INTRODUCTION

Restoration, protection and preservation of environmental resources has been growing steadily and has emerged as a priority issue in recent years. Various initiatives have been undertaken at the global, regional and state level to address issues in a manner - that are both holistic as well as local specific. In a collaborative venture between the Government of India and the Government of Norway, the two governments entered into an umbrella agreement with the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) to initiate pilot projects in two states of India viz. Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh. This programme aimed to both undertake pilot programmes to demonstrate corrective actions as well as create awareness about the urgency of addressing issues in environment. Financial support for these initiatives is provided by Norwegian Agency for Development cooperation (NORAD) in addition to technical inputs. The partnership aims to both, undertake innovative experiments as well as create awareness of the importance of addressing environmental issues.