Maharashtra, WOTR to strengthen sustainable development in state

The Department of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Maharashtra, has signed an MoU with the Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) and its research arm, WOTR Centre for Resilient Studies (W-CReS), to integrate Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) into the State’s policy and programmatic framework. The collaboration will embed ecosystem services in planning, involve communities in co-creating solutions, build capacities of farmers and strengthen institutions to tackle climate risks. Backed by WOTR’s three decades of work in climate-resilient rural development, the initiative is also featured in the Maharashtra State Action Plan on Climate Change (MH SAPCC): Pathways for 2030.

Maharashtra, home to over 112 million people, is heavily dependent on agriculture, employing nearly half the workforce and contributing 11% of the state’s GDP. Yet, with vast drought-prone areas and increasingly erratic rainfall, water scarcity and crop losses pose growing threats. By embedding EbA into policies and programmes, the State aims to strengthen resilience in farming, conserve biodiversity, and reduce disaster risks.

The MoU focuses on three pillars: regenerating ecosystems and conserving biodiversity; communities managing natural resources in a sustainable, inclusive and equitable manner; and enhancing adaptive capacities of rural institutions and communities to generate resilient incomes and livelihoods.

WOTR brings decades of expertise in integrated watershed development, water management, climate-resilient agriculture and resilience building while W-CReS will provide research-backed insights to drive evidence-based action. The collaboration will align with India’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by fostering an all-of-society approach involving the state, corporates, civil society and rural communities.

“Ecosystem-based Adaptation must become the backbone of Maharashtra’s development journey. Only by undertaking adaptive and risk-mitigating action and weaving nature into policy and practice, can we build climate resilience and secure both incomes and biodiversity for the future,” said Marcella D’Souza, Director, W-CReS.

According to Abhijit Ghorpade, Director, State Climate Action Cell, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Maharashtra, “EbA should become the bedrock of public policy. Sustainability is the lens through which all our developmental projects, schemes and programmes should be viewed and analysed. By working with WOTR and W-CReS, we aim to embed resilience into every layer of Maharashtra’s development agenda and action. This collaboration will ensure that vulnerable communities are better prepared for droughts, floods, and other climate shocks.”

WOTR and W-CReS have restored over 3.84 million hectares of degraded land and improved water security for 8.4 million people in drought-prone and rainfed districts across 10 states of India. This partnership with the Government of Maharashtra will strengthen Maharashtra’s preparedness for a changing climate by expanding the scope of people-centric ecosystem-based adaptation solutions.