chamoli, Pithoragarh, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi, and they focus on ecosystem conservation and restoration. Pragya has developed 80 teams (20 in each district) that monitor the local habitat (land use, biodiversity, watershed quality, micro climate) in their zones to track human activity, changes in habitats and the endangered plants. Their target is to reduce inappropriate land use changes and damage to biodiversity rich habitats by more than 20% in 3 years.

Furthermore, the Eco-Health Index (an ecological monitoring tool) was developed to help our YHCs monitor the habitats and track the degree of endangerment. The Eco-Health Index assesses vegetation, hydrology, land use, stability and micro climate. This was digitized into a user-friendly Mobile App to offer greater convenience and promote its use among YHCs. We have received a lot of feedback from YHCs on our training program. Notably, the periodic monitoring has led many YHCs to realize how fast the Himalayas are changing as the biodiversity in this region changes every year.

It should be noted that the local youth have different and unique motivations for becoming YHCs. For example, some of them are highly driven to work for their communities, and some have personally experienced the damaging effects of disasters. Moreover, through various orientation programmes, Pragya has coached the YHCs and enabled them to act as Pressure Groups who can effectively engage with the district level decision makers. They have completed a wide range of activities, including mock drills, disaster simulations, disaster mitigation and preparedness events, trainings on usage of rescue equipment, CPR and first aid. Our YHCs have mobilized their communities, including members of gram panchayat and mahila mandals, and sensitized them on the dos and don’ts of disasters. They have also propelled village councils for the conservation actions: Physical fencing of at-risk sites, afforestation along mountain slopes using native tree and herb species, and nurturing of degraded habitats. In addition, they have carried out regular conservation campaigns to educate communities on pertinent information such as the adverse effects of common practices (e.g. over extraction of natural resources). Ultimately, this has contributed to their enhanced knowledge on green development, and we are confident that they will continue to raise awareness about these important issues.