It has been another year of rooting and building the restoration community in India. Along with our ongoing projects, new and exciting challenges have emerged requiring the team to dive back into how we want to show up and support this space. From strategic conversations to on ground consultations, events and courses we’ve been busy with our hands in the soil this year. Our member community has grown to over 600+ members bringing a diverse mix of perspectives resulting in highly engaging conversation.
ERA’s Monthly Webinar Series remains a central part of our knowledge-sharing efforts, hosting 9 sessions across the year with topics ranging from Open Natural Ecosystems, to rivers and community perspectives on restoration.
The fourth edition of the Restoring Natural Ecologies (RNE) conference, was hosted at Cotton University in Guwahati, from 27-29th October 2025. The event brought together over ~ 300 people from 24 states and UTs, a significant jump from last year’s conference where we had about 230 people and reflected the growing momentum of the restoration movement in India. Our participants joined us from 60+ organisations with many being independent researchers and consultants as well. The conference featured a rich mix of formats, 2 plenary sessions, 2 panel discussions, 4 community led talks, 3 field visits, and participant-led sessions - 31 short talks, 8 listening circles, 8 workshops, open spaces, a “Network Mela” for networking, and film screenings, fostering dialogue, learning, and collaboration.
Below is a detailed list of our activities over the past year with links to relevant resources you could engage with.
2025
July
[ERA Webinar]: Beyond Forests: Rethinking Restoration of India’s Open Natural Ecosystems with Abi Tamim Vanak - https://youtu.be/yhlu6didUug?si=e7vER2z42tCboVIb
Innovation Grant:
We launched the Innovation Grant last year with the intention of catalysing people to propose and develop new ideas in ecological restoration that would benefit the ecological restoration community in India. Unfortunately, the perception of ERA from a community to a funder shifted quickly and we were inundated with requests for funding there after. We decided that we did not want disbursing funds to be a focus for us and so after this 1 year grant we have decided to discontinue the Innovation Grant in its current form.
Restoring Natural Ecologies preparation:
Intention setting - Drawing on insights and experiences from the past three years, the team developed a more structured and intentional approach to shaping the vision for the Restoring Natural Ecologies (RNE) 2025 conference. RNE '25 Intention setting - Google Docs
Conference learnings - The conference in 2024 offered a powerful space for exchange, reflection, and connection. Drawing from detailed feedback, this document synthesizes our learnings into key themes to guide future conference planning. Our aim is to preserve what worked well, address areas for improvement, and cultivate a more inclusive and engaging experience for all participants.
The 2025 conference also hosted a new format called Grove-ing together. This was a curated mentorship and peer-networking format designed specifically for young or emerging restoration practitioners.
For the Network Mela, we chose to move away from the traditional open application process used for other session formats. Instead, we extended personal invitations to specific individuals and organisations. This decision draws from principles of community building and gathering design that we believe may better serve our restoration community.
Ladakh restoration visioning workshop (in collab with the NCF high altitude team) from 2nd to 4th June 2025 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wsIryn9qyQCWfrmSYYKzyKmR3f4VN_Mb/view?usp=sharing
Buzzing board July - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1er9dFQAjeSEulGjt9r4kLvMqpU7ISz-d/view?usp=drive_link
Glossary for Restoration - https://docs.google.com/document/d/146g6zNN-33YWJFx10PxpKNwPxCRF_ViCclPQd_Iar1s/edit?usp=sharing
We have compiled a funding deck to help us collate the emerging projects “dreams” of all the desks. This will be a living document that will be updated as new ideas emerge. ERA Funding deck - Google Docs
A course on ecological restoration:
Module for Green Hub North East from 30th June to 2nd July, 2025 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/11kw_R96KOZa2LIkUdKXHEuaEiBS2i1AD/view?usp=sharing
August
A course on ecological restoration:
The Green Hub films desk at ERA is focused on creating 6 films on restoration every year. These films are meant to be created by the GH fellows. For this simple objective to be met many new processes needed to be developed along the way. One of which is a short course on restoration for the fellows.
