Forest First Samithi

Forest First Samithi aims to involve and empower communities in sustainable ecological conservation efforts by equipping them with knowledge and resou Read morerces. Its mission revolves around establishing conservation plots for over 100 Rare, Endangered, Threatened (RET) trees of Western Ghats with community engagement, fostering awareness about biodiversity conservation, and providing continuous support for such initiatives. The organisation values collaboration and co-creation with similar-minded communities and organisations, aiming to create tangible conservation models at the grassroots level. Its activities focus on biologically important elements such as species that attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, wild edible fruits, riverine species, RET tree species, and medicinal/utility species. It works across various landscapes, including degraded lands for invasive species eradication, enriching coffee estates to reduce dependence on exotic species, enhancing riparian buffers, and creating medicinal and butterfly gardens. Forest First Samithi achieves this by identifying committed individuals, communities, schools, and temples for ex-situ conservation spaces, engaging the community in nature interpretation and learning centres, planting and nurturing tree saplings for a minimum of three years, tagging species for scientific and local documentation, creating local employment, and fostering community awareness about ecological conservation.