This oral history file records the life history of veteran Indian conservationist, Dr. M.K. Ranjitsinh. Conducted in a conversational format, the interviews trace the evolution of India's conservation policies, key wildlife legislations, and the role of princely states and scientific leadership in shaping protected areas. The discussions also touch on species recovery efforts, institutional challenges, and reflections on the changing landscape of wildlife governance.

This oral history documents the life of Lalji Desai, a Rabari pastoralist and environmental activist from Gujarat, detailing his childhood, involvement in water conservation, and decades of activism across land, forests, rivers, and grasslands. It preserves rare insights into the challenges faced by pastoral communities and grassroots leadership, highlighting their knowledge, resistance, and vision for ecological justice in India's semi-arid landscapes.

This is a 37-page mid-term internal evaluation report titled "Empowerment of Women's Groups via Eco-Restoration of Northern Kutch". This was prepared by Janvikas Ecology Cell of Bhuj, Kutch. This is an output of a collaborative project between Swiss Development Cooperation, Janvikas, Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS) and Sahjeevan. The project duration was from June 1991 to 1999. This report documents the technologies developed and implemented under four heads - Water harvesting, Soil water conservation, Biomass and Ferrocement technologies.

This is a 68-page report titled "Empowerment of Women's Groups via Eco-Restoration of Northern Kutch" in the same project as the above. This report covers the progress under the project's Main Phase from April 1996 to March 1999. This report highlights the expansion of the programme from the initial six mandated villages to several villages of Pachchham and Nakhatrana, the standardisation of some systems based on the experiences from the pilot phase and the opening of Janvikas Ecology Cell as a district support and network agency.

This report titled "Eco-restoration with marginalized communities in Kutch through a gender perspective" created by Sahjeevan for submission to the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation. This proposal is for the continuation or Phase 4 of the project initiated by Janvikas and KMVS in 1991. The proposal starts with results achieved so far and proposes objectives to be carried out in Phase 4 in Pachcham, Nakhatrana, Mundra and Abdasa through the formation of Sangathans.

This is a 130-page draft Indicative Plan Report created by Center for Envrionment and Social Concerns (CESC), Ahmedabad, under the Biodiversity Conservation and Rural Livelihood Improvement Project (BCRLIP) for Little Rann of Kutch. The report details landscape configuration, maps, biological assessment, socio-economic assessment, institutional assessment, policy and legal assessment, threat assessment, project design and log frame along with annexures containing a list and reports of consultations, meetings, list of flora and fauna and demographic and landuse statistics of villages.

This collection contains eight issues of Press Clippings, a fortnightly internal newsletter produced by the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), a Gujarat-based NGO. Each issue compiles selected newspaper articles organized under themes such as wildlife, water, forests, development, institutions, gender, and agriculture. Created for internal circulation, the newsletters served as a tool to monitor public discourse, policy developments, and media representation of ecological and social issues. Their archival value lies in documenting how environmental concerns were framed in contemporary print media and in illustrating the role of civil society organizations in systematically curating information to support ecological security and grassroots advocacy.

Provides a curated selection of newspaper articles on environmental and development issues, organized under themes such as forests, water, wildlife, agriculture, institutions, and gender. Compiled for internal circulation by the Foundation for Ecological Security to track public discourse, policy developments, and media representation of ecological and social concerns.

Provides a curated selection of newspaper articles on environmental and development issues, organized under themes such as forests, water, wildlife, agriculture, institutions, and gender. Compiled for internal circulation by the Foundation for Ecological Security to track public discourse, policy developments, and media representation of ecological and social concerns.

Provides a curated selection of newspaper articles on environmental and development issues, organized under themes such as forests, water, wildlife, agriculture, institutions, and gender. Compiled for internal circulation by the Foundation for Ecological Security to track public discourse, policy developments, and media representation of ecological and social concerns.

Provides a curated selection of newspaper articles on environmental and development issues, organized under themes such as forests, water, wildlife, agriculture, institutions, and gender. Compiled for internal circulation by the Foundation for Ecological Security to track public discourse, policy developments, and media representation of ecological and social concerns.

Provides a curated selection of newspaper articles on environmental and development issues, organized under themes such as forests, water, wildlife, agriculture, institutions, and gender. Compiled for internal circulation by the Foundation for Ecological Security to track public discourse, policy developments, and media representation of ecological and social concerns.

Provides a curated selection of newspaper articles on environmental and development issues, organized under themes such as forests, water, wildlife, agriculture, institutions, and gender. Compiled for internal circulation by the Foundation for Ecological Security to track public discourse, policy developments, and media representation of ecological and social concerns.

Provides a curated selection of newspaper articles on environmental and development issues, organized under themes such as forests, water, wildlife, agriculture, institutions, and gender. Compiled for internal circulation by the Foundation for Ecological Security to track public discourse, policy developments, and media representation of ecological and social concerns.

