What a Contribution Means
Contributions made to Forest First are charitable donations to The Heritage Foundation, a registered public charitable trust (12A/80G status). Contributions are directed towards the Civic Trust Land Acquisition Pool — a consolidated fund used to identify, acquire, and permanently protect ecologically sensitive private land in the Nilgiris.
A contribution does not confer any legal ownership, proprietary right, or claim over any specific parcel of land acquired through this pool. Land is held in perpetual trust under The Heritage Foundation's name for ecological purposes.
How Contributions Are Deployed
Funds contributed to the Land Acquisition Pool are used exclusively for:
- Identification and due diligence of ecologically significant private land parcels
- Legal acquisition, title verification, and registration costs
- Ecological restoration activities including native species replanting and invasive species removal
- Long-term monitoring, biodiversity surveys, and scientific documentation
- Administrative costs directly attributable to the above (capped at 15% of pool funds)
No portion of Land Acquisition Pool funds is used for general Foundation overhead, cultural programmes, or other Heritage Foundation initiatives without explicit disclosure.
Irrevocability of Protection
Land acquired through Forest First is legally protected in perpetuity under the Foundation's trust deed. It cannot be sold, mortgaged, leased for commercial purposes, or converted to non-ecological use by any party, including The Heritage Foundation itself, without a formal amendment to the trust deed subject to regulatory approval.
This irrevocability is the foundational commitment of the Forest First model. Contributors should understand that funds, once deployed towards land acquisition, cannot be refunded.
Contributor Rights
Contributors to the Forest First Land Acquisition Pool are entitled to:
- Annual field reports covering biodiversity monitoring outcomes for acquired parcels
- GIS maps and photographic documentation of restoration progress
- 80G tax exemption certificates (for eligible Indian taxpayers) within 90 days of contribution
- Access to published scientific data from Foundation-monitored sites
Reports are made available via the-heritage.org and by email to registered contributors.
Governing Law
These terms are governed by the laws of India and the State of Tamil Nadu. The Heritage Foundation is a registered public charitable trust operating under the Indian Trusts Act. Disputes, if any, are subject to the jurisdiction of courts in the Nilgiris District or the High Court of Madras.
For questions regarding these terms, write to: dilip@the-heritage.org