Leading Sustainable Innovations

The Heater of Hope has multiple benefits ranging from a reduction in forest degradation to an improvement in the health of the beneficiaries. (Photograph courtesy Aniket Bhatkhande)

India is home to more than 3,000 wild tigers who often live in close proximity to remote villages where women routinely venture into nearby forests to collect firewood to warm their homes, cook their food and heat water. This practice exposes the women to danger from carnivores, depletes the forests and also contributes to respiratory illnesses from wood smoke.

Reconciling the differing demands of India’s tiger reserves and nearby communities is a significant part of the mission of the Mumbai-based Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT), a nonprofit think tank founded to safeguard ecosystems in a holistic, sustainable manner. WCT, which has worked in 160 protected areas, covering 82 percent of India’s tiger reserves and 24 percent of the national parks and sanctuaries, emphasizes both forest and wildlife conservation and community development.

In this case, a partial solution to reducing firewood collecting has come in the form of the Heater of Hope—an efficient water heater that can burn twigs, crop residue, grass and cow dung. The driving force behind the heater is Aniket Bhatkhande, WCT’s head of conservation behavior, who brought his capabilities as an economist, lawyer and social scientist to the innovative project.

Bhatkhande’s leadership skills were recognized by his participation in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. Since its beginning in 1940, the IVLP has brought current and emerging leaders from across the world to the United States, where they meet with their professional counterparts and visit public and private sector organizations related to their field of interest. Bhatkhande participated in the exchange program in 2023, which focused on environmental engagement and the economy for the Indo-Pacific and Central Asia.

Health and sustainability

“The Heater of Hope has allowed a just and safe energy transition to more than 50,000 people while reducing carbon dioxide emissions of more than 100,000 tons,” says Bhatkhande.

“The communities we work with have seen more than 100 human deaths due to carnivore attacks in the last three years. This biomass-fueled water heater helps them avoid venturing into the forest, which has a high density of tigers and leopards. It also reduces women’s exposure to smoke, which can cause respiratory diseases,” he adds. “Most importantly, it has led to the inclusion of household water heating needs in state policies intended to help energy transition of households in forest-dwelling communities.”

The IVLP experience

Bhatkhande’s IVLP was hosted by the Mississippi Consortium for International Development’s Washington, D.C. office, where the group met with diverse stakeholders, ranging from the office of John Kerry, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, to victims of Hurricane Katrina. The cohort explored the efforts of government, civil society and the private sector to promote economic growth while protecting the environment. They also shared best practices from their countries with representatives from the U.S. National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

“The IVLP highlighted for me the importance of policy, plurality and perseverance,” he says. “I think these lessons are critical in large federal democracies. This experience will allow me to implement these learnings in my country.”

For Bhatkhande, the most helpful aspect was to get an arms-length picture of various stakeholders and their interactions in a diverse and vibrant democracy. “It taught me to be patient and understand that if we value our freedom and democracy then change is often slow. Sometimes appreciating that about your own system is difficult, but looking at another system was a game-changer,” he says. “What added to the experience was the diversity within the group. It was wonderful to have representatives from various countries share their experiences with federalism, diversity and policymaking.”

Initiatives for forest guards

Bhatkhande has also been instrumental in developing a pioneering WCT study of India’s forest guards, whose lonely and demanding work is quite dangerous. “As per the International Rangers Federation, India is the riskiest country for forest rangers, accounting for the highest number of rangers killed in the line of duty,” he says.

“My work on the psychological well-being of forest guards has led to policy changes that enhance the well-being of forest staff,” says Bhatkhande. Covering 11 national parks, he led the largest initiative ever to measure the factors affecting the psychological well-being of forest staff. The findings have been notified as recommendations to park managers by the chief wildlife warden of Madhya Pradesh and were used in developing the 10-year budget plan. “Changes on the ground have included human resource training, better facilities as well as the institution of awards for frontline forest staff,” he adds.

Bhatkhande and the WCT are also focused on threats from climate change.

“We have worked with all human stakeholders in biodiversity protection and climate change from forest guards to policymakers and local communities,” he says. “We are currently working on a critical endeavor to quantify the costs paid by forest-dwelling communities due to climate change and developing means to ensure more equitable outcomes.”

Steve Fox is a freelance writer, former newspaper publisher and reporter based in Ventura, California.

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