Elephants By The Lake (EBTL) - A permaculture based land restoration experiment.

EBTL is a collective restoration effort in Tamil Nadu by Rainmatter Foundation. It spans 68 acres of undulating land between a forest and the CT Palli village near Veppanapalli town in Krishnagiri district. The land, home to an old elephant walkway and their waterhole, is surrounded by hills. Many of the valley's slopes and elevations had been flattened by agricultural terraces and bunds.

Once a thriving wetland dotted with small pools of water edged with wild Vetiver (khus) and other perennial grasses... over time, the region had been turned into a largely barren stretch of eroded slopes and mud puddles.

Photo from EBTL — EBTL masterplan, August 2022

The above masterplan (PDF) shows an alternative method to regenerate the land and its flora and fauna based on permaculture principles. We hope that this will lead to a balanced use of resources between the humans and the wildlife for whom this land is home. At the end of this effort, we hope to create an open playbook that will enable other communities to replicate such alternative methods elsewhere for many more EBTLs.

People

Neelamma, Rajappa, Thimraj and Shiva, Parvati, Rupa and Rajeshwari; Shiva's daughter and her cousin; 23 daily wage workers (17 men, 6 women) who work the land.
Ananas, who have designed, planned, and are executing the entire project based on permaculture principles.
Biome, who are designing habitats at EBTL for future human residents and visitors.
Varun, who stays at EBTL, supervising all activities.
Aruna, Nursery manager at EBTL.
Well-digger team
Cesu & Bonda

Project updates

Every month, Ananas prepares notes documenting the ongoing work and state of affairs at EBTL. Note: Alphonso By The Lake, EBTL's earlier name, appears in some notes.

If you would like to know more about the project, please e-mail us.