The Kosi basin is spread across the Lesser Himalayan domain and administratively within the district of Almora and Nainital, Uttarakhand state. The absolute relief of the catchment ranges between 330 m and 2720 m from the mean sea level. The basin is being used for various purposes such as drinking, irrigations, fishing, cremation waste, etc. Over the years, the flow of the basin decrease drastically due to climate change, human interference, unscientific developmental activities, agriculture extension and unplanned way of road construction. Rawat and Rawat (1994) determined the rate of discharge, sediment load and rate of erosion in the Nana Kosi watershed (the major tributary of Kosi) and reported that the annual discharge from the springs has been reduced by about 50%. In view of this, various initiatives/campaigns for rejuvenating the Kosi basin are initiated by government and other institutions. Moreover, the Uttarakhand Forest Department (UKFD), Eco Task Force of the Army, GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development (GBPNIHESD) and other Non Government Organization (NGO) had done various intervention and planted numerous seedlings of broad leaf forest in entire watershed but due to the lacking of long term monitoring/management, the seedling survivality is recorded not up to the mark. Recently (16 July 2018), the government of Uttarakhand has planted more than 1 lakh 67 thousand 755 broad leaf tree species in entire Kosi watershed, participated by more than 10,000 people from 122 villages of watersheds. Therefore, there is a need to develop some mechanism for monitoring and maintaining the plantation sites for succeeding the purpose of the plantation as well as the concept of rejuvenating the Kosi river. In this context, monitoring as well as introducing the new field intervention for rejuvenating the Kosi, the project proposal has been visualized and proposed under National Mission on Himalayan Studies.

• Policy/ strategic framework/research article developed (No.)