MAMRING

Biodiversity Conservation
MAMRING TORYOK CONSERVATION
AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
Project Background
The project is implemented in Mamring Toryok area in Sittong Panchayat under Kurseong Sub Division. Local people of this
area are mainly subsistence farmers. Communities mainly grow maize, cardamom, millet and a few in the lower altitude
grow some rice as their crops. Cash crops consist of cardamom, ginger and potatoes in the higher reaches and oranges,
cassava and seasonal vegetables in the lower areas. Monoculture is practiced here. Agricultural land is decreasing as new
houses are built on agricultural land.
People in this area use naked kerosene lamps to light their homes. The amount of harmful gases emitted by these lamps is
very high in comparison to wax lamps or even kerosene lantern lamps, which not only has side effects on the environment
but is also hazardous to human health. The school children have to sit within 1 to 1.5 feet from the lamp to do their
homework so that they do not inhale the emissions. This lowers the intensity of light, besides women have to work for at least
3-4 hours in such environment (from stoves and the lamps) while cooking and carrying out other household chores at night.
This is affecting all round health.
In each house at least two to three naked kerosene lamps were used every night for lighting purposes. Each lamp requires
about 250 ml of kerosene per day. This means about 750ml of kerosene oil is required per household per night. Thus, each
household burns nearly 22.5 liters of kerosene oil every month.
The other problem people faced is the land degradation caused by landslides in the area, particularly the landslides
threatening to take away the existing biodiversity. The women suffer the consequences of deforestation, as they have to go
far away into the jungles and into the degraded mountains to get the firewood for cooking purposes. At this juncture, Durga
Neopaney, Ex- National Coordinator of GEF Small Grants Program in Bhutan visited the site and the local people suggested
forming a Community Based Organisation (CBO) and thus Mamring Toryok Farmers' Association (MTFA) was formed. The
CBO then approached Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Small Grants
Programme (SGP) to address the community issues.
Project Objective
Protection of the environment in a sustainable manner and ensure health and well being of the community and conservation
of the local bio diversity.
Project Activities
• Mobilize community into Self Help Groups (SHGs) for environmental conservation
• Improve the lighting system by replacing the existing open kerosene lamps with renewable solar lamps.
• Arrest the accelerated soil erosion in the area, through plantations, square meter gardens.
• Capacity building of the community on organic farming and various income generating programmes as alternative
means of livelihood.
• Establish herbal garden and use locally available plants for treating common ailments.
• Conduct workshops to create awareness on environmental conservation among students and the local community.
Geographical area : 09 Villages in Kurseong (West Bengal)
No of Beneficiaries : 845 households (10,000 People)
SGP Grant : Rs. 20,78,175
Co Financing : Rs. 33,00,000
Project Time Period : 2005-2007

Project Beneficiaries
The beneficiaries are 641 households with a population of 6000 approximately in seven villages of Mamring-Toryok. These
villages include Upper Mamring, Middle Mamring, Lower Mamring, Upper Toryok, Middle Toryok, Lower Toryok and
Gomba Gaon.
Project Strategy
The MTFA members and the beneficiaries meet regularly to ensure that the project activities are implemented according to
the plan and to monitor quality and sustainability of implemented activities. Members of MTFA from each village report
weekly to the chairperson on the advancement of the project. Technical support and advice is provided by Saint Alphonsus
Social and Agricultural Centre (SASAC), Eastern Forest Rangers' College (EFRC), Department of Forestry and GEF, UNDP,
SGP team officials.
MTFA consists of 23 active members including 16 women. Each village has at least two (man and woman) active members.
MTFA meets twice a week during implementation period.
Project Impacts and Lessons
A Building of social institution by forming SHGs. There are 34 SHGs working in different areas.Total saving of Rs. 250,000.
Loans of Rs. 70,000 were availed from banks.
A population of 5500 is benefiting from replacement of fossil fuel with solar light source, which reduced indoor air pollution
and improved the health of the inmates especially, women and children in 478 households. The beneficiaries save an
average of Rs. 180 per month for not using kerosene. The members themselves take care for the repair and maintenance of
the solar lanterns. The location and the address of the solar shop are given to them and few have already got their batteries
changed. In the beginning three farmers were taken to “Solar Alternatives”, an organization in Patna, which promotes the
use of solar energy, later now they are trained and use the services as required.
Organic farming by the SHGs is a step in right direction. SMVG (square meter vegetable gardening) is the method
introduced. The technical assistance and project facilitation was given by SASAC. This method is ideal in mountainous
region with scarcity of agricultural land. In ten square meters of land, ten different varieties of vegetables can be grown in this
particular system.
• In SMVG system mono crop system is replaced by multi cropping. Soil nutrients are increased.
• Soil quality improved by cultivating varieties of vegetables. Human health is improved by consuming varieties of
nutritious food.
The dispensary in Mamring gets 2000 patients annually. It is amazing to see that 30 percent out of there are being treated by
herbal medicines since the project has been implemented. In some cases ‘locals’ extract juice from the root/flower/leaves of
the herbs and in certain cases the herbs are dried and in rare cases tonic is made out of herbs. Hence, establishment of herbal
garden is a success story. This revives the traditional knowledge and traditional practices of the indigenous people of the
area.The ailments that are treated are jaundice, asthma, urinary infection, high blood pressure, dysentery, diarrhoea,
diabetes, luekorrhoea, common cold and fever, and piles.
• Herbal garden and tree plantation increased the forest cover and the biodiversity of the region.
• Afforestation programme is organized during monsoon. 12000 saplings of 16 different species of trees are planted.
Alternative livelihood through mushroom cultivation, preparation of marmalade and pickle, weaving bags is an added
activity for the women in SHGs. The SGP project has brought a new awakening in this remote area.
Text by D.P. Rath and P.S. Sodhi
KURSEONG
DISHA
Mamring Toryok Farmers Association
Sister Ranjini
Holy Cross Convent, PO. St. Mary’s Hill,
Kurseong, Darjeeling, West Bengal
Tel: 0354-2331230 (O), 2331231 (R)
Email: ranjini_seb@yahoo.com
holycrossksg@sancharnet.in
Regional Co-ordinator
Centre for Environment Education,
A-5, Bar munda, HIG Colony
Bhubaneswar-751013
Tel: 0674-2551344
Email: ceebhubaneshwar@ceeindia.org
National Co-ordinator
GEF UNDP Small Grants Programme
CEE Delhi,
C-40 South Extension-II,
New Delhi-49 Ph.: 011-26262878-80
Email: sgpdelhi@ceeindia.org
www.ceeindia.org
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