A regular biodiversity monitoring program for vegetation assessment, targeted plant species monitoring, camera-trap surveys for medium/large mammals, and ecosystem health indicators — was established to track outcomes and allow adaptive actions. The management plan places monitoring at the core of decision-making. 

Jabal Shada was declared a Special Nature Reserve (IUCN Category Ia) in 2002, following a reconnaissance survey conducted in 2001 by the former National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD). After establishment of the National Center for Wildlife (NCW), a new management plan was developed (meant to be updated after every 5 years) which integrates biodiversity protection with local livelihoods supporting Shadawi coffee cultivation, community-based development, ecotourism, and regular biodiversity monitoring to ensure long-term conservation of this unique mountain ecosystem. Jabal Shada was also registered on the world database of protected areas (WDPA).

This building block focuses on using nature-based solutions to stabilize riverbanks and protect both wildlife habitat and community infrastructure. Riverbank erosion poses significant threats to riparian vegetation, drinking water sources, agricultural fields, and wildlife movement corridors. Instead of relying on concrete structures, this approach applies eco-friendly techniques such as bioengineering, bamboo and brush layering, use of coir logs, and planting native grasses, shrubs, and tree species to strengthen soil structure naturally.
Stabilizing riverbanks with vegetation reduces erosion, slows surface runoff, filters sediments, and restores natural river dynamics that support fish, amphibians, and terrestrial wildlife. These methods also improve habitat connectivity, helping animals move safely between feeding areas, mineral licks, and water sources.
Community participation is essential: local residents assist in planting, maintaining vegetation, monitoring erosion, and protecting newly restored areas from grazing and disturbance. This increases ownership and ensures long-term sustainability.
Nature-based riverbank stabilization also builds climate resilience by reducing flood impacts, preventing land loss, and lowering long-term maintenance costs. Integrated with watershed management, it becomes a key strategy for landscape-level conservation and community safety.

This building block focuses on strengthening 19 NWFP Community Groups through well-developed management plans and bylaws that ensure sustainable harvesting, monitoring, and equitable benefit-sharing. JWS is known for the sustainable collection of Rubia spp., Swertia chirayita, star anise, soft broom grass, mushrooms, and other high-value NWFPs.
Management activities include resource assessment, setting harvest quotas, training communities on proper harvesting techniques, enforcing bylaws, and supporting community-led monitoring. JWS also supports market linkages, pricing transparency, and annual reviews of the management plans.
Community participation is central: members help monitor resource conditions, report illegal extraction, follow sustainable harvest practices, and collectively manage income distribution.
In 2024, these groups collectively earned around Nu. 3.5 million from the sale of Rubia spp., Swertia chirayita, and star anise alone, excluding income from other NWFPs, demonstrating the livelihood potential of sustainably managed forest resources.

This building block establishes recreational spaces such as parks, nature trails, and picnic areas to provide safe and enjoyable outdoor spaces while promoting environmental awareness. Eco-tourism initiatives generate alternative income for community members through guiding, hospitality, cultural activities, and local product sales.
These facilities build public appreciation for nature, reduce pressure on sensitive wildlife habitats, and create incentives for conservation. Eco-tourism also enhances community well-being and strengthens long-term support for environmental protection.

This building block focuses on restoring and maintaining natural mineral licks to enhance the availability of essential nutrients such as sodium, calcium, and magnesium for wild animals. Over time, mineral licks can degrade due to erosion, invasive species, sedimentation, or human disturbance. Management activities include removing invasive vegetation, reshaping the lick, stabilizing soil using natural materials, and maintaining low-disturbance zones.
Community involvement is key: they help identify degraded lick sites, report disturbances, assist in restoration, and prevent livestock from entering lick areas. Their participation improves protection, strengthens ownership, and ensures long-term sustainability.
Healthy mineral licks improve wildlife nutrition, reproductive success, bone development, and overall health. When integrated with waterhole and grassland management, mineral lick restoration provides a comprehensive habitat improvement strategy.

This building block enhances water availability for wildlife by maintaining natural waterholes, desilting ponds, constructing small check-dams, or redirecting natural runoff to refill drying areas. Waterholes are crucial during dry seasons, supporting herbivores, carnivores, and bird species.
Improved water availability reduces long-distance wildlife movement, thereby lowering chances of conflict with nearby communities. Waterhole management also increases habitat use diversity and supports overall ecosystem productivity.
Activities include cleaning debris, strengthening embankments, and ensuring the waterhole remains accessible but safe. This block complements grassland and mineral lick restoration for effective habitat management.

This building block restores and maintains grasslands through selective clearing of invasive species, controlled burning (where appropriate), and sowing of palatable native grasses. Grasslands improve natural forage availability, support herbivore populations, and reduce human–wildlife conflict.
Community members contribute by helping with clearing, seed collection, and monitoring regrowth. Their participation improves ownership, reduces accidental fires, and strengthens local stewardship.
Restored grasslands reduce pressure on agricultural lands, enhance wildlife distribution, and create healthier ecosystems that complement patrolling, waterhole restoration, and mineral lick management.

This building block enhances on-ground protection through dedicated patrolling teams and Quick Response Teams (QRTs) who respond to threats such as poaching, illegal harvesting, forest fires, and human–wildlife conflict. QRTs are trained to act quickly during emergencies, while regular foot and night patrols provide a strong deterrent against illegal activities, improving safety for wildlife and nearby communities.

Local people do not join patrols but play an important role by informing the forest office about suspicious activities, wildlife movements, or potential conflicts. This early reporting system helps the QRT mobilize quickly and strengthens community–agency collaboration.

Improved protection allows other conservation activities—such as mineral lick restoration, habitat improvement, riverbank protection, and sustainable NWFP management—to succeed. By lowering disturbance and resource extraction, ecosystems stabilize and provide a foundation for sustainable livelihoods, eco-tourism development, and long-term climate resilience. This system builds public trust, encourages responsible behavior, and promotes shared responsibility for conservation.

This is to revive, preserve, and apply Indigenous and local knowledge systems that have historically supported the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity in and around the cascade ecosystem. These knowledge systems have deeply rooted in centuries of interaction with ecosystems, offering practical, time-tested methods for managing natural resources in ways that maintain ecological balance. By integrating this knowledge with modern conservation science, biodiversity efforts become more culturally respectful, inclusive, and effective. Sri Lanka: The tank cascade systems (Elangawa) are ancient water management practices that support aquatic biodiversity and rice cultivation in dry zones. 

• Village elders and traditional irrigation managers (Vel Vidane) knew when to open and close sluice gates based on the timing and pattern of monsoon rains, not fixed calendars. They rely on subtle signs such as the first call of migratory birds, flowering of trees, or moisture in soil layers to make water release decisions—practices rooted in observation, not engineering manuals.
• Farmers traditionally maintain vegetated buffer zones (Kattakaduwa) at the downstream edge of the tank to filter salts, protect water quality, and maintain soil health. This practice was not scientifically explained in the past, but local communities knew that removing these vegetated zones harmed crops and water quality.
• Local farmers have an intuitive sense of where sediment settles, how to periodically dredge, and how to reuse silt to improve soil fertility. Such practices have helped sustain tanks over centuries without formal hydrological models.
• Communities understand the presence of birds, fish, and reptiles in and around tanks as part of the ecosystem's health—some even avoid disturbing nesting areas or harvest fish only after spawning periods, even in absence of formal rules.