A new article posted on the Forest News blog describes an innovative agroforestry programme in villages around the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in India.

Smallholder farmers there are applying agroforestry to help meet their firewood, timber, and fodder needs without drawing from the sprawling, protected-area tiger sanctuary.

The agroforestry programme, coordinated by the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), has also brought a host of intangible benefits to local communities, including the preservation of traditional knowledge on trees, and renewed ownership of a wealth of tree genetic resources.

Read blog here: Farmers help tiger conservation efforts in India

The article is based on a presentation by Dr. Rengaian Ganesan, a scientist with ATREE, on Tree Diversity Day, 17 October 2012, in Hyderabad.