Activities within the grant and expected impact:
The project is towards developing a model for mithun conservation and its habitat, involving all stakeholders. The project envisages creating a fenced community enclosure at Mani village, Papumpare, where 100 aggressive mithuns belonging to 50 owners (farmers) from Tumru, Mani, Lekha, Jampa and Midpu villages would be identified and kept (reared) during cultivation season (June – November) to prevent them from invading and foraging into paddy fields, orchards, gardens and jhum fields. Mithuns will be let loose after the cultivation period. The key objectives of this one year pilot are to:

	Promote livelihoods for these 50 farmers
	Conserve and protect around 500 acres of community forest, whilst also regenerating degraded forests
	Improve farmers’ knowledge towards better mithun husbandry
	Protect agricultural crops from damage that can be caused by mithuns.

The key activities proposed within the first year of support include:

	Introduction of improved mithun bulls and better feeding
	Conservation and protection of forest through fencing
	Fodder development
	Capacity development programmes
	Health camps.

It is expected that within one year, the project will lead to:

	Generation of additional income to the tune of Rs12,000-15,000 per year per farmer owning a female mithun through sale of a calf (mithuns reproduce fast — one calf per year)
	Conservation and protection of around 500 acres of community forest
	Prevention of potential damage to crops by mithuns within agricultural land measuring 300 hectares (saving crop yields worth approximately Rs1.8 million)
	Improved knowledge of 50 farmers directly and around 200 farmers indirectly vis-à-vis better healthcare, feeding and management practices for mithun rearing through capacity development programmes.