The Regional Centre, National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong came into existence on 26th October, 1989. Since then the Centre has been working in the areas related to afforestation and eco-development in the seven north-eastern states viz., Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura as per the mandate contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board (NAEB), Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India and North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong.
As per the MoU, the Regional Centre has the following objectives:
To provide extension and technical assistance to the State/Union Territory Forest Departments/State Forest Development Corporations, Forest Development Agencies and/or such agencies as may be mutually agreed to, in the formulation of projects, microplanning exercise for development of degraded forests, adjoining lands, non-forest lands, agro-forestry, control of desertification and areas falling within the mandate of NAEB; as and when required
To assist NAEB in project implementation and evaluation of programmes implemented through State/Union Territory Forest Departments/ Corporations/ Forest Development Agencies and suggest measures for improvement
To provide a forum for cross-fertilization of ideas and experiences especially amongst the forest officers of States/Union Territories, Voluntary Agencies, NGOs, representatives of the Panchayati Raj, Institutions, Forest Development Agencies/Joint Forest Management Committees/Trees Growers Cooperatives etc., by organizing workshops/experience sharing sessions
To conduct problem-specific studies relevant to afforestation, regeneration of degraded forests, eco-development and peoples participation in forest management and protection
To organize training programmes for project formulation, microplanning and geographical information systems
To sponsor research and extension of research findings to disseminate new technologies for the regeneration and development of degraded forest areas, adjoining lands, non forest lands, and areas falling in the mandate of NAEB
To monitor survival rate studies and district-wise afforestation and tree planting activities and evaluate the performance of concerned agencies
Documentation of successful efforts/achievements in the areas mentioned above for wider dissemination
Any other activity as indicated by the NAEB from time to time