For generations, the people of Gohain Chapori in Assam's Dhemaji district have shared something special with the wildlife around them.

On the same land where villagers take their cattle and buffaloes to graze, wild deer have found a home. Birds, including wild ducks, are also part of this landscape.

For the families living here, sharing their surroundings with these animals has been a part of life for years.

But with hunting, encroachment and other pressures threatening the habitat, villagers began thinking about what they could do to protect it.

And now, four villages in Assam are coming together with an ambitious plan: to turn 1,044 bighas of shared grazing land into a village forest reserve, giving around 150 deer a safer home.

What makes their effort special is that the people who depend on this land for their livelihoods also want to take responsibility for protecting its wildlife.

A home for cattle, deer and everything in between

The Maghuwa Hola grazing ground stretches across Gohain Chapori, Hator Khola, Puthimari and No. 1 Barmuthoni villages.

Much of this government land is used for grazing cattle and buffaloes, while a small forest within it provides shelter to hog deer, wild ducks and other wildlife.

But sharing land comes with challenges.

Hunting poses a direct threat to the animals. Encroachment, grazing pressures and seasonal floods can also affect the places where they live.

And protecting the deer isn't as simple as keeping people and cattle away. Families have depended on these grazing grounds for generations, so any plan to protect wildlife must also consider their needs.

That is what makes the villagers' proposal meaningful.........

© The Better India