Here is a detailed note of how this desk has evolved and its scope now grown to be more extensive - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HluMTXGM9oEYENHmx84OonWsSLDxDoL4/view?usp=drive_link
Module for Green Hub Central India from 18th August to 20th August - Restoration Course_Report-Green_Hub_CI_2025_Final - Google Docs
Module for Green Hub Western Himalayas from 23rd August to 24th August - Restoration Course_Report-Green_Hub_WH_2025_Final - Google Docs
Tendrils of August 2025: Updates from the ERA community - 🌱 Tendrils of August 2025: Updates from the ERA community 🌱
Ecological Restoration Courses in India Report -
This report is part of an ongoing effort by the Education Desk at ERA to understand the current landscape of ecological restoration education in India. Our intention was simple: to get a sense of what’s already out there so that we can begin to identify what’s needed. We began by attempting to map out courses and learning resources in the field of restoration. This document focuses specifically on the courses.
Ecological primers - ERA_Knowledge_bank | Linktree
Primers are one-pagers of information on subjects/concepts relevant to restoration - what is an invasive? What is a native? etc. The primers aim to provide quick and easy access to information about regularly used terms and concepts in ecological restoration.
Green India Mission suggestions - https://era-india.org/resources/suggestions-on-revised-green-india-mission-guidelines/
The GIM is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), with a focus on increasing forest and tree cover, and improving biodiversity and carbon sequestration. The Revised GIM Guidelines were released by the MoEFCC on 17.06.25.
The 2025 revision introduces a stronger emphasis on eco-restoration and the use of native species, and aligns more explicitly with India’s climate commitments. However, there were some notable gaps. While there hasn’t been a formal call for public consultation, it was important for ERA to engage with these revisions.
September
[ERA Webinar]: Community-led Restoration: Perspectives from the Ground with Sushila Murmu and Bijaya Kumar Kabi - https://youtu.be/cFBZ8L8_E8M?si=-ADyb91Ymb98kBFK
RESTORY: Understanding Ecological Restoration workshop - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gXVjGdZof7gCN81YUcAHxoogC7zoBR3j/view?usp=sharing
This workshop, held on 5th and 6th September 2025 at the WWF - India, Lodhi Estate Office, New Delhi, convened 37 journalists from various media outlets to strengthen evidence-based reporting on ecological restoration in India. Over 2 days, participants engaged in 8 expert-led sessions, alongside a field visit to Mangar Bani that offered first-hand insights into restoration challenges and successes.
October
[ERA Webinar]: A Systems Thinking View of Ecological Restoration with Kabir Sharma -
Restoring Natural Ecologies 2025
A large part of September, October and November was spent preparing for, executing and wrapping up the conference. As most desks are not only organising but also presenting at the conference it tends to be our primary focus for these months.
November and December
[ERA-Webinar]: Restoring a River Corridor: A Model for the Western Ghats with Neethi Mahesh - https://youtu.be/ZVxfVwuZjyA?si=Z8ne7X1ze8HkHGIK
[Panel at the WRI India, India Climate Collaborative and Transform Rural India gathering]: Restoring Balance Together: Learning and Leading in India’s Landscape Restoration Efforts - Excited to be part of the panel Restoring Balance Together: Learning and Leading in India’s Landscape Restoration Efforts. I will be sharing our perspective from Ecological Restoration Alliance on… | Arjun Singh
Tendrils: Grasslands in Focus - https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=11bc4498976c40655aea15652&id=0392ce4041
Preparations for the regional meet in Rajasthan - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/18ixLC9Lf7ohNnEL3M1ywXwW-Iqvr-p_jUVA9nsipxeA/edit?usp=sharing
The team proposed a project to digitise existing vegetation data that is scattered across the web so we can actually use it in the Sub-division of the Ecoregions. This began with the digitisation of Champion and Seth for the base vegetation layer - Champion & Seth Species Dataset: AI-Assisted Geocoding and an Interactive WebGIS Search Interface Champion & Seth Species Dataset: AI-Assisted Geocoding and an Interactive WebGIS Search Interface | Zenodo
2026
January and February
[ERA-Webinar]: Reviving Community-led Ecological Memory Systems in Meghalaya Forests with Joanica Jyrwa - https://youtu.be/AElQslag4QU?si=L5k2gbA9ubA7qP0O
Rajasthan focused webinars (these were online engagements to cultivate community for the in person RJ meet up).
