About Our Organisation

Vasundhara is an Action Research & Policy Advocacy Organisation working on Natural Resources Governance, Conservation, and Sustainable Livelihoods. Vasundhara was founded in 1991 and got registered in 1992 as a society under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860. We began with a focus to support and strengthen self-initiated community forestry groups – conserving and managing community forests in the state of Odisha.

Our constant efforts have highlighted the critical role forests play in sustaining rural livelihoods. Our focus has been to facilitate the reflection of Livelihood Interests of forest-dependent communities. –especially women – in government policies and also to create an environment in which the primary owners and users of forests are economically and politically empowered to have exclusive control over their lives and livelihoods.

Over the years, our work with communities has expanded to have a greater focus on Rights of Tribal and other Forest Dependent Communities on Community Forest Rights as envisaged under “The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006” – usually referred to as the ‘Forest Rights Act. We have also focused on assessing the impact of community conservation initiatives on mitigating and adapting to climate change.