Braj’s Sacred Forest
Braj is a land revered for its spiritual significance as Krishna’s playground on Earth. Historical scriptures and documents depict it flourishing with 48 distinct forests and over 130 sacred groves, categorized as Vans, Upvans, Adhivans, and Prativans. Braj region now suffers from one of the lowest forest covers in Uttar Pradesh. This decline disrupts not just the natural world, but the very soul of these sacredness.
Restoring Sacred Forests
Ameyaatma Charitable Foundation (ACF) is addressing this critical issue by identifying and preserving ancient forests in Braj. We have partnered with different departments of the state government to restore some of the ancient forests in Braj.
Multi-disciplinary approach
We aim to restore and conserve using ecologically and socio-culturally sound methods and develop a community-managed model for future projects. Our restoration approach is multi-disciplinary to ensure that the restoration efforts are not only about native flora and fauna but also aligned with the unique geological, archaeological and cultural features of the area. We also believe that empowering local communities is key to ensure sustainability of the restored area. Therefore, our program design is embedded with a team of experts from different fields, strong component of community empowerment as well as scientific M&E.
A Long-Term Vision: Restoration projects are marathon. We envision a 10-year core restoration phase, followed by an additional 5 years of support for sustainability.