[ERA-Webinar]: Grasslands and Deserts of Rajasthan: Thinking Beyond Greening with Chetan Misher https://youtu.be/MDfMutF2Bfg?si=Nh0uZG35OTfhkgnq
[ERA-Webinar]: Introduction to the Restoration Policy Landscape in Rajasthan with Sanjana Nair and Adithya P
RJ in person meet up - https://drive.google.com/file/d/158laLQjvlq9QGDCuXteIPGZaf-VzlSul/view?usp=drive_link
ERA RJ was one of the first WA groups that formed. But things didn’t pick up momentum for a while until they actually met in person at the 2026 conference. This happened through 1:1’s and being in the same place together. A place based approach to community building is very powerful and results in higher engagement and collaboration.
Learning with the land course: Forest Way - The Forest Way Report _Learn with the Land - Google Docs
The intention of the course was not only to introduce participants to ecological restoration, but to help them read landscapes, understand socio-ecological history, engage with real dilemmas in the field, and experience restoration as a long-term, adaptive process.
The Watershed (WS) Department in Karnataka does a lot of nature based solutions work and a lot of plantations. Their role is to make sure surface run off is reduced and ground water recharge is happening at the sites where they work. Typically they make check dams and bunds, and they also do plantations to increase water retention at the site. They have asked us to recommend through existing examples that we can do it a little better with native species and ecological restoration.
A YouTube broadcast and presentation about grassland restoration, in Kannada, was shared with the WS committees at the ground level in each village - Presentation by Ranjith on integrating grasslands in the watershed development programme PMKSY 2.0.
The IPLC desk visited 2 villages in Melghat and 2 villages in Jharkhand - https://docs.google.com/document/d/166qL_f6gBh4IGmpK0RkCUwwWWm45C86m5kWs6kpXcrc/edit?usp=sharing
Member circles - Member circles concept note and flow - Google Docs
This is an experiment of small, facilitated calls (up to 20 people each) open to both new and existing members. Think of them as a shared grounding space, a chance to understand the spirit of the Alliance and how the community can all work together more meaningfully.
Strategic meet and annual planning online - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A510E6vQtMwQgV7KwjioRox47r4gSj8sZMST350htBE/edit?usp=drive_link
The annual desk presentations and overview of what we have accomplished over the year helps everyone align and get a systems overview of what could be possible for the coming year
To begin activating the ERA Goa community we had an in person meet up at the Goa Botanical Sanctuary restoration site in Divar. At this meet up the plan to host a talk by Henry Noltie on his recently published book, Flora Indica, emerged and took place later that week.
We participated in the C4 campaign #RediscoverNature
March and April
[ERA Webinar]: Achieving Restoration via Biodiversity Management Committees with Shymkumar P - https://youtu.be/153TFtY1QAQ?si=hegte3_syYTepCZa
[ERA Webinar]: Restoring Grasslands: The Past, Present and the Future of Bustard Conservation in Gujarat with Devesh Gadhvi - https://youtu.be/sEsA96X-trA?si=ASwXL3s8CtvqsVMe
Strategic meet and annual planning online report - The online strategic planning process established a shared strategic direction for ERA. However, it became clear that the priorities identified were too broad to effectively guide implementation and needed to be discussed further when we met in-person.
Learning with the land course: Oikos & Adhiwas - The Learn With the Land course’s second edition was held from April 17th - 21st 2026 at Pune and Wan Kusawade, Satara by ERA, Oikos for Ecological Services and Adhiwas Foundation. The purpose of the course was to deepen the theoretical and practical knowledge in ecological restoration and hence, was designed to provide an insight & hands-on experience.
New partner onboarded: Wildlife Conservation Trust was onboarded as an institutional partner to ERA https://docs.google.com/document/d/1trc53ZQLVC1hIa8pMgcvagzeUtrHqm6G7DxBuus5w_E/edit?tab=t.v1pgs16nudrl
A course on Ecological Restoration: for serving forest officers, Madhya Pradesh Forest Department - The Ecological Restoration Alliance (ERA), India, seeks to engage with Forest Departments across the country to foster collaboration and promote the exchange of best practices in ecological restoration.