This photographic album documents the 2000 watershed development programme in Khari and Tal villages of Kutch and dam works in Uthhangadi. Systematically coded by themes, from office set-up and implementation to collaborations, community participation, and outcomes, it captures consultations with pastoral communities, collective labour, and the use of dromedaries in construction. The album provides visual evidence of participatory watershed management, with loose related photographs clipped inside. It serves as evidence of development processes rarely recorded in official reports, preserving the perspective of local communities and field practitioners in contrast to purely technical or policy-driven records.

This photographic collection documents the implementation of fodder security work in Kutch, centred on Khari village. The images portray pastoral animal breeds historically sustained within rainfed farming systems, illustrating the interdependence of livestock and agriculture in semi-arid landscapes. Viewed through an agro-pastoral lens, the collection captures project interventions and community strategies for securing fodder resources, strengthening resilience, and sustaining livelihoods in dry and arid regions.

A 11-page progress report detailing Sahjeevan's work in the Powerpatti cluster and Nakhatrana. It documents the establishment of Milk Producers Institutions, grassland mapping initiatives, creation of a fodder bank, and the setting up of an Animal Husbandry Knowledge Centre, highlighting interventions to strengthen pastoral livelihoods and local resource management.

This report contains summaries of the programs such as - rehabilitation, documentation of traditional water sources, drought prevention, housing program for paraplegic patients, renewable energy technology projects and other programs undertaken after the earthquake in Bhuj by Kutch Navnirmaan Abhiyan from April 2003 to March 2004.

This is a report of a learning visit of farmers from Kutch to Netrang to study participatory irrigation systems and adapt it to their own convenience based on the circumstances of their village, and make their livelihood sustainable and strong by efficiently utilizing the water available through group wells for agriculture. This was organized by N. M. Sadhguru Water and Development Foundation Trust - Chosala (Dahod) and Aga Khan Support Programme (India) - Netrang Mukam, working in South Gujarat.

This is a report of a learning visit of farmers and activists from Kutch to Hyderabad to understand organic farming and sustainable agriculture in areas under the jurisdiction of Center for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) and Deccan Development Society (DDS) around 100 km from Hyderabad. The report summarizes leaenings of participants on local seed protection, seed bank, working method of Krishi Vigyaan Kendra, organic flower farming and difficulties faced in these methods and ways to overcome them.

This report is about a group well irrigation initiative implemented by Sahjeevan in Dador village, Nakhatrana taluka, Kutch district. It includes details of the group well structure and irrigation system, agricultural context of the village, cropping patterns, and water use practices. It presents cost–benefit analysis of the intervention, including investment costs, operational details, and economic outcomes for participating farmers. The report also outlines implementation processes and reflects community-based approaches to irrigation and water management in an arid region.

This report documents the Dador Watershed Area Development Scheme, with Sahjeevan as the project implementing agency. This report details integrated development interventions undertaken in the Dador watershed, including farm development activities, support for animal husbandry and pastoralism, and improvements to drinking water systems. It also describes pilot initiatives linked to allied development efforts, situating the scheme within a watershed-based, multi-sectoral approach to rural development in an arid region of Kutch district.

Report titled Story of Saltworkers, prepared by the Jan Vikas Ecology Cell (later known as Sahjeevan), documents the lives, socio-economic conditions, and working environments of saltworkers in the Santalpur region of Kutch. The report examines livelihoods linked to salt production, labour conditions, seasonal migration, and vulnerabilities faced by saltworker communities, situating these within the broader ecological and economic context of the region. It offers an early institutional perspective on labour, livelihoods, and resource-based economies in arid landscapes.

This report documents a training programme conducted in 1997 for women's collectives in the Pachham region of Kutch district. The report includes training objectives, schedules, and session notes covering themes of women and nature, appropriate small technologies, basic map literacy, interpretation and use of revenue maps, drinking water challenges and alternative solutions, and soil and water conservation practices. The document reflects early efforts at building technical and ecological capacity among rural women's groups in a semi-arid landscape.

This file contains a small set of technical and documentary pages related to borewell siting, drilling, and subsurface assessment in a watershed or rural water-development context. The material appears to include site photographs, an introduction and methodology section, criteria for site selection, details of selected villages, drilling and logging results, tabulated remarks on water-bearing strata, and bore log data recording depth, lithology, and related observations. Together, the pages document both the field process and the technical basis for identifying and evaluating groundwater sources, likely to support water supply planning, drought-proofing, or watershed development interventions. The file may have been prepared as part of a hydrogeological survey, project report, or technical record of borewell investigation and drilling outcomes.

This report is a compilation of complaints submitted by villages in Lakhpat taluka against pollution caused by activities of Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) and Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB) in the Kari River. Prepared by Sahjeevan, the document brings together community statements and representations from the villages of Dedhapar, Dhedji, and Bayabona. The report documents observed environmental impacts on river water quality, agriculture, livestock, and local livelihoods, and reflects community-led efforts to raise concerns regarding industrial pollution and its effects on the commons in Kutch district.

