By Vishnu N M, Biodiversity Conservation
The Restoring Natural Ecologies (RNE) Conference is an annual gathering in India, organized by the Ecological Restoration Alliance–India (ERA-India). This event connects ecological restoration practitioners, grassroots leaders, researchers, and policymakers from across the country to enhance restoration practices through knowledge sharing and community-led, environmentally friendly approaches.
This year, Keystone Foundation sent ten attendees to the conference, which took place on the campus of Cotton University in Guwahati. The location emphasized the rich ecological and cultural heritage of Northeast India. The program included keynote talks, field visits, skill-building workshops, talking circles, and other peer-led sessions. A new initiative, “Grove-ing Together,” was introduced to support early-career practitioners through mentorship and networking.
The opening plenary featured a talk on “Rainforest Restoration: Lessons from Two Biodiversity Hotspots” by Divya Mudappa and T.R. Sankar Raman from the Nature Conservation Foundation. This was followed by various workshops and short presentations. Our team also presented posters at the Network Mela.
After the conference, we visited the Aranyak Center in Manas and explored Manas National Park. The Aranyak organization focuses on conservation efforts in the Manas region of Northeast India, particularly within the Manas landscape. We visited the grassland restoration area that they have been conserving for the last 7 years. Most of the grassland is covered by Chromoleana odorata and a shrub, Leea asiatica. The team had a wonderful experience at Manas National Park. After that, we visited the Aranyak center, where they demonstrated the use of Chromoleana odorata for livelihood.
From this Restoring Natural Ecologies workshop, the team got new insights into the restoration efforts, especially our Barefoot Ecologists, and those who were new to the conference.
