WWF-India and Ramboll partner to conserve biodiversity and support vulnerable communities in India’s Godavari River Basin

WWF-India and the Ramboll Group and Ramboll Foundation (hereafter referred to as Ramboll) have joined hands to initiate a unique project on forest and habitat conservation to enable wildlife recovery and strengthen community led conservation initiatives in the Godavari River Basin, in India.

The project, which began in October 2023, is supported financially by the Ramboll Foundation, with specialised skills offered by way of in-kind hours volunteered by Ramboll employees.

Large parts of the Godavari Basin are thickly forested, although with a low density of wildlife, especially apex predators such as tigers and wild herbivores which are their prey. The region is also home to several tribal communities largely dependent on the forests for their livelihoods. These communities include Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups such as Koyas and Kollams, as well as Mannae.

The region offers important and critical opportunities for initiatives in landscape restoration and management towards the long-term well-being of wildlife and people. The project partners will work jointly on mapping forests to identify and prioritise actions for the recovery of wildlife, including social mapping of forest-dwelling and forest-fringe communities.

“WWF-India is thrilled to be joining hands with Ramboll to initiate conservation action in the Godavari Landscape. We believe this is a great opportunity to put in place collaborative approaches and seek innovative solutions to protect the biodiversity of the region and secure the well-being of the local communities.” – Yash Shethia, Director, Wildlife & Habitats Programme, WWF-India.