This workshop for the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, stemmed out of that intent. The purpose was to conduct a workshop for serving officers on the principles and practice of ecological restoration. The workshop was designed to equip frontline officers and decision-makers with conceptual frameworks and tools to understand ecosystem degradation and restoration, design restoration projects, and engage with restoration science and policy.
Design Research Brief for ERA - As we move closer to 5 years of the alliance we are thinking about our tools and structural support. Keeping this in mind we believe it is an important milestone and an opportune moment to redesign the website and identify new pathways for the SC and Desks to pursue.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has been sponsoring three-day refresher workshops for the IFS officers to address domain, behavioural, and functional competencies of officers, organised by premier institutions/organisations in the country. During the year 2026-27, the MoEF&CC intends to sponsor three-day refresher workshops - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P8VjNre8BUhVbofk1laO6ZfKo0VIGwL2/view?usp=sharing
ERA, in collaboration with NCBS, Keystone, and NCF, has submitted a proposal for this which has been approved and we will be hosting this workshop in September 2026.
Rajasthan regional work:
9 working groups have been set up after the in person meet. One of them has put together a RJ ERA statement in collaboration with ATREE and WCT - ERA Statement Outline -April 2026 - Google Docs
The first online meeting for the community happened on 24th April - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kOZiwZ5buN5iL23djExcGJOApShvzpz1/view?usp=drive_link
As ERA continues to evolve, so too must the way we communicate, convene, and amplify the restoration movement. The Communications & Outreach Desk is currently undergoing its own strategic reflection.
May and June
[ERA Webinar]: Rethinking Forest Restoration in India: An Evidence-based View with Forrest Fleischman - https://youtu.be/m1rnOdr5Sr4?si=-cIZJda4Kwdh9C9v
[ERA Community Discussion]: Grasshoppers: ‘Let’s Talk about the Central Ridge’ - https://youtu.be/ub3EJHi1SRI?si=r3huSa1QthLLUP8-
Germination database updated - 1414 seed germination protocols from 16 different sources, covering 611 native species. https://era-india.org/seed-germination/
In-person strategic meet - https://docs.google.com/document/d/17dNQKYk3C49od6Bfvif270qxsSsOodZxTpCGO8xiRkw/edit?usp=drive_link
The in-person meeting was designed to refine our priorities from the online meet into more focused, desk-led strategic goals with clear ownership and accountability.
Events Guidelines - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ksH8izzWOqHTmCogOTNYGlYBnaNJlaqLzXOe7xVfQ00/edit?usp=sharing
Recognising that convenings are a core part of how ERA builds community and advances restoration practice, we have designed an evolving Events Guidelines resource for the team. These guidelines provide a shared foundation for designing gatherings that reflect ERA’s values and strategic direction.
Nursery app - https://nurchedi-userguide.pages.dev/
As part of addressing gaps in the native plant supply ecosystem, ERA has developed a Nursery App to strengthen stock management and facilitate connections between nurseries and restoration practitioners. The platform is currently being tested with select nurseries and is expected to launch publicly in the coming months.
ERA Maharashtra Policy Consultation on Dryland Restoration - https://docs.google.com/document/d/121IdxisEaO2S2vdELBvIjda14zWYLTPL1xlAq8Hef2k/edit?usp=sharing
An online consultation is being convened by ERA Maharashtra to bring together practitioners, researchers, and civil society organisations to identify priority policy actions and build a shared agenda for engaging with the Government of Maharashtra on ecological restoration.
Project requests intention and process - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Yoerer8o5twtpgE98sjIcrmppcZVaSwwv5RPtK7p4nA/edit?usp=sharing
In response to a growing number of project requests and an expanding membership, ERA has established a community-wide expression of interest process to connect project opportunities with restoration practitioners across the alliance in a more transparent and inclusive way.
Restoration films from the 2024-2025 Green Hub fellows officially launched. You can watch them here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAAkbAzjkpg&list=PL5uBRMT3LETg4_vCbtr1UJ4TjlHKxBNds