This is a learning and assessment report documenting Sahjeevan's Renewable Energy Programmes. The document reflects on programme objectives, implementation experiences, and outcomes related to renewable energy interventions in Kutch district. It captures key learnings, challenges, and insights from field-based assessments, and situates renewable energy initiatives within broader efforts on livelihoods, resource efficiency, and sustainability in arid and semi-arid contexts.

This file contains handwritten field notes, thematic summaries, and one annotated map related to grassland ecology, biodiversity, and pastoral land use in the Banni landscape. The pages document key topics discussed during field-based assessment or consultation, including threats and degradation factors such as overgrazing, bush encroachment, agricultural expansion, dams, invasive Prosopis juliflora, and new settlements; seasonal grazing patterns; grassland types and their characteristics; and faunal biodiversity, with references to bird nesting, raptors, wetland use, and mammal, reptile, and carnivore species. One sheet also includes summary socio-ecological information such as number of villages, area, wetland extent, population, and community groups. The material appears to have been prepared as background documentation for ecological understanding, participatory planning, or conservation-oriented landscape assessment.

These are handwritten Gujarati sheets that document a participatory strengths-and-weaknesses assessment conducted during community training workshops in Mundra. It was likely used to facilitate reflection among local community members, possibly women's groups or village participants, on their existing capacities, confidence, responsibilities, and challenges in engaging with environmental or conservation-related work.

These handwritten Gujarati sheets are records from a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercise, documenting community-identified issues, resource conditions, local challenges, and possible responses discussed during village-level workshops."

This file contains Gujarati typed programme notes or workshop materials related to an environmental awareness or community outreach initiative, identified in part by the phrase "Paryavaran Programme." The pages appear to include structured lists, discussion points, and activity or session content, likely prepared for training, public education, or village-level engagement on environmental themes. The material seems to function as a programme outline or instructional document, and may have been used to support awareness-building, community participation, or local environmental planning.

The album contains a set of photographs documenting a watershed programme and its field context. The images appear to cover multiple aspects of the landscape and intervention area, including fieldwork activities, general views of the watershed, landforms and geological features, soil conditions, and existing vegetation. Together, they provide visual evidence of the environmental setting, site characteristics, and on-ground observations relevant to watershed planning, assessment, or implementation. The photographs may have been created to support project documentation, ecological or geomorphological understanding, baseline recording, or reporting on field visits and programme activities. As a group, they help capture both the natural features of the area and the practical work being undertaken within the watershed landscape.

This file contains a set of photographs documenting women's participation in village-level training workshops linked to environmental and natural resource management programmes. The images appear to show women's groups or local participants engaged in discussions, learning sessions, and collective exercises focused on their roles, capacities, confidence, responsibilities, and challenges in relation to conservation and community-based environmental work. The workshops seem to be connected to practical programme components such as watershed development, fodder-related activities, and drought-proofing measures. As a visual record, the photographs capture both the social process of community training and the programme's emphasis on strengthening local participation, especially that of women, in planning and managing ecological interventions.

This album contains photographs from a learning visit by farmers, activists, community members, and Sahjeevan staff from Kutch to the Hyderabad region to understand organic farming and sustainable agriculture practices. The images likely document visits to field sites and institutions associated with the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) and the Deccan Development Society (DDS), located within roughly 100 km of Hyderabad. As a visual record of the exposure visit, the photographs may capture participants during site visits, group interactions, demonstrations, and discussions on local seed protection, seed banks, the working methods of Krishi Vigyaan Kendra, organic flower farming, and the practical challenges and solutions associated with these approaches. The album appears to reflect both the educational purpose of the trip and the collective learning experience of community participants and staff engaged in sustainable agriculture and rural development work.

This album contains photographs from a learning visit by farmers from Kutch to Netrang to study participatory irrigation systems and related approaches to water management in agriculture. The images likely document the exposure visit organized by N. M. Sadhguru Water and Development Foundation Trust, Chosala (Dahod), and Aga Khan Support Programme (India), Netrang Mukam, working in South Gujarat. As a visual record of the visit, the photographs may capture farmers during field demonstrations, group discussions, site observations, and interactions around irrigation infrastructure, water-sharing practices, and agricultural use of group wells. The album appears to reflect the educational purpose of the trip, which was to help participants understand participatory irrigation methods and consider how such systems could be adapted to the conditions of their own villages to strengthen livelihoods and make more efficient use of available water resources.

This file contains photographs documenting community meetings, training sessions, and field visits related to watershed and fodder programme activities. The images appear to capture village-level discussions, participant training, on-site observations, and interactions around natural resource management, fodder development, and associated land and water conservation efforts. As a group, the photographs provide a visual record of both the social process of community engagement and the practical field components of the programme, and may have been created for documentation, reporting, training records, or project archives.